Gambling Reliance
I think we can all admit that playing games with your family and friends can be a lot of fun. Sitting back laughing a friend’s jokes or feeling excited as you win the game you have been playing for hours. For most people, this is something they do maybe once or twice every couple of months and that it. Placing a few bets here and there on a football game or betting their buddies they can’t beat them in a game of pool. But for some people that just simply nowhere near enough to satisfy them. It starts with those few games with friends and family, they can slowly but quickly turn into an impulsive control disorder. Gambling is a serious condition that can destroy lives. Although treating compulsive gambling can be very challenging many people have found help through professional treatment programs.
Types of Gambling
People who gamble for recreation, sociability, and entertainment. For them, gambling may be a distraction or a form of relaxation. Gambling does not interfere with family, social or vocational obligations.
also called gambling disorder, is the uncontrollable urge to keep gambling despite the toll it takes on your life. Gambling means that you’re willing to risk something you value in the hope of getting something of even greater value.
Pathological Gamblers are unable to resist his or her impulses. This can lead to severe consequences. The urge to gamble becomes so great that tension can only be relieved by gambling more and more. Sufferers are often unaware, or in denial, of having a problem.
Compulsive Gambling and How It Starts
Compulsive gamblers might start out slowly as just an urge to gamble but can quickly send you on a slippery slope that could cost you everything literally. People get addicted to gambling by the excitement it brings them, the lights, the atmosphere or simply by focusing on potential winnings instead of how much they are losing to try and win. Don’t get me wrong problem gamblers have nights or days that they win a good bit of money but that just keeps them coming back for more. Typically when one is up a good amount of money they keep gambling with the expectation they will win even more. Unfortunately, they typically continue to gamble until they have lost it all again. This is why casinos are thriving and people came up with the name “The House always wins.”
Symptoms may include:
- Being preoccupied with gambling, such as always thinking of how to get more money for gambling.
- Feeling restless or upset because you cant gamble more.
- Trying to stop gambling or cut back with no success or quitting.
- Lying to your family members or friends to hide your gambling addiction.
- Lose of time with your family and friends due to your gambling.
- Gambling to relieve stress or escape problems or feelings of unhappiness, guilt or depression.
- Trying to get back lost money by gambling more.
- Resorting to theft or fraud to get more gambling money.
- Needing to gamble things increasing amounts of money to get the same feeling as when you started.
- Asking other people to bail you out of gambling debt because you lost all your money and can’t pay.
This is why gambling can be such a horrible reliance. It’s one of those things that fun and full of excitement until it’s not. Unlike cause gamblers who can set a limit on how much and how long they are willing to gamble, compulsive gamblers are unable to stop or feel compelled to keep playing to recover their money. Once the night is over or the urge is gone then they must come home to their family. Some of their family members might not be too happy with them, considering they have been gone for several hours or days even. Then they must do the hardest thing of all, explain to their loved ones how they lost everything, all the money they had worked so hard for all week. Stopping gambling can be very hard to overcome and heartbreaking to the ones closest to them, that why it’s so important to find a professional program that fits their personal needs as well as mental and physical needs.
The national council on problem gambling stated that nearly 10 million people in the United States every year struggle with some form of gambling behavior.
Risk Factors:
- Poor work performance or job loss
- Relationship problems
- Lack of personal health or hygiene
- Financial problems or bankruptcy
- Suicidal