Gambling addiction is a clinically recognized problem that requires special therapy and medical intervention in most cases to achieve full recovery. The premise of gambling is simple – you risk something you have in the hopes of adding to the value of your original stake.
However, by repeatedly engaging with products recognized as gambling, many people are prone to developing gambling addiction or showing symptoms of compulsive gambling without realizing it. If you find yourself addicted to gambling, this article is your path to recovery and understanding pathological gambling better.
Gambling Addiction
The official gambling addiction definition states that an individual must experience an uncontrollable urge to gamble with increasing amounts despite the high risk involved and possibly serious consequences for one’s own well-being or the well-being of family members, friends, and loved ones. Gambling can be addictive because it targets the brain’s reward system and leads to the release of dopamine, the hormone connected with happiness.
However, not all people are at risk of developing compulsive or pathological gambling. In fact, most people are able to resist, but a good number of people are experiencing problem gambling or are at risk of becoming compulsive gamblers themselves.
Today, gambling addiction or compulsive gambling is a mental health issue, and the addiction at its core is equated to abuse of substances such as alcohol and drugs. Gambling affects more men than women, but it is a genderless disorder with a high incidence across the human population. Different countries around the world recognize gambling addiction as a serious mental problem that needs specialist intervention.
The term compulsion used to describe an independent aberration but today compulsive gambling is equated to or synonymous with gambling addiction.
Studies have established that gambling products can elicit the same chemical response from people’s brains, leading to high-dopamine production and spiraling into problem gambling without the knowledge of the individual.
Impulsivity and reward-seeking behavior become norms without explanation and perfectly ordinary individuals begin to behave as problem gamblers, showing symptoms and signs of gambling addiction that appear almost without a warning. Today gambling addiction is also referred to as gambling disorder and it encompasses an effort by the scientific community, including the American Psychiatric Association, to establish the reasons behind addictive behavior, in gambling and beyond.
By now, research has shown that addicts, regardless of their chosen form of addiction, whether that is substance abuse problems or gambling products, have a genetic predisposition that gives insight into how these problems develop, evolve, and how they can be eventually treated to the benefit of problem gamblers. Gambling is officially recognized as an impulse control disorder and this is good news because treatment professionals are tasked with making feel better. But first, they need to know how to read the symptoms.
Gambling addiction in patients tends to be approached differently. To start helping, though, experts must first identify gambling addiction signs and symptoms, which is essential to getting an early start in treatment. These symptoms will vary between individuals in terms of intensity and some may remain hidden until very late in the addiction.
From the standpoint of most problem gamblers, gambling addiction is described as a complete loss of control over the individual’s ability to control spending habits, even though the potentially ruinous consequences are well-understood by the majority of pathological gamblers.
To spot a symptom, you may use our manual, which will help you help determine if you are currently showing compulsive gambling symptoms to a point where they need professional help.
Even if you are not a problem gambler, it is always important to monitor your condition, especially if you have a history of substance abuse in your family or recognize addictive patterns in your own behavior. Here are several points that constitute symptoms and signs of gambling addiction.
The National Healthcare System (NHS) in the United Kingdom recommends using a four-answer system where you will score differently based on your answers. Your answers should be ‘never,’ ‘sometimes,’ ‘most of the time,’ almost always’ and you should score 0, 1, 2, and 3 for each respectively. If your score is higher than 8, the NHS suggests that you may be a problem gambler or you may have a gambling addiction.
Pathological gambling is not an easy thing to deal with, and this is why governments continue to spend money on research and to fund specialist clinic centers. While some individuals may find it easier to distance themselves from compulsive gambling, for others fighting addiction is a life-long struggle.
Compulsion has a powerful pull and most health experts try to find a way that individuals can stay away from temptation, and resist your craving to gamble. With this said, stopping gambling is easy, but replacing it with a positive, constructive emotion can take time, effort, and grit.
The good news is that despite the difficulties, maintaining recovery is very possible, although it may require lifestyle changes and constant effort of will on your part. Certain pathologies, such as mental disorders, can be channeled into something positive. Start small and remember that exerting control over behavior is essential to long-lasting effects. Self-help is a good place to start, but you may seek professional help over time.
When you are a diagnosed gambling addict, the best thing you can do is to stop gambling. To do so, you must put some distance between gambling products and yourself. However, this is difficult at a time when the Internet makes it very easy for gambling firms to have targeted outreach through data use. Because of this, gambling companies know exactly who wishes to gamble based on social media and browser history.
Avoid visiting casinos, whether in person or online and ask your friends and family members to respect your wishes in not bringing topics that are associative with your gambling addiction or that may trigger a strong urge to gamble.
Gambling addiction can be controlled by a system of checks and balances whereby you create a social circle that will help you keep yourself in check. Networking and joining groups with other people experiencing the same issues as you are, or better yet, who have recovered completely, is a good way to begin your recovery.
In addiction vernacular, individuals who take care of struggling addicts are known as ‘mentors.’ Peer groups can have a strong and positive influence on your life, creating a sort of achievement system which you want to unlock, and that influences your life for the better.
When the desire to gamble becomes too strong, make sure to reach out to family, friends, or your designated mentor. Relapses are common, so do not beat yourself up if you do happen to give in on occasion, but know that your recovery depends on unwavering determination.
Because addiction takes time to tackle, and then effort and consistency to maintain recovery, many people create if-scenarios where they agree to complete a certain part of their treatment if they are allowed to experience the subject of their addiction.
Such if-statements are dangerous and they do not address the issue at hand, but rather postpone the urge to gamble and lead to pent-up desire to play. The best way to deal with any compulsive or pathological gambling is to be aware of your situation and not predicate your recovery on future rewards.
Self-help
Self-help for gambling addiction is becoming very popular. Some people prefer to try and deal with the issue on their own. This is a perfectly valid approach and individuals who are strong-willed and in the habit of addressing their behavior analytically stand to benefit. Joining peer groups is a way to have a natural self-check and
Just the opposite, you need to develop the right attitude towards this momentary setback. Instead of hiding it, fearing stigma the same way you probably first hid your gambling addiction, it’s best to open up to a loved one, your support group, or a health specialist.
Talk It Out
Don’t let the cravings simmer and fester. Talk out your issue or urge to gamble with someone whom you trust and who has proven a moral bulwark for your recovery. The support of people whom you have come to trust and appreciate is essential to genuinely pushing past your addiction.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If you do relapse, don’t spend too much time agonizing over this. It happens, and the fact you feel guilty means that you are advancing in your recovery. Talk out what you have achieved by relapsing and whether it was worth it.
Compare how you felt during recovery with how you felt when you satisfied your urge. More often than not, you will establish that your addiction is now physically and mentally unpleasant and your desire to gamble is much lesser than before you started treatment.
Relapses aren’t too bad when they happen, and if anything, they are a quick reality-check if your treatment is working.
Find Engaging Hobbies
Addiction simply means that you have enough energy and determination, notwithstanding the chemical factor involved. You can channel your determination to pursue an activity into something that has a far more beneficial effect on you.
Of course, moderation will be essential, as the goal is to master addictive behavior, not encourage it in one form or another. You can take up any hobby that has to do with sports, music, art, books or anything you wish, really.
Exercise, It Helps
Even 15 minutes of exercise a day can help you achieve much better mental health. Exercise releases dopamine and boosts your cognitive and mental abilities, leading to a healthier lifestyle free of cravings to achieve momentary satisfaction.
Remember, You Never Win
Remind yourself that your pursuit of the almighty dollar is illusionary and that gambling is rigged and statistically stacked against you. You cannot realistically expect the win simply because the odds are against you, and this is always the case.