For some people, gambling could be fun and thrilling, serving as a form of recreation which comes with no risk. However, for others, it could be a serious form of addiction.

Gambling transcends to being an addiction when it is something you cannot do without, and it begins to affect the aspects of your life, such as educational, social, recreational, financial and a host of others.

Basically, gambling addiction operates just like substance addiction. Dopamine is released in the brain, and this is known as the chemical which makes you feel good. However, this release is ten times more intense than normal.

For you to spot a gambling addict, the following signs would be beneficial:

• Lies: People who are gambling addict generally turn out to be liars. They would make attempts to hide it from their family and friends. In cases when they get caught in the act, they would ensure that they talk their way around it.

• Borrowing money: Gambling addicts would borrow from people around them, so that they can win enough money, that even when they pay back what they have borrowed, it would not affect them. However, you can be sure that they would not reveal the real reason for borrowing the money, as they would use lies to cover it up.

• Obsession: Gamblers find it hard to think about the previous time they gambled, and they always give themselves more reasons why they should. They would always find themselves thinking of various strategies to win better money.

• Inability: At some point in a gambler’s life, they are unaware of the fact that they are addicted, and they might think of quitting. However, it becomes difficult because they would think of the few times they won, and it would motivate them to gamble again.

• Gambling to ignore: Some gambling addicts usually use gambling as a means of forgetting their problems, and also to step down their stress. For them, it is not just a form of entertainment, it is something which they do to feel better, and break free from any form of problem which is plaguing them.