Gambling is an activity or habit that becomes destructive when excessive. Gambling becomes an addiction when a person is unable to stop gambling and this is accompanied by various other signs. Furthermore, this article will highlight five signs used to identify an addicted gambler.
Gambling can be a normal leisure activity a person engages in but has the tendency to become addictive. This is why some people completely dissuade the act of gambling. Either way, these signs are evident in addicted gamblers.
- Unable To Stop
The first sign that a person is addicted to gambling is that they are unable to stop gambling, even when all odds are against them.
To the extent that despite its negative effects and obvious losses, the addict always wants to return to the gambling table. They could act on the false optimism that today “is my lucky day” or “today I feel lucky”, this is an addicted gambler.
- Gambling More Than You Can Afford
An addicted gambler places bet beyond what he or she is willing to lose at that moment.
While a casual gambler knows when to stop gambling, especially when losses are beyond what he or she can afford to lose. An addicts’ ability to gamble more than they can afford places them in debt or potential financial crisis.
- Lying About Your Gambling Habit
An addicted gambler doesn’t accept his or her state of addiction but constantly lies about it. They begin to lie about their whereabouts and daily activities to cover up for their gambling addiction. This is a major sign that a person is addicted to gambling.
- Borrowing To Gamble
Borrowing from family and friends to fund your gambling habit is a sign of addiction. Some even go to the extent of borrowing from financial institutions, which leads them to severe debt when losses arise. This could lead to loss of properties.
- Gambling Until There’s Nothing Left
A casual gambler knows when to walk away from the table and call it a day. But an addicted gambler lays everything on the table until nothing is left and then danger comes. An addicted gambler’s inability to stop gambling makes them forfeit all their money to gambling without saving anything.
Gambling addiction is a very serious issue, which if not treated appropriately can not only ground a person financially, but also ruin his/her relationships, work-life, and family. These signs are therefore vital to identify an addicted gambler.
Beyond identifying the signs of an addicted gambler or pinpointing the consequences of gambling addiction.
It is equally important that we proffer solutions to help addicts regain their senses. That is, by identifying steps that will help an addicted gambler break loose from the shackles of gambling.
To this end, this article will highlight some ways to help a gambling addict overcome the act of addiction. But note that these steps may vary based on individual situations.
Some ways to solve a gambling problem include;
- Identify and Understand The Problem
Essentially, we cannot solve what we don’t understand, therefore, the first step is to effectively understand what gambling addiction entails, what leads to and its symptoms.
With gambling addiction, you’ve to be honest with yourself, and if you notice traces of addiction such as persistent urge to gamble, borrowing to gamble, seek help. Or if you notice signs in a loved one, bring them into the consciousness of their gambling addiction.
- Have A Support Group
Gambling addiction is not a thing you can easily overcome by yourself, you, therefore, need to have a support group to spur you on in your attempt to break free.
A support group could be a group of people with similar pasts or experiences. It could also be your family, who are constantly with you on the journey of breaking free from gambling addiction.
- Avoid Triggers
There are certain things that you do or see which triggers your urge to gamble. You need to identify these triggers, it could be watching sports, driving by a casino, or a gambling friend. Whatever they are, identify them and work together with your support group to avoid these triggers.
- Find Alternatives
While you try to break free of gambling addiction, the craving to gamble will surely come, you, therefore, need to find an alternative to gambling. That is, something to take your mind off gambling. It could be physical exercise (push-ups, jogging, etc.), new hobbies, exploring new places.
Exiting gambling addiction can be tricky and quite difficult, but not unachievable.
It is left to you to be committed towards your detachment from gambling or that of a loved one. Following the steps above will help in breaking free from gambling addiction and placing you on a new path of recovery.
Gambling addiction is considered an impulse control disorder. It is also known as pathological gambling, gambling disorder, or compulsive gambling. When someone is a compulsive gambler, they don´t have control over the impulse to gamble.
The following tips will help you move towards the road to recovery from this disorder.
1. Understanding the Problem
The American Psychiatric Association identifies gambling as a mental health disorder similar to addictions triggered by alcohol and drugs.
Be honest with yourself when you think your gambling habit is controlling you. You can also ask a loved one about their opinion of your gambling for a better understanding. Stop the temptation to deny that there is a problem and start seeing the negative effect gambling on your life and family.
2. Avoiding Temptation
Gambling is a strong urge or temptation. By avoiding the triggers, you can avoid the thoughts and feelings that push you towards gambling.
For example, if driving by a casino after work ignites the thoughts of gambling, it is better to avoid that route and take an alternative way home. Just as someone with a drinking problem should avoid going into a bar, you have to identify and avoid your triggers. You can work with a loved one to develop a list of triggers and find ways to avoid the temptation.
3. Finding Alternatives
It is important to prevent triggers that amplify the cravings. It is ideal to find healthy alternatives to gambling that distract you away from the addictive behavior. By substituting gambling with positive habits, you can shift the focus away from the urge to gamble towards something good.
Some gambling alternatives include:
- Physical activities and hobbies
- Meditation
- Volunteering at a hospital or animal shelter
- Traveling
- Family fun activities
4. Consider Consequences
You can think about the serious consequences of your gambling such as:
- Emotional pain caused to your loved ones
- The financial hardships you put yourself and family in
- Any lies you told to disguise your addiction from others
Instead of feeling guilty, use this thinking of consequences as a way to motivate yourself to avoid gambling.
5. Joining a Support Group
Once you come to terms that there is a problem, you can seek help from a support group.
Gamblers Anonymous is one such group specifically designed to meet the needs of people with gambling addictions. The support program operates around the familiar 12-step approach popular with other support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
6. Seeking Professional Help
Treatment from a mental health or addiction specialist could be the difference between a life of financial ruin versus living in financial stability.
Professional treatment methods will help you find a way to be away from gambling. You can develop skills to say ´no´ when you feel the urge to gamble.
If your gambling is severe, consider seeking professional help as soon as possible.
With professional counselors and therapists widely available, the only thing you need to do is to recognize your problem and seek help.
When a person gets addicted to gambling, they resort to lying as a way of protecting themselves. In fact, telling lies becomes second nature. There are typical lies that compulsive gamblers tell. If you have a family member you think might be an addict to this menace, you will find these useful.
Lie #1: Gambling is not a problem for me
When someone denies they have any problem with their gambling habit even when there is plenty of evidence otherwise, it is clear that they are already an addict or well on their way to full-blown gambling addiction.
Denial is a coping mechanism that a gambling addict readily uses to cover up their problem. This behavior is seen in other addictions also. The more they swear they don’t have a problem with – gambling or alcohol or drugs or other addictive behavior – the more likely it is that they do.
Lie #2: My gambling is under control
When someone says they have their gambling under control, they are lying not only to you but also to themselves.
If you are a spouse or family member who depends on the gambler to pay bills and take care of the family expenses, you may believe this lie for a while. But then these lies just aren’t believable anymore. And the evidence will mount to prove just how big a lie it is. This cycle of lies becomes all the more dangerous when the gambler has unrestricted access to their bank accounts, credit cards, lines of credit, and other sources of money.
Lie #3: I can stop anytime I want
When a close friend or family member confronts a compulsive gambler, they generally resort to this type of response. They are not willing to face the fact that there is a problem and so try to emphasize passionately that stopping is not a problem. Unfortunately, to ignore the craving by not admitting it only makes the problem worse because the compulsive gambler only wants the ‘high’ that comes from gambling.
Lie #4: My gambling is not hurting anyone
Most addicts think and even sincerely believe that their addiction is not hurting anyone. This is typical for not only gambling but also applies to other addictions such as alcohol and drugs. In fact, gambling addiction, like all addictions, is considered a family disease/disorder. When one individual in the family is addicted, it impacts all members of the family including children.
The type of hurt that excessive gambling behavior inflicts on the family depends on the length of time the person is involved in gambling, and if there may be other addictions. For example, many compulsive gamblers are also known to be addicted to alcohol, illegal drugs, or other harmful substances.
What is the solution to this spiraling problem of gambling addiction and lies? The good news is that gambling addiction is treatable. If the person realizes themselves or a family member is able to convince them, starting with programs such as 12-step meetings like Gamblers Anonymous is a good place to start the recovery process. Seeking and finding help as soon as possible is critical to stop further damage due to compulsive gambling behavior.
Every addiction comes with their own distinctiveness, and gambling addiction is not excluded from this. As it stands, gambling addiction has the capacity to destroy the life of the addict, and also adversely affect those who are close to them.
When someone is addicted to gambling, it could affect their behavior, making them look different from who they were before.
Gambling addiction is basically the obsessive desire a person has, to wager their money or other material affects, for the purpose of winning something bigger. Gambling is done with the belief that, there are bigger winning chances ahead.
Gambling addiction are different in various individuals, albeit, there are conventional effects of gambling, and some of them could serve as warning signs.
To start with, people who are addicted to gambling, would not take school or work seriously.
Once, there is a newly found love for addiction, they would forget their primary purpose, which could either be school or work. This implies that, there would be a decline in productivity in both aspects.
For the student who is addicted to gambling, he would always look forward to the next time when he would wager, and his mind would not be on what is being taught at school.
The same applies to the professional in the workplace, he or she would find it difficult to concentrate on work, as he or she would look forward to placing wagers after work.
Also, when addicts are faced with tough situations, they take solace in gambling, and the same applies when they have big wins, they go ahead to gamble because it is what they find easy to identify with.
What makes it worse is, people who are addicted to gambling, borrow money so that they can fiancé gambling. If they do not win, they get into debt because they are unable to pay back the money they have borrowed.
When addicts do not gamble over a period of time, there is a feeling of sadness and unsatisfaction which they experience, and the only way they can get over it, is by gambling. For gambling addicts to get better, they need to employ the services of a mental health counselor.
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.