Gambling Addiction - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

Gambling today has become a popular way to make more money or the double the money already present. It is a human vice which creates an illusion that money can be made faster and then leads to a complete financial drain. Owing to its diverse nature, gambling addiction can be classified into several forms. Gambling addictions are not diverse at all and you can never be aware if a person is actually addicted or not addicted. Gambling is always not about going to the casinos, slot machines, cards etc. Betting, purchasing lottery tickets as well as raffles are also parts of gambling.

Another type of gambling results from a gambler making high bets as a form of risk and thrill which sometimes do pay off occasionally, but in both the cases the gambler does have a desire to stop this behaviour but yet doesn’t because he or she is unable to do so. A person gets addicted to gambling because of the thrill, desperation for money and the entertaining atmosphere. Unfortunately, it gets very difficult to break the cycle, and once a person loses the money, the desperation to win it back makes the person want to gamble more and more.

There is no particular cause for gambling, this must be understood. However, people who have impulsive control disorders like compulsive shopping, gambling as well as sexual behaviours tend to develop such a habit. Addiction to gambling can also be linked to emotional vulnerabilities such as stress, way of thinking. There are also risk factors such as mood problems, antisocial problems and alcohol problems. People who suffer from gambling addiction tend to be more novelty seekers, disconnected from the society, aroused while gambling or playing games.

Research shows that individuals who seek a lot of money, win a large amount of money early in their gambling stage and then later are unable to make so much and suffer consecutive losses.

Unlike most casual gamblers who would probably gamble once in a lifetime because they’ve visited Las Vegas for a holiday, compulsive gamblers have no control over what they’re doing. They are compelled to keep playing and playing till they recover their money back, which isn’t going to happen for them. This pattern becomes destructive over time. People who have a compulsive gambling problem tend to not gamble for a very long time and get back into it suddenly.

The various types of symptoms include: -

• Being preoccupied with gambling, such as constantly planning how to get more gambling money

• The person's emotional aspect takes over the logical one and he starts spending recklessly to get more thrill out of the activity.

• The person is conscious of his addictive behaviour but is failing to get over it.

• The person feels anxious and restless because of his repeated failiures of getting over the habit of gambling addiction.

• The person constures gambling as a way out of worldly problems and a hack to get relief from the struggles of life.

• Out of desparation, the person tries to make up for his losses by gambling more, which results in even deeper depression because of his increasing losses.

• Not sharing about his condition with his loved ones, a feeling of lonliness is on a rise.

• Inclined towards other illegal ways to recover the lost money quickly.

• Taking debts and loans from unreliabale sources, making himself more vulnerable.

Treatment for Gambling can be challenging but not difficult, that’s because most people refuse to admit that they have a gambling issue. One of the biggest solutions for this addiction is self-acceptance of being an addict. Treating a gambling problem helps to control the issue altogether and helps to manage the temptation. There are three approaches to treat gambling addiction: -

• Therapy: It is one of the most popular forms of treatment. Behaviour therapy is used to help the individual to unlearn what he or she has learnt. Cognitive therapy on the other hand helps to identify what is wrong with the person on the whole and helping them to replace it with positive and healthy thoughts. Another method which can prove beneficial here is Family Therapy.

• Medications: Antidepressants and mood stabilisers helps to combat the problems that go along with-it side by side, these could include depression, anxiety, OCD and ADHD.

The best and effective way of preventing gambling addiction is to realise that it is causing a harm in your life. Never isolate yourself from others and give your mind a reason to make gambling a part of your life. You should ask for help if you have a problem with your mood and try to understand where you’re going wrong. It can always benefit to join a support group before things get out of hand.

There are studies which have shown and proved that even people who suffer from gambling addiction can have withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can consist from alcohol addiction, moodiness, irritability, nausea all the way to stomach cramps and sweats. These are similar to those who have an addiction to drugs. Gambling tends to overpower the mind which leads to cravings and want to keep continuing the activity, and that’s why the symptoms tend to be similar to those of drug addiction withdrawals.