1. Gambling Addiction Symptoms Signs
2. How To Deal With Casino Addiction
3. Casino Addiction Help
4. How To Avoid Casino Addiction
5. How To Tell If You Have A Gambling Addiction

Gambling Addiction, Symptoms And Treatment. Gambling is highly addictive, and the statistics so far are worrying. Research shows that gambling addiction is related to alcoholism, PTSD, mental illness, college wave, and criminal activity. So, don’t get stuck with those unreliable casino payment methods and start gambling using. Symptoms: Spending a lot of money and time in casino/sports betting, Video game addiction: Addiction and dependence glossary; addiction – a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by persistent use of drugs (including alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences. Some of the most common signs of gambling addiction include: Spending more money on gambling than one intends to, having large sums of unaccountable spending, taking out loans or borrowing money from friends or family to gamble Feeling the need to increase the size of bets or secure more money to maintain the same level of enjoyment from gambling. Drug addiction symptoms or behaviors include, among others: Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect. Research shows that gambling addiction is related to alcoholism, PTSD, mental illness, college wave, and criminal activity. Three to five gamblers out of a hundred are compulsive gamblers. Several factors cause gambling addiction and range from biological/psychological to socio-economic.

Are you or a loved one dealing with a gambling problem? Explore the warning signs and symptoms and learn how to stop.

What is gambling addiction and problem gambling?

Gambling problems can happen to anyone from any walk of life. Your gambling goes from a fun, harmless diversion to an unhealthy obsession with serious consequences. Whether you bet on sports, scratch cards, roulette, poker, or slots—in a casino, at the track, or online—a gambling problem can strain your relationships, interfere with work, and lead to financial disaster. You may even do things you never thought you would, like running up huge debts or even stealing money to gamble.

Gambling addiction—also known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling or gambling disorder—is an impulse-control disorder. If you’re a compulsive gambler, you can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when it has negative consequences for you or your loved ones. You’ll gamble whether you’re up or down, broke or flush, and you’ll keep gambling regardless of the consequences—even when you know that the odds are against you or you can’t afford to lose.

Of course, you can also have a gambling problem without being totally out of control. Problem gambling is any gambling behavior that disrupts your life. If you’re preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences in your life, you have a gambling problem.

A gambling addiction or problem is often associated with other behavior or mood disorders. Many problem gamblers also suffer with substance abuse issues, unmanaged ADHD, stress, depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. To overcome your gambling problems, you’ll also need to address these and any other underlying causes as well.

Although it may feel like you’re powerless to stop gambling, there are plenty of things you can do to overcome the problem, repair your relationships and finances, and finally regain control of your life.
The first step is to separate the myths from the facts about gambling problems:

Gambling addiction signs and symptoms

Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as a “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers also typically deny or minimize the problem—even to themselves. However, you may have a gambling problem if you:

Feel the need to be secretive about your gambling. You might gamble in secret or lie about how much you gamble, feeling others won’t understand or that you will surprise them with a big win.

Gambling Addiction Symptoms Signs

Have trouble controlling your gambling. Once you start gambling, can you walk away? Or are you compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, upping your bets in a bid to win lost money back?

Gamble even when you don’t have the money. You may gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, and then move on to money you don’t have—money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your children. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money.

Have family and friends worried about you. Denial keeps problem gambling going. If friends and family are worried, listen to them carefully. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Many older gamblers are reluctant to reach out to their adult children if they’ve gambled away their inheritance, but it’s never too late to make changes for the better.

Self-help for gambling problems

The biggest step to overcoming a gambling addiction is realizing that you have a problem. It takes tremendous strength and courage to own up to this, especially if you have lost a lot of money and strained or broken relationships along the way. Don’t despair, and don’t try to go it alone. Many others have been in your shoes and have been able to break the habit and rebuild their lives. You can, too.

Learn to relieve unpleasant feelings in healthier ways. Do you gamble when you’re lonely or bored? Or after a stressful day at work or following an argument with your spouse? Gambling may be a way to self-soothe unpleasant emotions, unwind, or socialize. But there are healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods and relieving boredom, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, taking up new hobbies, or practicing relaxation techniques.

Strengthen your support network. It’s tough to battle any addiction without support, so reach out to friends and family. If your support network is limited, there are ways to make new friends without relying on visiting casinos or gambling online. Try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in an education class, or volunteering for a good cause.

Join a peer support group. Gamblers Anonymous, for example, is a 12-step recovery program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. A key part of the program is finding a sponsor, a former gambler who has experience remaining free from addiction and can provide you invaluable guidance and support.

Seek help for underlying mood disorders.Depression, stress, substance abuse, or anxiety can both trigger gambling problems and be made worse by compulsive gambling. Even when gambling is no longer a part of your life, these problems will still remain, so it’s important to address them.

How to stop gambling for good

For many problem gamblers, it’s not quitting gambling that’s the biggest challenge, but rather staying in recovery—making a permanent commitment to stay away from gambling. The Internet has made gambling far more accessible and, therefore, harder for recovering addicts to avoid relapse. Online casinos and bookmakers are open all day, every day for anyone with a smartphone or access to a computer. But maintaining recovery from gambling addiction or problem gambling is still possible if you surround yourself with people to whom you’re accountable, avoid tempting environments and websites, give up control of your finances (at least at first), and find healthier activities to replace gambling in your life.

Making healthier choices

One way to stop gambling is to remove the elements necessary for gambling to occur in your life and replace them with healthier choices. The four elements needed for gambling to continue are:

A decision: For gambling to happen, you need to make the decision to gamble. If you have an urge: stop what you are doing and call someone, think about the consequences to your actions, tell yourself to stop thinking about gambling, and find something else to do immediately.

Money: Gambling cannot occur without money. Get rid of your credit cards, let someone else be in charge of your money, have the bank make automatic payments for you, close online betting accounts, and keep only a limited amount of cash on you.

How To Deal With Casino Addiction

Time: Even online gambling cannot occur if you don’t have the time. Schedule enjoyable recreational time for yourself that has nothing to do with gambling. If you’re gambling on your smartphone, find other ways to fill the quiet moments during your day.

A game: Without a game or activity to bet on there is no opportunity to gamble. Don’t put yourself in tempting environments. Tell gambling establishments you frequent that you have a gambling problem and ask them to restrict you from entering. Remove gambling apps and block gambling sites on your smartphone and computer.

Finding alternatives to gambling

Maintaining recovery from gambling addiction depends a lot on finding alternative behaviors you can substitute for gambling. Some examples include:

Dealing with gambling cravings

Feeling the urge to gamble is normal, but as you build healthier choices and a strong support network, resisting cravings will become easier. When a gambling craving strikes:

Avoid isolation. Call a trusted family member, meet a friend for coffee, or go to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting.

Postpone gambling. Tell yourself that you’ll wait 5 minutes, fifteen minutes, or an hour. As you wait, the urge to gamble may pass or become weak enough to resist.

Visualize what will happen if you give in to the urge to gamble. Think about how you’ll feel after all your money is gone and you’ve disappointed yourself and your family again.

Distract yourself with another activity, such as going to the gym, watching a movie, or practicing a relaxation exercise for gambling cravings.

Coping with lapses

If you aren’t able to resist the gambling craving, don’t be too hard on yourself or use it as an excuse to give up. Overcoming a gambling addiction is a tough process. You may slip from time to time; the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and continue working towards recovery.

Gambling addiction treatment

Overcoming a gambling problem is never easy and seeking professional treatment doesn’t mean that you’re weak in some way or can’t handle your problems. But it’s important to remember that every gambler is unique so you need a recovery program tailored specifically to your needs and situation. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional about different treatment options, including:

Inpatient or residential treatment and rehab programs. These are aimed at those with severe gambling addiction who are unable to avoid gambling without round-the-clock support.

Treatment for underlying conditions contributing to your compulsive gambling, including substance abuse or mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, OCD, or ADHD. This could include therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. Problem gambling can sometimes be a symptom of bipolar disorder, so your doctor or therapist may need to rule this out before making a diagnosis.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy. CBT for gambling addiction focuses on changing unhealthy gambling behaviors and thoughts, such as rationalizations and false beliefs. It can also teach you how to fight gambling urges and solve financial, work, and relationship problems caused by problem gambling. Therapy can provide you with the tools for coping with your addiction that will last a lifetime.

Family therapy and marriage, career, and credit counseling. These can help you work through the specific issues that have been created by your problem gambling and lay the foundation for repairing your relationships and finances.

How to help someone stop gambling

If your loved one has a gambling problem, you likely have many conflicting emotions. You may have spent a lot of time and energy trying to keep your loved one from gambling or having to cover for them. At the same time, you might be furious at your loved one for gambling again and tired of trying to keep up the charade. Your loved one may have borrowed or even stolen money with no way to pay it back. They may have sold family possessions or run up huge debts on joint credit cards.

While compulsive and problem gamblers need the support of their family and friends to help them in their struggle to stop gambling, the decision to quit has to be theirs. As much as you may want to, and as hard as it is seeing the effects, you cannot make someone stop gambling. However, you can encourage them to seek help, support them in their efforts, protect yourself, and take any talk of suicide seriously.

Preventing suicide in problem gamblers

When faced with the consequences of their actions, problem gamblers can suffer a crushing drop in self-esteem. This is one reason why there is a high rate of suicide among compulsive gamblers. If you suspect your loved one is feeling suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. at 1-800-273-8255 or visit Befrienders Worldwide to find a suicide helpline in your country.

Four tips for family members:

1. Start by helping yourself. You have a right to protect yourself emotionally and financially. Don’t blame yourself for the gambler’s problems or let his or her addiction dominate your life. Ignoring your own needs can be a recipe for burnout.
2. Don’t go it alone. It can feel so overwhelming coping with a loved one’s gambling addiction that it may seem easier to rationalize their requests “this one last time.” Or you might feel ashamed, feeling like you are the only one who has problems like this. Reaching out for support will make you realize that many families have struggled with this problem.
3. Set boundaries in managing money. To ensure the gambler stays accountable and to prevent relapse, consider taking over the family finances. However, this does not mean you are responsible for micromanaging the problem gambler’s impulses to gamble. Your first responsibilities are to ensure that your own finances and credit are not at risk.
4. Consider how you will handle requests for money. Problem gamblers often become very good at asking for money, either directly or indirectly. They may use pleading, manipulation, or even threats to get it. It takes practice to ensure you are not enabling your loved one’s gambling addiction.

Many millions of people throughout the world spend time playing video games. Many people spend a great deal of time gaming. This does not necessarily mean that they are addicted to gaming. However if a person is spending a great deal of time gaming and has some of the symptoms described in this leaflet then there is a problem that needs help.

It is very important to recognise and treat addiction to gaming at an early stage. Just like other addictions, gaming disorder (gaming addiction) can have severe effects on family, work/education and social life.

What are the symptoms of gaming addiction?

Gaming addiction can cause various symptoms and the severity will vary from person to person. Some of the symptoms can also be caused by other kinds of stress, so it can't alway be assumed that it is gaming that's the cause of any problems. The symptoms of gaming addiction are as follows:

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• Gaming behaviour:
• Preoccupation with games, constantly thinking about previous games and anticipating playing the next game. Gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life.
• Self-imposed isolation in order to guarantee uninterrupted play.
• The use of gaming to relieve negative moods, such as guilt, anxiety or hopelessness.
• The need to spend increasing amounts of time gaming.
• Withdrawal symptoms when gaming is taken away. These symptoms are often described as irritability, restlessness, anxiety, or depression.
• Deceiving family members or others about the amount of time spent gaming.
• People with increased gaming symptoms may have greater levels of depression and also an increased tendency to become aggressive.
• Effects on other activities:
• Loss of interest in real-life relationships, previous hobbies, and other entertainment as a result of gaming.
• Risk of losing, or actually losing, a job, educational or career opportunity, or a relationship due to gaming.
• Persistent tiredness due to lack of sleep.
• Continued excessive gaming despite being aware of the problems it's causing.
• Being unable to reduce playing and having failed attempts to quit gaming.

If someone spends many hours at a time gaming, this does not necessarily mean that they have gaming addiction. However, that amount of time along with the signs listed above indicates a problem. If there is any chance an addiction exists, early recognition and treatment are very important.

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What is gaming addiction?

Gaming disorder is a pattern of gaming behaviour ('digital-gaming' or 'video-gaming') which:

• Causes an overwhelming urge to spend all the time gaming.
• Means that gaming is given priority over any other activity, work or school, or any other interest.
• Continues or even increases the amount of time spent gaming, even though it is causing harmful effects on family, work/education and social life.

Gaming disorder is now recognised by the World Health Organization as a mental health condition. For the condition to be diagnosed as gaming disorder, the behaviour pattern must be severe enough to cause significant negative effects on personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important life activities. The features of gaming disorder should have been continuing for at least 12 months.

How common is gaming addiction?

Many millions of people throughout the world regularly spend time gaming. But gaming addiction is much less common. It is estimated that gaming addiction affects between 1 and 9 out of every 100 gamers.

The risk of gaming addiction is greater for people who tend to be impulsive. The risk also increases with increasing time spent gaming.

The games most likely to lead to addiction seem to be the massive multi-player online role-playing games. These role-playing games involve an ongoing story that is never quite finished. The story evolves with every play, and this encourages players to keep playing to keep the story going. However, even less intense games can lead to gaming addiction.

How can gaming addiction be treated?

There is currently a lack of very strong evidence on the best treatments for gaming addiction. The most widely used psychological help has been cognitive behavioural therapy. Other approaches, including family therapy and motivational interviewing, have also been used.

Treating gaming addiction is based on an assessment of each individual person and the severity of their gaming addiction. The aim of treatment is usually to help the person completely avoid gaming because even a small amount of gaming may steadily increase back to a problem in a person who is susceptible to gaming addiction.

Treatment is based on helping a person with gaming addiction to:

• Gradually reduce the amount of time spent gaming.
• Recognise their own addictive behaviour.
• Understand the causes or triggers of their gaming addiction and so develop strategies to overcome them.
• Understand the harm their gaming addiction is causing.

It is also very important to teach families how to help and support the person with gaming addiction.

What is the outlook (prognosis)?

One study found that about 1 in 4 people with gaming addiction continued to have significant symptoms over a two-year period. Another study found that the symptoms resolved in about 1 in 2 people with gaming disorder over a one-year period.

• Gaming disorder; World Health Organization, January 2018

• Gentile DA et al; Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics, November 2017, VOLUME 140/ISSUE Supplement 2.

• Internet Gaming; American Psychiatric Association

• Nakayama H, Mihara S, Higuchi S; Treatment and risk factors of Internet use disorders. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017 Jul71(7):492-505. doi: 10.1111/pcn.12493. Epub 2017 Feb 10.

• Schneider LA, King DL, Delfabbro PH; Family factors in adolescent problematic Internet gaming: A systematic review. J Behav Addict. 2017 Sep 16(3):321-333. doi: 10.1556/2006.6.2017.035. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

How To Avoid Casino Addiction

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