Gambling Addiction: When Betting Isn’t Fun Anymore

Many people enjoy gambling as a pastime. Whether it’s a little Internet poker after work or a weekend in Atlantic City playing the slots, there is nothing inherently bad about gambling itself. Just as having a drink or two with friends once a week doesn’t make you an alcoholic, gambling doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem. But when gambling gets out of control and begins causing other problems in your life, you should consider the possibility of addiction.

What is Gambling Addiction?

So when exactly does gambling go from a fun activity to an addiction? When the gambler can no longer control their gambling and continues despite disruption to their financial or personal lives, they may be facing a gambling addiction.

Other Signs to Look For:

  • Making increasingly large bets or wagers
  • Lying in order to keep their gambling from others
  • Taking time from other important activities, like work, family, or friends, in order to gamble
  • Using gambling to escape emotional problems
  • Feeling guilty or bad after gambling
  • Reenacting past gambling experiences

For compulsive gamblers, the real thrill isn’t in the potential money they could win -- it’s in the excitement of the wager, and the momentary elation it provides. In order to sustain this “high,” gamblers increase their wagers to the point where a loss would mean serious financial strain or even ruin. They are then forced to play again to gain back what they’ve lost, creating a destructive cycle.

Compulsive gambling often manifests itself in the late teen years or early adulthood. Usually, a gambling addiction arises in individuals who have gambled socially and without problem. A life change or other anxiety can cause the once-unproblematic gambling to spin out of control.

Treatment Options

While gambling addictions can be treated, in general it can be difficult. The biggest impediment to effective treatment tends to be the gambler themselves, and an inability to admit that their gambling is a problem. Once a gambler has decided to seek treatment, there are three options open to them:

  • Self Help Groups: Compulsive gamblers can find a non-judgmental source of support from fellow recovering gambling addicts. Gamblers Anonymous can be a helpful part of any treatment plan.
  • Counseling and Therapy: Cognitive therapy can help gamblers re-train their brain, to control the thought patterns and urges that lead them to gamble. Behavioral therapy can provide helpful life skills for recovering addicts, to keep them away from gambling and to help them repair the personal relationships and the financial issues they may be facing.
  • Medication: Narcotic antagonists, medications developed to help end drug use, can be helpful for suppressing the urge to gamble. For gamblers facing other, concurrent health problems like obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, antidepressants may be helpful.

More Resources and Support:

 

Sources:

Back to top