Gambling Addiction Help Guide

The National Council on Problem Gambling says that problem gambling affects more than 2 percent of Americans. A lot of persons with gambling addiction mostly try to conceal their condition, but an addiction can be hard to hide. If you have a gambling addiction, you may feel that you need constant access to online gambling pools or casinos, and feel an uncontrollable urge to play slot machines, buy lottery tickets, visit casinos, or gamble online. Even if you gamble at home when no one is around as some people tend to do, your addiction may start to present itself in certain other areas of your life.

The specific frequency and type of anyone’s gambling behaviour may vary and be different. But generally, the person will be unable to control it and will continue gambling, even when it has gotten to the stage of negative financial, social, or legal consequences. The brain may respond to the act of gambling in the exact same way that an alcoholic’s brain responds to a drink. The greater you feed the habit, the worse it becomes. If you or someone you know needs help please use our locator below along with our gambling addiction signs, rules, myths and facts:

Gambling Addiction Signs and Symptoms:

The individual:

Feels that gambling is the best option to escape problems.
Always gets preoccupied with gambling (i.e. thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble even after incurring so much debts, reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next venture).
Gets defensive when confronted about his/her gambling habits and they become very secretive about it.
Relies on others to relieve a serious financial situation caused by gambling, by bailing him or her out.
Tries unsuccessfully to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
Becomes very irritable and restless when not gambling.
Tries to fix losses with more gambling.
Lies to family and others about the impact of gambling.
Loses relationships and jeopardizes jobs, education or career opportunities all because of gambling.
Commits unspeakable crimes to finance the gambling urges.
Increases bet amounts when gambling in order to achieve the desired excitement.

Rules

10 important rules to follow as a gambler;

If you choose to gamble, do so only for entertainment purposes. If enjoyment is no longer the sole purpose of your gambling, then there’s a need to reflect and ask yourself why you are still playing.
Always treat the money lost as the cost of your entertainment, and any winnings as a bonus.
Set money limits and stick to it. Decide before you go, how much you want to spend and what you can afford to lose. At no point should you change your mind after losing.
Set a time limit and stick to it. Decide how much of your time you want to allow for gambling and be strict about it. Whether you’re winning or losing, leave when you reach the time limit.
Expect to lose. The general odds are that you will lose.
Make it a personal rule not to gamble on credit. Never use borrowed money to gamble.
Create a balance between gambling and other aspects of your life. Gambling should not affect your relationship with people or stand in place of family, friends, work or other activities.
Avoid chasing lost money (i.e don’t try to win back money that has been lost). Chances are the more you try to regain your losses, the greater they will get.
Don’t gamble as a way to cope with emotional or physical pain.
Get educated about the dangers of problem gambling. The more you understand, the better choices you’ll make.

Gambling Myths and facts

Myth: To be a problem gambler, you have to gamble everyday (constantly).

Fact: A problem gambler may choose to gamble frequently or not. If the gambling is causing emotional, legal, financial, psychological, marital, or other difficulties for themselves and the people close to them, then there’s a gambling problem.

Myth: Problem gamblers gamble at any given opportunity on any form or type of gambling.

Fact: Most problem gamblers have a favourite form of gambling that causes them problems. Some gamblers take part in certain secondary forms of gambling, but these forms don’t really become a problem.

Myth: Problem gamblers are irresponsible people.

Fact: Many problem gamblers have held or hold highly responsible community positions. Even people with an extended history of responsible behaviour are susceptible to having a gambling problem. When an individual is having a problem gambling episode/situation, that person is unable to handle it and in this compromised state their actions appear as being irresponsible.

Myth: Children don’t suffer from or aren’t affected by problem gambling.

Fact: Surveys show that about 10-15 percent of American and Canadian youth have experienced gambling-related problems on way or the other, and 1-6 percent of these persons may satisfy diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. In addition, children of problem gamblers are known to be at a greater risk of developing health-related behaviours. These includes not only problem gambling but also alcohol and drug use, eating disorders, depression and suicide, amongst many others.

Myth: Financial problems are the major reason the relationships of problem gamblers’ break down/destroy.

Fact: It is true that cash problems play a crucial part in ending relationships, however, so many non-gambling partners have made it known that the lies and lack of trust is the greatest cause.

Myth: If a problem gambler accumulates a debt, the essential way to act is by helping them get out of the financial situation as fast as possible.

Fact: Band aid solutions are often attractive to everyone involved and will appear to be the proper thing to do or the right decision to make, however, doing that may very well make matters worse because that will enable the gambling problems to continue.

Myth: Problem gambling is easy to recognize and see.

Fact: Problem gambling has been known as the hidden addiction. It is very easy to cover up due to the fact that it has few recognizable symptoms, unlike drug use and alcohol consumption. Many problem gamblers themselves do not know they have a gambling problem. They often engage in self-denial.