• Journal Of Gambling Issues
• Drinking And Gambling Issues Involving
• Drinking And Gambling Issues Addiction
• Drinking And Gambling Issues Coronavirus
• Alcohol And Gambling Issues
• Drinking And Gambling Problems

Gambling can be a bit of fun, but if it becomes compulsive or involves significant loss of money or property, it is considered an addiction and a mental health problem. After diagnosis, treatment. Gambling in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. Like drinking alcohol, gambling in moderation does not lead to addiction for most people. It becomes an issue when someone feels compelled. Oct 27, 2020 People who are addicted to gambling may turn to alcohol to settle their nerves while gambling, or if they’ve gone a prolonged amount of time without, gambling. Using alcohol to curb the negative effects of withdrawal can make them susceptible heavy and problematic drinking, potentially leading to the development of alcoholism.

Gambling addiction is quickly on the rise.

Four out of five people will admit to indulging in gambling over the last twelve months, and gambling addictions are touching all age groups in society, even teenagers.

Unfortunately, there are many reasons why people get addicted to gambling.

Most people who have a gambling problem have poor impulse control, which can lead to the destructive behaviors associated with gambling addiction, and others look for a distraction that gambling provides.

Knowing the most common gambling addiction causes can help you identify what causes the addiction, which can help with treatment.

Contents

1. Poor impulse control

Almost all gamblers who become addicted suffer from poor impulse control.

Impulse Control Disorder (ICD) is a specific type of mental illness in which people can’t control their behavior.

People with these types of behavior problems also suffer from many abuse problems and mental disorders, such as alcohol and substance abuse, mood instability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Impulse control has only recently become classified as a mental disorder.

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual DSM-5, impulse disorder has only become its own section of the manual in 2013.

2. Past trauma

According to a study from in the United Kingdom, male gambling addicts are more likely to have suffered past trauma.

Psychologists identify childhood trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse, as triggers in those who become addicted to gambling.

Researchers claim that addiction treatment needs to address these triggers need, or patients will be more than likely to relapse.

In those patients who are undergoing treatment for gambling addiction, those who have suffered childhood trauma will also experience trauma in their adult lives connected to their addiction, such as loss of personal relationships, loss of employment, and bankruptcy.

3. Desire for psychological escape

According to a study conducted in New Zealand, women use gambling as a coping mechanism related to a desire to escape.

While men tend to use gambling as a form of control connected to the desire to win, women approach gambling differently.

There are many reasons why women may feel this need, whether it is problems in their home life, relationships, or work.

Gambling provides a stimulus or experience to focus on, which can alleviate any psychological problems that she may be enduring, allowing them to experience a sense of detachment, which will enable women to be undisturbed by the time and money spent on their addictions.

4. Illusion of control

Many gamblers suffer from believing that they are in control of their situation.

Having an illusion of control is when someone believes they are in control of a situation that they usually can’t control.

Gambling wins are purely based on chance, and gambling addicts believe that every time they gamble, they will win.

According to the scientific journal Frontiers of Psychology, this illusion of control is not just connected to gambling; it is a particular psychological condition that can spread to other areas of addicts’ lives.

The study indicates that problem gamblers have a higher instance of the illusion of control compared to other people who just indulge in gambling recreationally.

5. Addiction to euphoric sensations

Now that gambling is taken seriously as a legitimate addiction, many factors can contribute to the development of gambling addiction.

According to the Scientific American, researchers state that people innately feel a rush, also known as a “high,” a euphoric sensation when they first gamble.

All addicts feel this euphoria, regardless of what they are addicted to, caused by the release of dopamine, a hormone in the brain related to the feeling of happiness.

Over time, as the risky behavior continues, the body gets used to the amount of dopamine, and it makes it more difficult for the brain to create it, leading to people needing to engage in the behavior more frequently to get the same feeling, quickly leading to addiction.

6. Desire for excitement

Up to 90% of gambling addicts receive treatment for gambling from slot machines.

Psychologists and researchers have found that the characteristics of slot machines that make gambling fun are what makes gambling so addicting.

The bright lights, the payoff relating to payment and winnings, and the immediate gratification of slot machines tap into the desire for the excitement that we naturally feel.

The excitement is directly related to the exact nature of gambling: the investment made that can turn into a small or a large reward, and the inability to predict when winnings will happen.

7. Adrenaline release

The release of adrenaline in our brains when gambling is one of the most significant causes of gambling addiction.

Psychologists used to believe that the adrenaline release that we feel when we are gambling and winning was one of the causes of addiction.

If that’s the case, then why do gamblers who are losing keep playing over and over again?

Recent research, according to a story by the BBC, claims that our brains still feel that adrenaline rush during gambling losses, which leads to more bets and higher stakes.

Psychologists believe that gambling provides the brain with the stimulation it needs to produce the adrenaline, as well as other endorphins, to which the body becomes addicted.

8. Genetic factors

Recent studies have found that there are genetic factors that can contribute to developing a gambling addiction.

Much like other substance addictions, faulty genes can be responsible for the production of dopamine and adrenaline in the body, which can explain why addiction tends to run in families.

According to the Journal of Gambling Studies, researchers have found a genetic abnormality in most addicts that affects the hormone production of the brain, which contributes to developing addictions like gambling to create the hormone levels that someone who doesn’t have the disorder can achieve on their own.

9. Obsession with sports of gambling-related activities

According to a treatment center based in Los Angeles, the connection between sports and gambling is hard to ignore.

Over 40% of people in treatment for gambling addiction primarily bet on sports games.

The behavior is a learned one, often coming from factors introduced from an early age, watching parents and loved ones bet on the outcome of sports games.

Research also suggests that sports-related gambling is a predominant characteristic in male gambling addicts, with very few women suffering from gambling addictions to sports games.

Gambling addicts become so emotionally invested in the outcome of the games that they are betting on that everything else in their lives seems not to matter as much as it did before.

10. Developing failure to resist games of chance

The true nature of gambling addiction is not being able to stop engaging in a specific activity that relates to taking chances, despite the negative consequences that the behavior may cause.

According to a treatment center in Tampa, Florida, the connection to gambling addiction and the need to indulge in games of chance is the primary reason people become addicted to gambling.

The act of making a wager, or playing a game, or any other method of gambling creates dopamine in the brain, which can give us the happy, satisfied feeling we get when we make a wager; our minds quickly become addicted to this feeling.

11. History of financial thievery

One of the many characteristics of someone with a gambling addiction is someone who has financial problems.

Gambling, and the need to win, makes financial problems seem less important.

However, those who have suffered money problems before, and who have resorted to criminal activities related to that, are more likely to become compulsive gamblers.

Studies have shown that many gambling addicts had stolen from friends or family, or neglected to pay their debts, long before they became addicted to gambling.

This history of financial thievery may contribute to the ability to become addicted to gambling.

12. Innate quality of impulsive lying

According to many gambling treatment centers, lying is a central characteristic of all gambling addicts.

Journal Of Gambling Issues

They will lie to their friends, family, and employers about the state of their lives, their financial situations, and many other things in their lives to hide their addictions.

Many addicts live in denial, so one of the many lies they will tell their loved ones is that they don’t have a problem.

Over time, the lies that gamblers will tell become so habitual that the addicted person often believes it.

Other lies, such as about financial resources or the ability to control their activities, are also common among gambling addicts.

13. Excessive defensiveness regarding personal activities

Also connected with impulsive lying about their addiction, many gambling addicts become incredibly defensive when confronted about their actions.

They will become hostile to questions about where they are spending their time, how they are spending their money, or when they were gambling.

Many addicts insist that they don’t have a problem, and they will attack those who insist that they do.

This type of behavior can contribute to the loss of relationships and the loss of employment.

Many gambling addicts will do whatever they can to keep up with their behavior, and the isolation of themselves using these defensive tactics is very common.

14. History of antisocial behavior

Despite most gamblers engaging in public gambling, such as on sports games, at slot machines, or at gaming tables in the casino, many psychologists agree that gambling addicts usually have a history of antisocial behavior.

According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Antisocial Personality Disorder is a recognized psychological condition that often presents as people who engage in neglectful or harmful behavior without any regard to the consequences.

Gambling addicts often have a history of this behavior, which often leads to a progression in their addiction as they no longer care about who or what they are sacrificing, as long as they can keep gambling.

15. Inclination to take massive risks

Compulsive gamblers who suffer from an antisocial personality disorder, or have a history of antisocial behavior, are also inclined to continue their actions, despite the enormous risk involved.

Often diagnosed in those who have other depressive disorders, such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, people who suffer from antisocial tendencies often become addicted to gambling.

It is easy for them to engage in risky behavior, more so than those who do not have the condition, because they don’t feel guilty about it, leading them to even more risk-taking behaviors.

16. Failure in professional life

For many people, struggling to excel in their career can negatively impact their lives.

If someone isn’t making enough money at work or has been fired or laid off from work, this can lead to the desire to gamble.

The idea that gambling can give them enough money to get back on their feet is what drives them to the activity, which can lead to an addiction.

Once someone is addicted to gambling, it is hard for them to stop.

Their addiction becomes more important to them than anything else in their lives, which can lead to abandoning personal and professional responsibilities.

In many cases, this can lead to the loss of their employment altogether.

17. History of anxiety-related issues

Gambling addicts often also suffer from anxiety disorders, which are often induced or worsened by stress levels.

According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, compulsive gamblers also suffer from anxiety disorders at alarming rates: over 10% have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and as much as 22% have a panic disorder.

A professional from the University of Calgary has claimed that the anxiety that comes from having stress in life is connected to the desire to gamble, which is essential in the study of how addictions develop and how to treat them.

18. Excessive financial pressure

Often, the spiral into addiction begins because addicts have lost the money they have invested in the activity, and they try to win it back.

According to a study in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, financial concerns are often related in the many stages of the addiction.

Often the addict will suffer a significant financial loss in their activities, and they will often lose more money or assets than they can afford.

This leads to many compulsive gamblers to approach family and friends to provide funds to cover the losses, often with extra to keep gambling.

Many gamblers often keep placing bets to make up for the money they have lost, hoping for a large payout.

19. Negative peer pressure

Many recovering gambling addicts report that negative peer pressure contributes to relapse.

This pressure can come in many forms and from many sources, from gentle urging to an insistence on engaging in the behavior to become part of the group.

Recovering addicts find that the impulse to gamble can return after just one event.

According to a gambling recovery foundation, many gambling addicts and recovering addicts find themselves in situations where they feel pressured into gambling, which can lead to the downward spiral into addiction.

20. Pure happenstance

When gambling addicts finally begin treatment, one of the first things many of them will say is that they don’t know how they got addicted.

Many will remember the first time they gambled: a random trip to a casino on vacation or an outing with a friend or significant other.

They also report that they felt a “high”, or an extremely positive feeling, that they tried to emulate again, which led to more habitual gambling.

Knowing the common causes of gambling addiction can help addicts receive the treatment they need.

Psychologists and psychiatrists today have been combining the treatment of the addiction with its underlying cause, making treatments more effective.

Although we tend to think of substance abuse first when we hear the word addiction, the truth is, an addiction to gambling can be just as devastating to people’s lives as drugs or alcohol. In fact, gambling addiction is quite similar to drug addiction, and should be taken just as seriously.

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When you examine gambling statistics from the United States, what you discover is alarming.

• 2.2% of adults are addicted to gambling
• 2.1% of adolescents are addicted to gambling, and 6.5% are considered at-risk for developing a gambling problem
• Adolescents with gambling problems are two times as likely to use illegal drugs and binge drink, and three times as likely to get into trouble with fights, gangs, and the police.
• In 2013, the social cost of gambling addiction, including bankruptcy, job loss and criminal justice cost, was estimated at $7 billion.

Approximately 23 million Americans are in debt from gambling. Female gambling addicts accumulate an average $15,000 worth of debt, while male addicts accumulate between $55,000 and $90,000. In the face of such insurmountable debts, compulsive gamblers develop health problems and substance abuse issues, damage their relationships and lose jobs, and even start committing crimes to try and solve their financial problems.

Meanwhile, addicts will continue gambling and amassing more debt in hopes of a big win they believe will solve all their problems.

Why Gambling is Addicting

If you don’t have a gambling addiction, you likely don’t understand why everyone can’t just decide how much money they’re willing spend playing poker or betting on horses and then call it a day when that money is lost. The reason why some people can’t approach losses this way—and can’t necessarily quit while they’re ahead, either—is because gambling addiction is just as much a chronic disease of the brain as drug or alcohol addiction.

Gambling addiction symptoms are very similar to symptoms exhibited by drug addicts. Gambling addicts experience highs while gambling, and intense cravings when they are not. They develop a tolerance to the behavior that requires them to take bigger risks with bigger bets to get the same high. When they attempt to quit due to negative life consequences, they experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, unease, insomnia and agitation.

Finding Patterns in Random Events

A recent study compared the behavior and thinking of regular casino gamblers (28.6% were determined to be gambling addicts) to a control group. Study participants played on two slot machines, one that was programmed with a 67% chance of winning, and one that had a 33% chance of winning. Although the participants were not told these percentages, the researchers say that the appropriate strategy for playing the machines should have been easy to figure out through observation. This was indeed true for the control group. It was not true, however, for the problem gamblers.

The study found that the difficulty compulsive gamblers face in this kind of situation is due to “cognitive distortion,” which is a type of irrational belief that is exaggerated among gambling addicts or individuals experiencing anxiety or depression. One type of cognitive distortion that gambling addicts are particularly vulnerable to is “probability matching”, or finding patterns in random events.

The more symptoms of gambling addiction a person has, the more they will engage in probability matching. For example, they will feel certain that the ball in a roulette wheel is about to fall on red because it has fallen on black for the past seven spins. Although everyone is susceptible to thinking in this way from time to time, the study found that gambling addicts are twice as likely to do so.

How to Know for Sure

If you suspect that you or someone you love is a gambling addict, you should learn how to identify the warning signs of a gambling addiction. This will allow you to recognize the problem and determine what kind of treatment is necessary.

Nine Warning Signs of a Gambling Addiction

1. Using gambling to self-medicate or escape

Gambling is fun and exciting to many people who never develop an addiction. Gambling addicts, however, tend to use this excitement to escape personal conflicts or self-medicate mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety. This is one of the gambling addiction symptoms that responds best to professional treatment, because treating the underlying mental health issue with therapy and/or medication can help break the cycle of addiction by removing the biggest motivation for compulsive gambling.

2. Neglecting work, school, and home obligations to spend time gambling

Just as a drug addict will use compulsively to satisfy cravings for their drug of choice, gambling addicts gamble compulsively to satisfy their own intense cravings. The power of this compulsion will frequently lead problem gamblers to neglect responsibilities at work, school or home because so much of their time and energy is funneled into gambling. Addicts will also lose track of time while gambling, often due to “chasing losses,” where they obsessively attempt to recover lost money by gambling more and more. Gamblers tell themselves that they’ll quit as soon as they break even, while their debts and lost time only accumulate.

3. An obsession with gambling

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Gambling addicts become preoccupied with gambling to the point of obsession. Most of their time not spent gambling is spent planning when they will be able to gamble next, or how they will get hold of more gambling money. This obsession contributes to their neglect of relationships and responsibilities, because it is difficult for the addict to focus on anything unrelated to their drug of choice, i.e. gambling. This is another of the warning signs of gambling addiction that compulsive gamblers share in common with drug addicts.

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4. Financial hardships caused by gambling

Once a gambling addiction takes hold, debt will inevitably follow. Although there are rare wins in gambling, there is truth in the saying, “the house always wins.” Gambling is a profitable business, and casinos, online poker sites, and lottery programs earn those profits through the billions of dollars that gamblers lose while playing. Addicts will start asking loved ones for money to bail them out, sell or pawn their belongings, or even resort to fraud, theft and other illegal activities in their desperation to recover their losses. Spending money that is needed for other things, like food, bills, or rent, on gambling could be an early warning sign of a gambling addiction.

5. Endangering or losing jobs, relationships and opportunities at school or work

Financial hardship is one of the warning signs of gambling addiction that is exacerbated by other gambling addiction symptoms, such as losing jobs or opportunities to advance at school or work. This kind of loss can be an indirect result of gambling, like when obsession gets in the way of an addict following through on their responsibilities and goals, or it can be a direct result of a gambler’s compulsion, like when an addict is caught gambling on the job, or embezzling money to cover gambling debts.

6. Denial

Even when the problem is obvious to everyone in the compulsive gambler’s life, many addicts will continue to deny or minimize the problem. They will insist that they have it under control, lying about how often they gamble, how much they bet, and how much money they owe. Denial is one of the gambling addiction symptoms that presents a major obstacle to seeking treatment, because you can’t ask for help until you admit you have a problem.

7. Withdrawing from friends and family

Whether out of guilt, a desire to keep the addiction secret, or as a reaction to loved ones who have expressed concern about noticeable gambling addiction symptoms, compulsive gamblers often withdraw from friends and family, avoiding them both emotionally and physically. Secretive behavior and social isolation are more warning signs of gambling addiction that are also signs of drug addiction.

8. Continuing to gamble despite the negative consequences

Despite recognizing many gambling addiction symptoms in themselves, and even after suffering serious consequences due to gambling, such as losing a job, a spouse, a home, or getting in legal trouble, compulsive gamblers will continue to gamble. This is partly because, like with many drug addictions, gambling is an addiction that feeds on itself. Addicts seek to solve the problems caused by their gambling with more gambling, feeling sure that a big win is just around the corner.

9. Feeling incapable of controlling their behavior despite wanting to

Many compulsive gamblers sincerely want to stop gambling, but find themselves incapable of doing so—at least without professional help. In fact, without treatment, the problem is more likely to escalate over time, as an increasing tolerance to the “high” of gambling, along with mounting financial problems, will push the addict towards larger stakes bets. Gambling addicts who try to quit will often return to gambling because they begin to suffer withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and depression.

Types of Gambling Addictions

It is important to pay attention to any changes in behavior, as many people can be in the problem stage of a gambling addiction, where intervening can help avoid a full-on gambling addiction.

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• Problem Gambling: Gamblers who are not completely under the control of their addiction, but who still engage in gambling habits that disrupt their life (such as frequently lying to loved ones about how much money they lose) are referred to as problem gamblers. Some people exist at this low level of behavioral disorder for extended periods of time, even forever, but for many, problematic gambling will rapidly progress to a more dangerous level of addiction.
• Binge Gambling: This type of gambling addict may go through long phases where they don’t gamble at all and appear to be in complete control. They may even refrain from gambling most of the time. On the rare occasions that the binge gambler does gamble, however, the addiction will surface through behaviors such as gambling for long stretches without sleep as they chase losses, unable to stop now that they’ve started.
• Compulsive Gambling: This type of gambler is the most extreme form of the addiction. Compulsive, or pathological, gamblers are consistently unable to control their gambling behavior, no matter how high the risk or how severe the consequences. Their lives continue to revolve around gambling, no matter how much they’ve already lost, financially, emotionally or psychologically.

Recognizing the problem

Some compulsive gamblers will show some but not all of the warning signs of a gambling addiction, and some may even be able to quit for a period of time. In a way, this lull is like the remission that can be experienced in certain physical diseases. Without treatment, the remission will pass, and the disease of addiction will start causing destruction again.

Step one of recovery is for addicts to recognize the warning signs of a gambling addiction and admit they have a problem. Denial is one of the gambling addiction symptoms that creates a major stumbling block to recovery. Overcoming denial is the only way to open the door to healing.

What Kinds of Treatments Are Available?

There are many gambling addiction treatment options available, and many levels of care to choose from. Compulsive gamblers can check into an inpatient treatment program, take part in an outpatient program, or get the bulk of their therapy through support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous, a program based on the 12-steps that originated with Alcoholics Anonymous.

Other treatments include:

• Medication – Early results from studies done on medications to treat gambling addiction seem to show that antidepressants and opioid antagonists like naltrexone can be very helpful to some compulsive gamblers.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – CBT is a form of therapy that helps patients free themselves from negative and destructive beliefs and behaviors, while learning healthier thought patterns and beneficial coping techniques to help them deal with triggers that would have previously led them to gamble.

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A Brighter Future

Addiction treatment is not a one-time cure-all for compulsive gambling. Even after treatment, gambling addiction symptoms may resurface during a period of relapse. However, relapse does not have to mean failure. Addicts who have previously been in treatment will be able to improve more quickly the second time around, because they have already acquired the tools they need for recovery.

Keeping Recovery Alive

It is important to remember that recovery is like a living thing that needs to be nurtured. It will need more care in its younger days than it will later, but like all living things, it never stops having needs. Taking care of yourself equals taking care of your recovery. Good self-care, attending support groups, and developing positive emotional and physical outlets are all key aspects of keeping your recovery alive.