I have a terrible gambling addiction. My family is getting close to being fed up with my gambling problem. They're concerned that I'm just gonna completely implode when I'm gambling. I don't have to worry or think about all my problems. I just told them that I'm going to the casino. I don't think they're happy if I win, I am usually I'm like. 'I've never been a problem gambler but I have used my credit card in the past to gamble, especially when I know that there's money coming in the following week,' says 24-year-old Tom, who didn't. Find out if you have a gambling problem by taking our easy gambling quiz. Our test could establish if you or a loved one have the signs of gambling problem, and point you in the right direction to get help. When you think of the effects of gambling, certain things spring to mind. Like financial worries, relationship difficulties and other serious issues. But you might not be aware of the emotional effects of gambling, which many people experience no matter how much or how often they bet. Whether you know a problem gambler or treat clients with a gambling addiction, this program is an eye-opening look at a serious mental health concern and the.
When you think of the effects of gambling, certain things spring to mind. Like financial worries, relationship difficulties and other serious issues.
But you might not be aware of the emotional effects of gambling, which many people experience no matter how much or how often they bet. These effects start off small and often build up, causing stress in our lives.
But they don't have to. Because if you understand what's causing stress, you can take the pressure off yourself or help a loved one do the same.
Emotional stress from gambling
Gambling is all about emotions. There's the fun of winning, the enjoyment of socialising or the familiar routine of some downtime on the pokies.
But there are other emotions too, like stress, regret and a little guilt, which most people feel at some point even if only briefly. It's easy to forget about this side of gambling but these feelings often build up, even if you're not gambling very much or very often.
And from there, you can find yourself feeling a little down – often without knowing why. You might be short tempered, easily annoyed or simply stressed. Suddenly, you're feeling the effects of gambling.
It might not happen straight away, which is probably why many people don't understand the negative effects of gambling. But it's worth being aware that gambling is not all about the money. It's about how it can make you feel and act.
How people are being affected
Is my gambling affecting me?
Gambling can affect how you feel, no matter how much or how often you do it. Is that true for you or someone you care about? These checklists may help you answer that question.
- I celebrate when I win but keep quiet when I lose
- I think about gambling when I'm not doing it
- I sometimes feel guilty after gambling
- I've put off doing or buying other things so I can gamble
- I've spent more than intended
- I've snapped at family members or friends over little things
- I've had trouble concentrating at work
- I sometimes feel regret after gambling
- I've found it difficult to unwind or sleep
- I've been drinking or smoking more than usual
- On a night out, I miss out on other activities because I overspend on gambling
If any of these are true for you, you could be feeling the effects of gambling. While this doesn't mean you have a problem, it does mean that when you're feeling stressed or down, gambling could be the reason.
By keeping this in mind, you can be more aware of the effects of gambling and be more mindful of your gambling choices.
Signs of harm from gambling
Long before it looks like a problem, gambling can be causing harm.
Harm from gambling isn't just about losing money. Gambling can affect self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance and social life. It can harm not only the person who gambles but also family, friends, workplaces and communities. Here are some signs of gambling harm you can look for.
Initial signs of harm:
- having less time or money to spend on recreation and family
- reduced savings
- increased consumption of alcohol
- feelings of guilt or regret
Advanced signs of harm:
- relationship conflict
- reduced work or study performance
- financial difficulties
- anger
- feelings of shame and hopelessness
If left un-checked, these harms can escalate or lead to more severe harms.
Help yourself
If you've noticed gambling is stopping you from achieving the things you want to, it's time to tackle it.
How to reduce your gambling
Follow these practical tips to help ensure that gambling doesn't sneak up on you.
Regaining control
If your gambling is causing problems in your life, there are things you can do to stop it being an issue. You can take steps to change your life.
Money management
Consider these tips for managing your money to help you stop or cut back on gambling.
Gambling addiction can be split into two categories: problem gambling and pathological gambling. 1% of the United States population are pathological gamblers while an additional 2-3% are problem gamblers. Though the percentages may seem small, when you take the 318.9 million people in America, 1-4% of the population is between 3 million and 13 million people. Looking at those numbers, the prevalence of gambling addiction seems a bit scarier.
You might be curious what exactly constitutes a gambling addiction? If you have never been around someone who struggles with it, it may seem like a foreign concept. Compared to the 1-2% who have a gambling addiction, 86% of Americans report having gambled. A large percentage of the population experiences little to no desire to continue.
Many people scoff at the idea of what they may consider 'throwing money away' at the card tables and flashing machines in smoke-stuffed casinos across the nation. However, for those with a gambling addiction, it's not as simple as 'just walking away from the game.'
What is gambling addiction?
In 2013, the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, added gambling addiction to their text. Officially called 'Gambling Disorder' in the DSM-5, the text diagnoses it as:
- Need to gamble with increasing amount of money to achieve the desired excitement.
- Restless or irritable when trying to cut down on or stop gambling.
- Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.
- Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next gambling venture, thinking of ways to get money to gamble).
- Often gambling when feeling distressed.
- After losing money gambling, often returning to get even (referred to as 'chasing' one's losses).
- Lying to conceal gambling activity.
- Jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job or educational/career opportunity because of gambling.
- Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling.
As you can see from those criteria, gambling addiction is not as simple as getting stuck at a table for a few hands of Texas Holdem. Those with a Gambling Disorder have a serious inability to stop gambling, despite the impact it is having on an individual's life.
Some individuals with a gambling addiction experience periods where their symptoms are less severe and it may even appear that the problem has disappeared entirely. However, before long the addiction strikes with a vengeance, oftentimes even stronger than before.
Gambling addiction tends to run in families and begins to show anywhere from teenage years to later in adult life. Men's symptoms generally begin when they are younger while women's symptoms do not often start until later in their lives.
What makes gambling so addictive?
The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as 'a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.' However, as seen in the DSM-5 entry, addiction is no longer related to just substance abuse. Though they do not consider it an addiction by name, gambling addiction is just as real as being addicted to heroin or alcohol. Gambling addiction riddles an individual's life and has the potential to take away or destroy all that is important to them.
But what makes gambling so addictive? When someone with a gambling addiction wins a hand or spins a straight 777 on the slot machine, dopamine is released in the brain and creates a feeling of a thrill or a rush. It is not restricted only to casinos, though; gambling disorders can be triggered by scratcher cards, lotto tickets, horse races, or even Super Bowl football square pools. The chance of winning big triggers the gambler's brain to participate, often to disastrous extents.
While many people are able to be pleased with their winnings and walk away a few hundred or thousand dollars richer, an individual with a gambling addiction will not stop. They'll purchase more chips, withdraw money for more credits, buy another few scratcher cards, or participate in next week's lottery. The insatiable desire to win takes over and no loss can ever overcome the insistence that they will just win it the next time.
Why do people gamble even though it destroys their lives?
When asked why she continues to gamble despite the consequences, one gambler said, 'It's all about the thrill or the rush I get at the thought of winning something I don't have.' After being let go for calling out from work too often, she spent all of her unemployment money on scratcher cards from the liquor store. Once she used up all of her own money she borrowed money from her husband to continue her habit.
However, she kept it well hidden. As she was unemployed at the time it was most severe, her husband was unaware of the extent of her current problem. He knew she struggled with a gambling addiction but did not realize that she was spending all of her money on it. As she scratched the cards while he was away at work during the day, he never realized where all her money went until months later when she broke down and admitted to him that she had had a lapse.
Stories like these are all too common, especially in areas like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City. Even sadder are those who are single and lack familial influence; with few people concerned with their spending habits and everyday activities, they have free reign to blow away hundreds of thousands and land themselves in crippling debts.
Gambling addiction and co-occurring disorders
- I celebrate when I win but keep quiet when I lose
- I think about gambling when I'm not doing it
- I sometimes feel guilty after gambling
- I've put off doing or buying other things so I can gamble
- I've spent more than intended
- I've snapped at family members or friends over little things
- I've had trouble concentrating at work
- I sometimes feel regret after gambling
- I've found it difficult to unwind or sleep
- I've been drinking or smoking more than usual
- On a night out, I miss out on other activities because I overspend on gambling
If any of these are true for you, you could be feeling the effects of gambling. While this doesn't mean you have a problem, it does mean that when you're feeling stressed or down, gambling could be the reason.
By keeping this in mind, you can be more aware of the effects of gambling and be more mindful of your gambling choices.
Signs of harm from gambling
Long before it looks like a problem, gambling can be causing harm.
Harm from gambling isn't just about losing money. Gambling can affect self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance and social life. It can harm not only the person who gambles but also family, friends, workplaces and communities. Here are some signs of gambling harm you can look for.
Initial signs of harm:
- having less time or money to spend on recreation and family
- reduced savings
- increased consumption of alcohol
- feelings of guilt or regret
Advanced signs of harm:
- relationship conflict
- reduced work or study performance
- financial difficulties
- anger
- feelings of shame and hopelessness
If left un-checked, these harms can escalate or lead to more severe harms.
Help yourself
If you've noticed gambling is stopping you from achieving the things you want to, it's time to tackle it.
How to reduce your gambling
Follow these practical tips to help ensure that gambling doesn't sneak up on you.
Regaining control
If your gambling is causing problems in your life, there are things you can do to stop it being an issue. You can take steps to change your life.
Money management
Consider these tips for managing your money to help you stop or cut back on gambling.
Gambling addiction can be split into two categories: problem gambling and pathological gambling. 1% of the United States population are pathological gamblers while an additional 2-3% are problem gamblers. Though the percentages may seem small, when you take the 318.9 million people in America, 1-4% of the population is between 3 million and 13 million people. Looking at those numbers, the prevalence of gambling addiction seems a bit scarier.
You might be curious what exactly constitutes a gambling addiction? If you have never been around someone who struggles with it, it may seem like a foreign concept. Compared to the 1-2% who have a gambling addiction, 86% of Americans report having gambled. A large percentage of the population experiences little to no desire to continue.
Many people scoff at the idea of what they may consider 'throwing money away' at the card tables and flashing machines in smoke-stuffed casinos across the nation. However, for those with a gambling addiction, it's not as simple as 'just walking away from the game.'
What is gambling addiction?
In 2013, the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, added gambling addiction to their text. Officially called 'Gambling Disorder' in the DSM-5, the text diagnoses it as:
- Need to gamble with increasing amount of money to achieve the desired excitement.
- Restless or irritable when trying to cut down on or stop gambling.
- Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.
- Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next gambling venture, thinking of ways to get money to gamble).
- Often gambling when feeling distressed.
- After losing money gambling, often returning to get even (referred to as 'chasing' one's losses).
- Lying to conceal gambling activity.
- Jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job or educational/career opportunity because of gambling.
- Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling.
As you can see from those criteria, gambling addiction is not as simple as getting stuck at a table for a few hands of Texas Holdem. Those with a Gambling Disorder have a serious inability to stop gambling, despite the impact it is having on an individual's life.
Some individuals with a gambling addiction experience periods where their symptoms are less severe and it may even appear that the problem has disappeared entirely. However, before long the addiction strikes with a vengeance, oftentimes even stronger than before.
Gambling addiction tends to run in families and begins to show anywhere from teenage years to later in adult life. Men's symptoms generally begin when they are younger while women's symptoms do not often start until later in their lives.
What makes gambling so addictive?
The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as 'a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.' However, as seen in the DSM-5 entry, addiction is no longer related to just substance abuse. Though they do not consider it an addiction by name, gambling addiction is just as real as being addicted to heroin or alcohol. Gambling addiction riddles an individual's life and has the potential to take away or destroy all that is important to them.
But what makes gambling so addictive? When someone with a gambling addiction wins a hand or spins a straight 777 on the slot machine, dopamine is released in the brain and creates a feeling of a thrill or a rush. It is not restricted only to casinos, though; gambling disorders can be triggered by scratcher cards, lotto tickets, horse races, or even Super Bowl football square pools. The chance of winning big triggers the gambler's brain to participate, often to disastrous extents.
While many people are able to be pleased with their winnings and walk away a few hundred or thousand dollars richer, an individual with a gambling addiction will not stop. They'll purchase more chips, withdraw money for more credits, buy another few scratcher cards, or participate in next week's lottery. The insatiable desire to win takes over and no loss can ever overcome the insistence that they will just win it the next time.
Why do people gamble even though it destroys their lives?
When asked why she continues to gamble despite the consequences, one gambler said, 'It's all about the thrill or the rush I get at the thought of winning something I don't have.' After being let go for calling out from work too often, she spent all of her unemployment money on scratcher cards from the liquor store. Once she used up all of her own money she borrowed money from her husband to continue her habit.
However, she kept it well hidden. As she was unemployed at the time it was most severe, her husband was unaware of the extent of her current problem. He knew she struggled with a gambling addiction but did not realize that she was spending all of her money on it. As she scratched the cards while he was away at work during the day, he never realized where all her money went until months later when she broke down and admitted to him that she had had a lapse.
Stories like these are all too common, especially in areas like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City. Even sadder are those who are single and lack familial influence; with few people concerned with their spending habits and everyday activities, they have free reign to blow away hundreds of thousands and land themselves in crippling debts.
Gambling addiction and co-occurring disorders
The woman mentioned previously also struggled with alcoholism, incredibly common for individuals who experience gambling addiction. Those with Gambling Disorder have a high potential for co-occurring disorders such as drug and alcohol addiction or mental health disorders.
A co-occurring disorder is an individual with a substance dependence or substance abuse problem who also experiences mental health issues. As gambling addiction, or Gambling Disorder, is now categorized under the addiction category in the DSM-5, it could be considered co-occurring with either alcohol and drug abuse or a mental health disorder.
A study conducted in 2014 looked at the relationship between four mental health disorders (depression, mood disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD) and gambling. Their results showed that, of those studied, 86% of gamblers also experienced one or more of the four mental health disorders they were screened for.
It is estimated that 10 to 20% of individuals with substance use disorder also have experience as a pathological or problem gambler. Gambling is common among the drug- and alcohol-addicted population as a means of getting money to purchase substances. Though it isn't
Gambling addiction and legal troubles
Although gambling is a legal activity in many locations and most who gamble do not experience any addictive behaviors, for those with gambling addiction the story is different. Oftentimes once they run out of money, pathological and problem gamblers resort to illegal methods of obtaining more money to gamble. Theft, burglary, and
In places where gambling is illegal, gamblers will also run into trouble with the law for seeking out opportunities to bet.
How to treat gambling addiction
When seeking treatment for gambling addiction it is important to consult with a doctor about the possibility of a co-occurring disorder. With such large rates of co-occurring disorders in those with gambling addiction, well-rounded treatment is often necessary. It is difficult to manage the gambling problem without also addressing the other issues such as substance abuse and mental health disorders. If the co-occurring disorders are left untreated, the chances of recovery are minimal.
Once the co-occurring disorder is being treated, or if the gambler does not struggle with one, there are programs and other types of help available to help them address their gambling addiction.
Gamblers Anonymous
Based on the 12-step methods of Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program intended to help those with a gambling addiction. Originally founded in 1957 in Los Angeles, California, today Gamblers Anonymous has over 1,000 groups that meet worldwide. Through practicing the 12 Steps of Gamblers Anonymous, these men and women come together to work through their gambling problems and remain 'clean' from gambling. The 12 Steps also help those with gambling addictions to live their everyday lives as happier, healthier individuals.
A meeting directory for Gamblers Anonymous can be found here.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Though Gamblers Anonymous is incredibly beneficial in helping those with gambling addictions stop gambling, it is even more effective when used in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a form of therapy that focuses on the idea that what you think impacts the behaviors you make. By working on the habitual thought patterns of an individual, therapists hope to combat the impulsive behavioral patterns that are characteristic of a gambling addiction.
Treatment Programs
For those with extreme cases, in particular when in combination with a substance abuse problem, inpatient or outpatient treatment may be necessary. Inpatient treatment will separate an individual from the problem at hand and provide intensive programs with both a CBT and sometimes 12-step-based approach. Those in inpatient receive the opportunity to focus on treatment alone with few outside distractions to maximize the potential for recovery.
If intensive inpatient treatment is not an option due to work or school, outpatient treatment is another intensive way to address addiction issues head-on. Often offered in the evenings for those with daytime occupations, outpatient treatment provides care for a few hours a day, three to five days a week. Individuals learn to cope with daily life and manage triggering situations.
Both inpatient and outpatient prove to be helpful in initiating long-term recovery from substance abuse, but effectiveness on gambling has yet to be studied extensively.
Problems with current gambling addiction treatment
In 2013, Dr. Flora Matheson and her researchers at St. Michael's Hospital's Center for Research on Inner City Health collaborated with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to look over the current literature and studies regarding drug use and gambling addiction. They noticed a high correlation between pathological and problem gambling and substance abuse, but also realized these individuals are not as responsive to the present methods of treatment.
There is a significant amount of people struggling with both substance abuse and gambling addiction, and treatment centers specific for their needs would prove to be beneficial. However, some treatment centers are beginning to incorporate the treatment of pathological and problem gambling into their programs due to the large amount of gamblers they see coming through their doors. In order to provide proper treatment for all patients, the issue of gambling addiction must be taken into consideration during treatment.
As the awareness of gambling addiction increases, so will the number of treatment centers dedicated to the rehabilitation of these individuals. Additionally, greater numbers of existing treatment centers will equip themselves with the capabilities to provide the proper care. Like all addictions and mental health disorders, with more awareness comes more understanding.
I Think I Have A Gambling Problem
Resources
'Prevalence of the Addictions' Steve Sussman, Nadra Lisha, and Mark Griffiths
'Gambling, Alcohol, and Other Substance Use Among Youth in the United States' Grace M. Barnes, Ph.D; John W. Welte, Ph.D; Joseph H. Hoffman, Ph.D; and Marie-Cecile O. Tidwell, Ph.D
'Pathological gambling, co-occurring disorders, clinical presentation, and treatment outcomes at a university-based counseling clinic' Soberay A, Faragher JM, Barbash M, Brookover A, Grimsley P
I Think I Have A Gambling Problem Uk
'Co-Occurring Disorders' SAMHSA
'Links made between problem gambling and substance abuse, and lack of treatment options' St. Michael's Hospital
