Getting Help For a Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling

Posted by Marcus Becker

 

Getting Help For a Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling

 

Around 80% of Americans gamble every year. Some people can gamble without getting hooked. But others experience the dark side of gambling when it no longer is just a game.

The gambling world has exploded with the rise of the internet, and now it reaches more people than ever. It is no longer just casinos and slot machines.

Gambling also includes the lottery, sport, and online betting. Even some online games can involve gambling if in-app purchases are involved.

Do you suspect you or a loved one has a problem with gambling? You are not alone. Gambling addiction and problem gambling affect 2.6% of the population, which is roughly 10 million people.

Untreated, gambling addiction leads to many negative consequences. Thankfully there are ways to overcome gambling addiction. Read below to learn about getting help with gambling addiction and problem gambling.

Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling

Gambling addiction and problem gambling are used interchangeably, but there are some differences. If you know the differences, you can identify your problem. And then, you can determine what steps you should take first to get help.

Signs of Problem Gambling

Are the negative consequences of gambling outweighing the positives? Problem gambling is when your gambling behavior begins to impact your life. Signs of problem gambling include:

  • Spending more on gambling
  • Devoting more time to gambling
  • Ignoring the negative consequences of gambling
  • Chasing losses

However, problem gambling behavior can lead to gambling addiction if the behavior continues. It can be easy to think you are in control, but gambling will continue to take over. You want to stop the negative consequences gambling is having on your life before it worsens.

Signs of Gambling Addiction

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) categorizes gambling as an addictive disorder, similar to drug and alcohol addiction. DSM-5 defines the addiction as experiencing four or more symptoms over 12 months:

  • Gambling is a craving you cannot ignore
  • Hiding your gambling habits
  • Borrowing money to gamble and getting into debt
  • Always thinking about gambling
  • Withdrawal symptoms
  • Sleep problems
  • Loved one’s expressing worry

Withdrawal symptoms will show up through mood changes. You might feel anxious, restless, or irritable. Loved ones often describe personality changes in the person.

Problem gambling does overlap with addiction, but gambling addiction is a diagnosis. You keep gambling no matter what the consequences are for you, your loved ones, and your finances.

Understand Gambling Risk Factors

Why do some people become addicted to gambling, but others do not? Various factors can cause gambling addiction and problem gambling.

It helps to understand the causes and recognize which ones resonate.

Mental Health

Maybe you gamble for the adrenaline rush. Other people gamble to distract themselves from difficult feelings, such as stress. Gambling provides a quick way to escape, but it also fuels the addictive cycle, as you want more.

Cognitive dissonance can also fuel a gambling disorder. When two or more values clash, a person adjusts their thinking to justify their behavior.

Gambling problems, mental health, and substance abuse disorders can also co-occur. A study found 62 percent of gamblers had a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, such as anxiety or depression. It can also be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar.

Biological Causes

Gambling involves risk and uncertainty, which triggers dopamine in the brain. Dopamine releases during enjoyable activities and when there is a potential reward. It can create a gambling high, occurring in similar brain areas to drugs and other substances.

Over time you can become desensitized to dopamine release if you repeatedly gamble. It is what creates the urge to gamble no matter what- even if you continue to lose.

It also causes withdrawal symptoms such as irritability when a person first stops gambling. Dopamine levels return to normal or lower levels, so the person craves a return to the high.

Age

Younger people are more at risk of developing gambling addiction and problem gambling. They now have more access than ever to gambling. They can be vulnerable to advertisements that portray gambling as safe.

Social and Environmental Factors

People often use gambling to escape isolation and loneliness. Some people have peer pressure and will seek peer approval by gambling. If a person grew up in an environment where problem gambling was acceptable, they might be more vulnerable.

Is Gambling Dangerous?

Not everyone develops a gambling addiction, but gambling can be dangerous. It can be harmful to physical and psychological health, with serious financial consequences.

Gambling is designed to keep you hooked. It uses Variable Ratio Reinforcement (VRRS), which offers unpredictable amounts of rewards.

The result? You keep playing.

The environment also hooks you in, with bright lights, music, and colors. Online pop-ups may occur to keep you playing a little longer.

Anyone can develop gambling addiction and problem gambling. It is a severe addiction that can take over your life.

Identify Your Triggers

Once you understand you have a gambling addiction, you can prevent relapse. Like any addiction recovery, it helps to avoid triggers and temptations to gamble. Think about what places, activities, and people encourage you to gamble.

For example, a trigger might be when you drink a lot of alcohol or visit a particular friend. Or, you might want to choose a different route home from work to avoid the casino. Some people hand over financial control to their loved ones, so they do not have access to credit cards.

It can feel overwhelming to let go of some control, as the addiction can feel out of control too. However, you are taking charge of your addiction recovery by removing potential triggers.

Other Self-Help Steps

Overcoming problem gambling and addiction recovery can involve self-help steps.

Start paying attention to your cravings and postpone gambling, no matter how intense the urge is. It will eventually pass, which shows you still have control. Another way to delay gambling is to reach out to a friend or find an alternative outlet, such as:

Other ways to postpone gambling is to ring a friend or find alternative outlets, such as:

  • Meditation
  • Volunteering
  • Physical activity such as yoga
  • Seeing loved ones and friends who do not gamble

These alternative outlets can help you avoid triggers and manage cravings. They are healthy outlets that can also improve your mood!

You can also write a list of the consequences of gambling that you can look at whenever you have an urge to gamble. Consequences can include:

  • Financial difficulties that occur
  • How you feel after lying
  • Emotional pain your loved ones or you experience

Shame and guilt can lead to relapse if overused, but a quick reminder can help motivate you to stay on track.

If you recognize problem gambling early, self-help steps can make a big difference. But once gambling becomes an addiction, know it is normal to need extra support to overcome it.

Reach Out To Loved Ones

If you feel comfortable, you can confide in a friend or family member. It is helpful to have a community around you when you go through addiction recovery. They may be able to support you attend a first therapy session or support group.

Join a Support Group

Joining a support group is one of the first steps you can take to get help. There are different support groups, so you can find one that aligns with your values. All groups offer peer support and guidance from people with similar backgrounds.

Gamblers Anonymous has a 12-step model similar to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. There are different meetings available, such as closed meetings for problem gamblers. Or you can attend an open one when loved ones can also participate in.

Support groups offer a safe space to share experiences but also work toward recovery. It can be a relief to know you are not alone with your gambling addiction and can share without judgment.

Use Gambling Addiction Resources

There are a lot of gambling addiction resources online to help you. For example, there are toolkits, others sharing experiences, and even eBooks to try.

There is guidance for loved ones too. It is hard to support someone with a gambling problem, especially if it is your child or partner. These tools are invaluable to learn how to help them, and yourself, in the best possible way.

There are also in-person resources and support hubs to try. Use our search tool for gambling addiction resources in New York State.

Start Therapy

Part of addiction recovery often involves professional support, such as therapy.

A common therapy for gambling addiction is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you change gambling thoughts and behaviors. For example, maybe you are in a cycle of chasing losses, convincing yourself next time will be different.

You learn how to challenge this thought. You can then replace gambling with practical solutions to manage cravings and triggers.

Family therapy can help heal family relationships impacted by gambling addiction. It can also help guide loved ones on how best to support you.

There are other types of therapy, such as psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. You may get recommended a specific treatment or make your own choice.

Ask About Medications

When gambling links to a mental health issue, such as depression, you may be prescribed medication. The medication can help you focus on mental health and gambling addiction recovery. Your primary care physician or rehab care team will assess whether you need medication.

Consider Rehab Addiction Recovery

There are some gambling addiction rehabilitation options. You may be an inpatient and also stay at the facility while undergoing treatment. Usually, there is a combination of treatments, such as group and individual therapy.

There are outpatient options, too, so you can attend a program while staying at your own home. Outpatient and inpatient provide many benefits to recover from gambling addiction. You may get told you need an inpatient program, or you may decide.

Seek Help for Gambling Addiction

Now you know the many interventions that can help you get help for gambling addiction. But how do you get the help?

You can talk to your primary care physician or a loved one if you feel comfortable. Your primary care physician can help assess if you have a gambling addiction and recommend a treatment.

And you plan with your loved one how they can best support you.

Alternatively, you can contact a gambling support service directly to get started. There are also helplines you can ring if you do not feel comfortable going in person.

Help for Loved Ones

If you suspect someone you care about has a gambling issue, it is hard to know where to begin.

You can reach out to your local Problem Gambling Resource Center and immediately connect with a trained professional ready to offer local resources to help you and your family. Do not be afraid to set boundaries to protect yourself, such as taking charge of finances. You have every right to feel safe, emotionally, and financially secure.

You can also talk to a loved one about their gambling issue. Focus on how the issue negatively impacts your own life, and share that you want to support them.

Also, consider if you are enabling any behavior, such as ignoring when money is going missing. Hold a loved one accountable for their behavior, so they can start to take responsibility.

If your loved one has confided in you, you can share these addiction resources. Also, try to listen without judgment. Let them know you are there for them and ask how they want to be supported.

Overcoming Problem Gambling and Addiction

One of the hardest steps to overcoming gambling addiction and problem gambling is recognizing you have an issue. It takes courage and strength to reach acceptance. Once you are there, you can move to the next stage of your recovery journey: seeking help.

Gambling addiction is isolating and overwhelming, but help is out there. You can and will beat your addiction and reclaim your life with the proper support.

If you need gambling addiction and problem gambling support, call us on 518-867-4084. Alternatively, you can contact us by email. We are here to support you.

 

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How to Recognize the Signs of a Problem Gambling Addiction

Posted by Stelianos Canallatos

Did you know that 3 in 4 Americans report having gambled during the past year? But what happens when it is no longer a game? What happens when ‘maybe this time’ becomes a regular saying?

Gambling activities include scratch cards, sports betting, gambling machines, and the lottery. For some people, they do it one time and never again. For others, they engage in gambling occasionally. But sometimes, people develop a gambling addiction.

Gambling addiction impacts around 2 million Americans every year. If you are concerned about your gambling use, or a loved one’s, know you are not alone. There is gambling addiction treatment out there that will help.

The first step is to recognize the signs of gambling addiction. Then you can identify if you or your loved one has a problem. Then, you can seek the treatment you need.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about gambling addiction symptoms.

What Is Gambling Addiction?

Gambling addiction has other names, such as problem gambling and compulsive gambling. It is when gambling is no longer fun and harmless. It becomes a behavioral addiction, which disrupts lives in various ways.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) defines it as an addictive disorder. There are similar characteristics to substance abuse disorders. A person craves gambling like a person with alcohol use disorder craves alcohol.

The gambling addiction could start due to the thrill of the risks. Or it could have become an escape to deal with other stressors. Stressors include problems with relationships, grief, and job loss.

Gambling is designed based on the Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule (VRRS). When mood-stimulating rewards vary and are unpredictable, it leads to compulsive behavior. For gambling businesses, it means people gamble for longer and more frequently.

Gambling addiction can impact any age, ethnicity, and gender. However, young people and ethnic and racial minorities are more at risk. They have higher rates of gambling addiction among the adult population.

Signs of Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction can often go unnoticed for a while. But once emotional, physical, and financial consequences begin, the problem becomes more recognizable. It can also lead to significant distress.

However, there are some signs of gambling addiction. According to the DSM-5, a person has to exhibit four or more symptoms to be diagnosed with gambling addiction. Usually, signs will be present over a 12-month period.

However, there are individual differences. So if you recognize a gambling addiction get support as soon as possible, even if you do not fulfill all criteria.

Lying and Hiding Behaviors

Lying is a common symptom of any addiction. It is so the person can continue with the addictive behavior no matter what the cost. It does not make them a liar, but it does indicate they need gambling addiction help.

A person will lie about the extent of their gambling or hide it completely. You may find hidden receipts or bank statements. Or they refuse to show you, even if your finances are connected.

A person may lie about where they are going or what they are doing on their computer to hide their gambling habit.

You may even start lying to yourself about your gambling behaviors. It is because of cognitive dissonance. The cognitive dissonance, you find ways to justify your behavior to deal with discomfort.

For example, downplaying how much you spent on gambling the night before. Or you tell yourself it will be different this time to justify gambling again.

Increasing Spending and Borrowing

If you lose your money gambling, you are likely to stop before you spend too much. However, if you have a gambling addiction, you keep going.

Increased spending is one of the common gambling addiction symptoms. You may slowly start to spend more money on gambling, even if you cannot afford it. You find excuses to justify the increased spending.

A person may also borrow money frequently from friends and family. They may even take out loans to supplement their spending on gambling. Despite losses, they continue to spend money on gambling.

You may also notice you or a loved one is short on money despite earning a wage. The increased spending can lead to serious financial consequences. People experience debt, repossession of homes, and bankruptcy.

Mood Changes

Gambling addiction often causes people to feel low, irritable, anxious, and sluggish. So naturally, they look to gambling to change these emotions. And so, the cycle continues.

Activities such as sex, eating, drugs, and gambling trigger the brain’s reward system. Dopamine is released when there is a risk and the reward is uncertain.

This dopamine release is what brings the feeling of elation, pleasure, and excitement. Reward systems then return to usual levels or below to compensate for overstimulation. This is what causes negative emotions when people stop gambling.

A person may also feel or appear worried, upset, depressed, or suicidal. Gambling is only a temporary distraction, which causes more stressors. When they are not gambling, those stressors can catch up with them. A sense of hopelessness and guilt descend until they gamble again.

Thoughts Focused on Gambling

Do you find yourself ruminating on past gambling wins? Are you unable to stop thinking about gambling?

You also might notice that you or a loved one cannot stop talking about gambling. It is a way to attempt to experience that high again. And the addictive nature of gambling makes it hard to think about anything else.

And thoughts can be compulsive, to the point that they seem out of your control and overwhelming. Even if you want to make them stop, it feels impossible to switch off from them.

Thoughts can also be focused on gambling as a solution for emotions and problems. Whenever there is distress or other uncomfortable feelings, gambling seems like the solution.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Like many addictions, gambling addiction symptoms include withdrawal. This includes the changes in mood, such as irritability, anxiety, and restlessness.

A person can also experience physical symptoms. Examples of symptoms include appetite loss, changes to sex drive, and sleep problems.

Gambling addiction overstimulates the release of dopamine. Over time the level of reward and its feeling reduces. The result is that the brain wants more dopamine to trigger the reward system.

When not gambling, the brain no longer has the levels of dopamine it has become accustomed to. It tries to revert back, which causes mood changes. A person will also get gambling cravings to seek the experience and feeling again.

Over time a person’s response to losing and its risk can also trigger dopamine. It means people continue to chase losses too, which fuels the risk of withdrawal further.

Gambling uses an immersive environment to capture attention. For example, there are reward cue noises, so even if you are losing, you feel like a winner.

Problematic Behaviours

Problematic behaviors include borrowing money, lying, or taking out loans. However, they can also become more serious and completely out of character. For example, a person might neglect job or education opportunities to prioritize gambling.

Research has found that having a gambling addiction also is linked to higher levels of crime. People commit robbery, fraud, stealing, and other unlawful behaviors to satisfy their addiction. The addiction dictates their actions, as they become desperate to get gambling money.

There can also be serious behaviors such as domestic abuse and other forms of violence.

Isolating Self

Some people with problem gambling behaviors do so socially. But they will isolate themselves from those who are not gambling with them. Others will withdraw completely as they become more consumed with gambling.

The sense of distrust due to lying and manipulative behavior also fuels isolation. They may start to miss family events, seeing friends, and neglect work to focus on gambling.

Loved Ones are Worried

Nobody likes to be told they have a problem, especially if they do not recognize it. However, no matter how much someone hides their gambling addiction, eventually, people realize.

Loved ones may express their worry to the person, who may deny that they have a gambling addiction. As time goes by, loved ones become more desperate to understand why the person cannot stop.

If loved ones have expressed concern, and you want to push them away, it could be a sign you have a gambling addiction.

It is important to remember your loved ones only care about you and want to see you recover. It might feel like nagging or an attack. However, you are not alone; people care for you.

Cannot Stop Gambling

If you think you have a gambling problem but cannot stop, it can indicate addiction. You may feel guilt or remorse, yet something prevents you from stopping. You may have even told loved ones you will quit, but it feels impossible to do so after several hours.

There are many reasons why it is so difficult to stop gambling, despite an intention. However, the good news is there is support to help you or a loved one do so.

Gambling Addiction: What to Do Next

If you identify some or all of these signs of gambling addiction, know you are not alone, and help is out there. The first and biggest hurdle is to recognize you have a gambling addiction.

The next step is to seek support. There are many gambling addiction treatment options available.

Gambling Addiction Treatment Options

Gambling addiction treatment varies depending on the individual. If the addiction has been recognized early, the treatment may be shorter. If it is a later intervention, more treatment may be needed.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often used to help. It identifies addictive thought patterns and behavior. It helps you change thought processes and find strategies to manage triggers.

Medication may be prescribed if someone has mental health problems such as depression.

There are also self-help groups such as Gamblers Anonymous. It can be helpful to speak to others who are also recovering from gambling addiction.

Some people also seek outpatient and inpatient programs as a treatment for gambling addiction. Programs will include various interventions, including relapse prevention plans.

Gambling Addiction Advice for Loved Ones

If you recognize signs of gambling addiction in a loved one, there are several steps you can take. You must care for yourself, your finances, and your emotions. It is not anyone’s fault that the person has a gambling addiction.

There are self-help groups for families, such as Gam-Anon. It is important to have support around you, to remember that you are not alone.

You can talk to your loved one about your concerns when you are calm. You can discuss the consequences. There are many educational resources online that you can share if they are open to it.

It is important to set boundaries with your loved ones and hold them accountable. Do not try to cover up the gambling addiction symptoms or bail them out. Take over managing finances.

Remember that your loved one is still there. They are not their gambling addiction. There may be setbacks, but recovery is possible.

Get Gambling Addiction Help

Gambling can become a powerful addiction that quickly takes over people’s lives. It can be difficult to recognize the signs of gambling addiction and accept you have a problem. It is also difficult to watch a loved one experience a gambling addiction.

However, if you are aware of gambling addiction symptoms, you can start to take action. It takes courage to become aware and question behavior. Sometimes it is behavior that is hard to face.

However, the outcome will be worth it. With support, you or a loved one can overcome gambling addiction. You are not alone.

You can then take the next step of seeking support. If you live in New York State, you can use our search tool to find gambling addiction resource centers. Alternatively, browse our many resources and begin the recovery journey.

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