Gambling Addiction: Don’t Lose Grip On Reality
Online gambling addiction has become a growing problem with more and more individuals succumbing to its allure. Often, the individual may tell themselves that they are just playing for fun or because of their boredom. Those who might have a high sensitivity towards online gambling addiction often find it hard to resist the draw of a new game or promotion. In fact, many go as far as to spend money on multiple game apps even though they cannot afford them in order for them to not miss out on an opportunity or prize that could lead them closer to their next win.
Gambling Addiction Symptoms
Common signs and symptoms of a person suffering from Internet addiction that is related to gambling include the following:
Rewards and Temptation
The cycle of winning and losing can become addictive for gambling addicts. Every time they win, it reinforces their belief that the next time will surely be a win. When they lose, they believe that the same cycle will continue, so long as they are patient. In effect, each time a gambling addict wins it feels like winning for the first time all over again. They become intoxicated by this loop which causes them to keep playing in order to experience this again and again.
The same applies to any type of addiction; there is a cycle involved. When a person has an addiction, they experience withdrawal symptoms when they don't have their drug of choice. The most severe of these symptoms is a lack of dopamine, the release of which causes addiction. A gambling addict can experience similar withdrawal-like symptoms in the absence of winnings, especially if money was spent on gambling that has not been cashed out yet.
Frustration and Depression
Those who are addicted to Internet casinos often have a difficult time facing reality as they have become accustomed to winning almost every time. When they lose and do not win again, it is disheartening, causing them to feel downhearted. Finally, when the loop becomes too much for them to bear and they go bankrupt, the frustration can cause them to spiral into a depression.
Expanding Your Mind
Gambling addicts are often driven by their craving for social stimulation. However, they seek this in different ways such as watching sports or games at their home or engaging in other activities that allow them to forget about their financial situation while reinforcing their beliefs that they can win again at any moment. The cycle continues if they try hard enough because gambling addiction has become an all-encompassing part of them.
Depression, anxiety, and stress can make it difficult for someone suffering from gambling addiction to concentrate on anything else. As a result of this lack of concentration, they will often engage in activities that are most likely to increase their chances of losing. This means that when someone is suffering from gambling addiction, they will often switch to games or apps that are constantly offering "big" rewards like money or prizes.
Risky Behaviour
When a person is addicted to internet casinos, they begin to neglect real-life social interactions due to the riskiness involved in them. This means that they will just spend their time playing online, getting involved in games that have high rewards and neglecting those which have low payouts. Acting this way is risky for several reasons:
Social interaction. The same old games can become boring after a while and having to engage in the same conversation with someone else can cause a person to feel anxious. Depression and loneliness. When a person loses all of their money, it is common for them to feel depressed and lonely for not being able to live up to their potential because of their addiction. An isolated life can harm someone's social skills as well as cause anxiety, stress, and depression. Poor money management skills. Because of their gambling addiction, a person might end up spending more money than they should on games and items that have low payouts. This can lead to them becoming temporarily bankrupt, which will cause several negative consequences in the future.
Gambling Addiction Treatment
If you are suffering from an addiction, you may be wondering how to get help. There are many types of treatment available if you would like to stop your gambling addiction once and for all:
Get Away From It All Go on vacation if possible - this is a great way to break the cycle of losing and winning. Try going somewhere quiet, so that you do not feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on outside of your house.
Keep Busy Keep yourself occupied with other types of tasks, such as exercising or installing some type of programme on your computer that will monitor your online activity. The key here is to do anything except going online and playing games.
Contact Someone Talk to a friend or family member about the situation. Keeping your feelings bottled up can be harmful for yourself and those around you. Tell them about how you feel when you are playing the game, how bad it makes you feel after you lose, and what types of rewards you get from it.
Reach Out to a Specialist If your problem is worse than usual, then consider visiting a specialist who can help you beat your addiction once and for all. This means that you will not need to continually lose and win in order to feel good about yourself.
Stay Calm It is best for you to stay calm throughout the duration of your treatment in order for it to be effective. Try doing some yoga or meditation- this will help you relax.
Get Professional Help If things have gotten out of hand, then consider getting professional help. You might feel embarrassed because of your addiction, but it is important that you take measures to make sure that things don't get worse any further than they already are.
Gambling Addiction Recovery
Having an addiction can be devastating for anyone, especially if it is something that you need to do in order to get by. The best way to keep your addiction at bay is through a programme of recovery that includes:
Determine Why You Gambling Try and find out why you are gambling- what type of rewards do you seek out most of all? What kinds of emotions cause someone to lose track of reality while playing online? The answers will help tell you what steps are needed in order to beat your addiction.
Guide Yourself Along the Road To Recovery After doing this, make sure that you stick to them when it comes to managing your life. Set some goals for yourself, write them down and look at them every morning. When you are not playing the games or apps, it helps you to keep your head straight and think about what you need to do. It is important that you make a positive outlook on life, so that when you go back to the game, it will be more difficult for you to just start again.
Take Responsibility It is only through taking responsibility for your actions that your gambling addiction will finally be cured. Do not blame everything on others like a child who believes she did something wrong because of her parent's background; take responsibility for what happened and how staying away from the computer helped you.
Conclusion
With all of that being said, it is important to keep in mind that quitting your addiction is a huge step. Start by reading the information here and look at a few of the key points and apply them to your life. The more that you know, the better off you will be when you do decide to quit.
Remember: It takes a lot of time and effort to overcome this addiction, but it can be done. Don't give up because there are other options besides jumping on the computer right away.