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Addiction |
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Gambling addiction
is the worst form that you can have. This may seem a big statement but with
most other forms, like drug addiction, it will be quite easy to spot and most
likely seriously effect only one person (of course family members will be
affected). With addiction to gambling the person can seem perfectly normal, in
fact more active than normal. They retain all their thinking powers and develop
tremendously ingenious ways to cover their activities and get money from their
family, their friends and their business associates. This can often build to
very serious amounts that affect many other people and place them in financial
ruin.
A more subtle problem is the fact that it is more socially
acceptable to gamble ruinously and the addiction is often not treated as a
problem at all. A lives work of business and family can be trashed without
raising peoples awareness, as if it was a life choice that someone made, rather
than an uncontrollable slide. If you can answer YES to just a few of the
questions in the section test yourself then start
looking to reduce your eagerness to gamble. If you answer 7 or more then pick
up the phone and dial one of the numbers in contacts.
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| What
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Gambling addiction
cannot be completely defined within a few paragraphs but the basic weakness
within all people that makes them vulnerable is guilt and guilt
punishment. Humans are weak and wonderfully susceptible to their own psyche
and once out of control only external assistance is able to stop the self
perpetuating spiral.
Humans feel guilt for things they perceive
as being wrong and caused by them. The response of the brain is either to shut
out the memory or punish itself to gain forgiveness. If the guilt is over money
lost through gambling then the punishment is often to gamble more and lose even
more. Emotional highs are got through the intensity gained from gambling,
losing being intense, painful, guilt inducing and ultimately stimulating to the
brain. Losing is therefore addictive and winning is not.
Stubborn
people are the most susceptible to problem or addictive gambling. Their guilt
at losing even small amounts far exceeds the true size of the loss and
admitting any weakness is very difficult for them. Consequently a serious
problem can grow very rapidly from a small downturn in their
fortunes.
Rude and aggressive people are frequently welcomed by
casinos even at the risk of upsetting other customers because the people
running these businesses know that unfriendly people are the most stubborn and
most likely to become seriously hooked on gambling.
There are
countless true stories of people (men and women) who start with casual gambling
and quickly progress into continous high level gambling that consumes their
business and family house. No matter how rich they are it is not too much to
lose gambling.
While scientific research on both male and female
gamblers is sparse, existing studies show that gender differences are critical
when it comes to understanding and treating compulsive gamblers: Women become
problem gamblers because they are lonely, depressed or anxious. Their descent
is usually swift. They are more likely to be addicted to slot machines, which
they can play alone. They see the slots as an escape from personal problems,
such as marital unhappiness, divorce or the death of a loved one.
Female compulsive gamblers tend to be older — their average
age is 45 compared with 35 for men. Women begin gambling later in life —
the average age they start is 31, compared with 18 for men. For most women with
gambling problems, the object is to zone out, to give themselves a kind of
timeout from their lives. Its possible to have a love affair with a machine
that is not threatening, doesn't ask you any questions or make demands.
When a reporter recently approached an elderly woman at the Atlantic
City Hilton playing two slot machines at once — the same ones she plays
every week — the Staten Island woman, who asked not to be named, said:
"Meet my boyfriends."
Men, on the other hand, are drawn to the
thrill of the big blackjack or sports bet, trying to prove they can beat the
house or the bookmakers. Experts say the men are typically narcissistic; their
high comes from being the center of attention. As the losses pile up and
gamblers begin the descent into a world of lies, debt and destroyed
relationships, the differences between men and women fade.
Pathological gambling was recognized by the American Psychiatric
Association as an impulse-control disorder in 1980. Experts say it can take two
to six years for the disease to develop, as compulsive gamblers go through
three distinct stages: the high from winning; the chase to reach that high
again, which inevitably leads to losing; and finally, desperation — when a
person will do anything to get the money to keep betting. For women, the
descent is quicker, experts say.
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| GoodGambling advice is stay away from it
completely if you are stubborn. This of course is easier said than done and
friends of those just getting into gambling should confront them if they are
too stubborn to recognise a problem. |
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| Test
Yourself |
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TWENTY QUESTIONS
1. Did you ever lose
time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made
your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you
ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial
difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or
efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as
possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a
strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until
your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your
gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were
you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Did
gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14.
Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled
to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered
committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you
to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or
frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an
urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you
ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?
Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these
questions. |
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| Contacts (2) |
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1. Gamblers
Anonymous (GA) |
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| This is a self-help fellowship of compulsive gamblers wanting to
address their gambling problems. The sister organisation, GamAnon runs groups
for partners/families of compulsive gamblers. Groups are held weekly throughout
the country. |
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| Main Telephone :
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020 7384 3040 |
Telephone Lines
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| Southern : |
020 7384 3040 |
| Midlands : |
0121 233 1335 |
| North East : |
0114 262 0026 |
| North West : |
0161 976 5000 |
| Scotland : |
0141 630 1033 |
| Ulster : |
028 7135 1329 |
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United Kingdom NSO Gamblers Anonymous
P.O. Box 88
London
SW10 0EU |
Postal
Address  |
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| http://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
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Website  |
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| 2.
GamCare |
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| They provide information, advice and counselling to individuals,
their family and friends who have concerns about problem gambling. |
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| Help Line :
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0845 6000 133 |
Help Line |
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Sutie 1 Catherine House
25-27 Catherine Place
Westminster
London SW1E 6DU
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Postal
Address |
| Tel : |
020 7233 8988 |
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| Fax : |
020 7233 8977 |
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| http://www.gamcare.org.uk |
Website  |
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| Serious callers only
please. |
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