Gambling Addiction – The Ultimate Guide

Many people don’t realize that gambling addiction is a recognized medical condition and, therefore, don’t seek help when caught up in its grip.

For most, gambling is a fun pastime or a way to socialize with friends and family, but that’s because they know their limits. Fortunately, only a few get to actually experience the dark depths of addiction to gambling and the destruction it brings.

Whether you’re concerned about your or a loved one’s gambling, know that all’s not lost, even if it seems that way. Although the consequences can be profound, with treatment, an addict can get back on track for mental and financial recovery.

Learn about the triggers, warning signs and treatment options. Find out which addictions can occur together with gambling addiction and how you can help someone overcome their addiction.

What is a gambling addiction?

Gambling addiction can be described as the uncontrollable urge to gamble and keep doing so, irrespective of the negative consequences.

Also known as compulsive gambling, gambling disorder and pathological gambling, it can happen to anyone from any walk of life. It usually starts as a fun, entertaining activity and then descends into an uncontrollable compulsion.

Superficially gambling promises potentially big wins for small investments, and that’s where it stays for most. Losses are manageable and have no real impact, but for a few, the win’s pull becomes overwhelming, irrespective of the losses.

People who become addicted to gambling generally have issues that run much deeper than making quick money. If you scratch below the surface, there can be anything from severe mental health problems to self-esteem and self-confidence issues.

Their attachment to a win likely ties in with self-pacification, self-medication or self-worth.

For everyone, the effect of a win triggers areas in the brain’s pleasure and reward system, and it’s this area of the brain that drives addicts. If we win something, we feel great, and why not?

For people inclined to addiction, though, this excitement transforms into a high. They begin chasing the effects of the win while completely ignoring the impact of losses.

As with other addictions, the thrill of betting wanes, so the addict moves on to gambling more often to get the same high. They might also up the stakes and move on to bigger bets; the higher the risk, the greater the anticipation and the better to potential win.

Facing their gambling cost can become too overwhelming, so they avoid thinking about it and instead convince themselves that the next big win is just another bet away. Pursuing the next winning rush boosts their mood and confidence.

As losses amount, though, their mindset dips and becomes one of desperation and self-destructive determination. Where a healthy mind usually processes a gambling loss as bad luck, addicts take it personally.

Gambling wasn’t always seen as an addiction

Only in 2013 did medical science recognize gambling addiction. The American Psychiatric Association categorized it as a process addiction. Before that it was seen as an impulse-control disorder.

More recent research conducted by an international team of scientists has found that gambling addiction activates the same brain pathways as alcohol and drug cravings. These areas deep in the center of the brain involve decision making, impulse control and reward. Targeting these pathways can lead to improved treatment models.

The study further suggests that connections between brain areas that control impulses might be weakened in people with gambling addiction.

That can explain why addicts will continue gambling even in the face of the most severe consequences. In the extreme, some will keep gambling even when they’ve lost everything and everyone that was once important to them.

We generally think of gambling as visiting casinos, horse racing and playing card games. But there are also pseudo-gambling activities too. For instance, real estate investments, the stock market and cryptocurrencies carry a higher risk offering more significant potential gains or losses.

Key gambling addictions statistics

Gambling patterns differ vastly across regions and globally. There’s also a very high degree of denial among gambling addicts and often their families as well. For many people, gambling is entertainment, and those who overindulge are just weak-willed. So when it becomes a problem, they don’t want to believe it’s a mental health issue.

Statistics rely on people who’ve admitted they have a problem either to professionals or treatment centers, and when responding to research questionnaires.

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has released the following statistics on gambling addiction in the USA –

• Around 1% of the adult population has a gambling addiction
• Between 6 to 9% of young adults have problems with gambling
• Ethnic and racial minorities are more inclined to have gambling issues
• People with gambling problems often have many of the same predisposing risk factors as other addictive behaviors
• 96.3% of lifetime gambling addicts met the criteria for one or more psychiatric disorder in a survey conducted by the National Comorbidity Survey
• Research shows that no one form of gambling is riskier than another
• About one-third of people with gambling problems recover on their own without formal treatment

Here are some other statistics –

• According to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIA), people with alcohol disorders are 23 times more likely to develop a gambling problem
• The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) reports that up to 50% of people with gambling problems commit crimes to support their habit
• Research indicates that children and teens who gamble are more inclined to develop a gambling addiction
• Overall, men more often have a gambling compulsion than women; women who develop a problem usually begin later in life and become addicted more quickly

What causes gambling addiction?

Since it only got categorized as an addiction in 2013, there’s still a lot of research to be done. What we do know, however, is that it appears to have the same risk factors as other addictions. These include –

• Genetics: people raised in a family with gambling problems are more likely to develop a gambling addiction. There are two schools of thought about this, though. One puts it down to genetic predisposition, while the other views it as taught behavior by being exposed to gambling from a young age.
• Mental health problems: existing anxiety, depression, abuse, or past trauma can trigger gambling addiction. Bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear more inclined to trigger gambling problems.
• Social circle: living with a partner or mixing with friends who gamble a lot opens people to temptation, particularly when alcohol or other substances are used.
• Dopamine antagonist medication: used to treat Parkinson’s disease and ease the symptoms of restless leg syndrome, and lactation inhibition can rarely cause impulse-control disorders as a side effect.
• Personality traits: characteristics including being an overachiever, highly competitive, easily bored, restless or impulsive increases the risk of problem gambling.

Do casinos and online gambling platforms increase addition?

Lobbyists have long tried to close down casinos and heavily legislate online gambling because they claim it leads to society’s dereliction. Studies don’t support this view, however.

The advent of online gambling certainly made it easier for gamblers to access opportunities and seamlessly pay for their bets, but it hasn’t led to an increase in problem gambling.

Research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in 2015 concluded that online gambling doesn’t cause gambling problems.

The study found that internet sites offer a healthy environment for responsible gambling. Player personal settings include tools such as expenditure tracking, self-set spend limits and resources for moderating expenditure. Targeted notifications and pop-up messages based on patterns of play and other tailored data also make players aware of risky behavior.

You can argue that casinos enable gamblers and that some of their practices are dodgy, but they don’t coerce gambling. Instead, they strongly encourage it. While there have been successful legal bids to hold them responsible for gambling addiction, they’re few and far between.

Casinos display gambling opportunities in bright, loud language devised to draw people in. Alcohol is readily at hand to lower inhibitions and increase risk-taking behavior, and free drinks aren’t uncommon. The decision, however, to gamble and continue doing so even after heavy losses is still up to the individual.

While casinos and online gambling are designed to deceive, promising big wins and offering great deals, neither has been shown to increase gambling addiction; they only make it easier for gamblers to play.

There’s evidence of gambling precedes written history. Records exist in China of widespread gambling houses dating back to the first millennium. And betting sports, like the Roman gladiators, existed in the 4th-century BCE.

When almost all gambling got outlawed in the U.S. by 1910, authorities found it went underground to house parties often controlled by crime syndicates that also controlled alcohol trading.

Humankind loves to gamble as a pastime!

Signs that you have a gambling addiction

As a progressive disorder, gambling starts slowly and gradually develops into a problem as compulsion overtakes logic, and driving urges cause a loss of control.

Indications that an addiction is developing can take months and even years as the individual loses and regains control over their gambling. As addiction manifests, the time-lapse between being in and out of control will become shorter until there’s a complete loss of behavior regulation.

The sooner a problem is identified, the easier it is to tackle, and treatment will be more effective. Financial losses can get curbed too, and relationships saved.

If any of the below ring true, then you’re dealing with gambling addiction –

• A preoccupation with gambling and finding money to gamble
• Irrationally chasing the win while dismissing the reality of losses
• Lying to family and friends about your whereabouts when gambling
• Hiding losses and denying consequences, even when faced with them
• Taking time off work and lying to your employer to go gambling
• Ignoring responsibilities to make time for gambling
• Budgeting gambling money as an essential monthly expense
• Using rent, food, medical, etc. money for gambling
• Ignoring the wellbeing of others while prioritizing gambling
• Stealing or lending money when there’s no means (or intention) to repay it
• Selling personal or household goods to get money
• Becoming defensive and reactive when questioned
• Unable to stop despite efforts to do so

Consequences

Since gambling addiction is so consuming, negative consequences will inevitably manifest. Apart from financial losses, addicts spend a massive amount of time gambling. It’s not uncommon for a gambling addict to play non-stop through the night and well into the following day.

Expect to see –

• Relationship problems, including separation or divorce
• Breakdown of close relationships with children, parents or friends
• Financial difficulties, including bankruptcy
• Legal issues, including incarceration
• A decline in work performance leading to potential unemployment
• Deteriorating mental and physical health
• Loss of interest in appearance and personal hygiene
• Suicidal thoughts

Suicide

Suicide needs a special mention when it comes to excessive gambling. Rates of successful and attempted suicide are higher among problem gamblers than any other type of addicts.

According to Chris Hedges, author of America: The Farewell Tour, 20% of gambling addicts attempt suicide. His work is centered primarily on Las Vegas and the casino industry, but there are plenty of other gambling opportunities.

In the current economic crisis brought about by the global Covid19 pandemic, people can be more inclined to relieve their stress and hopefully win some money. Those predisposed to addiction are taking a treacherous path.

In an uncertain world that’s already stressed, gambling can become all-consuming leading to unmanageable anxiety levels that encourage long-term depression.

As the losses outnumber the wins, addicts can start feeling hopeless. Family and friends might walk away, leaving them feeling alone and lost. The burden of massive financial loss that leads to bankruptcy can also be overwhelming as the addict tries to come to terms with their perceived failures.

Thoughts of suicide arise and gradually begin taking over the mind.

Other addictions that shadow gambling

It’s not uncommon for gambling addicts to have more than one addiction. The most common is alcohol addiction, but sex addiction also features quite strongly.

Alcoholism and gambling are a dangerous combination. There’s no chemical substance to interact with gamblers’ brains, but the anticipation of a win has shown similar effects to that of alcohol use.

While on a gambling spree, the brain releases dopamine – the same chemical messenger released when using drugs or alcohol.

It’s widely believed that because the effects and process of gambling and alcohol are very similar, people are at greater risk of falling into an addiction of both. Like alcoholism, gambling addiction becomes entrenched over time, with the addict partaking more and more frequently to get the same effect.

While a gambler may initially have an alcoholic drink to settle their nerves, increased risk factors and prolonged use can lead to alcohol addiction. Financial losses can also lead to someone seeking solace in alcohol.

The thrill of desire, pursuit and fulfilment can make sex addiction similar to gambling. Combine the excitement of sex with the suspense of betting, and you’ve got two powerful highs together. Both trigger dopamine, leading to feelings of elation and reward. When alcohol gets added to the mix, inhibitions get suppressed, paving the way for risky behavior.

Both gambling and sex addiction open addicts to leading a double life as they try to hide their compulsive actions form family and friends. At the start, this double life can be exciting and thrilling. However, it eventually can become an all-consuming cycle that’s difficult to escape.

Coming down from an alcohol-fueled gambling splurge can be a very trying experience, and feel that the world has bottomed out. Depression and anxiety can quickly lead to more gambling and drinking or even thoughts of suicide.

Sex has a similar effect, particularly casual sex. The after-effects can be shame, guilt and even fear over sexually transmitted diseases. The down can become overwhelming, triggering further self-destructive behavior.

How to treat a gambling addiction

People often don’t know that problem gamblers can exhibit withdrawal symptoms similar to alcohol or drug addiction. Caused mainly by stress and anxiety and the resulting flood of fight-or-flight hormones into the bloodstream, addicts can suffer headaches, insomnia and heart palpitations.

Treatment can be challenging if the addict doesn’t honestly believe they have a problem. Many addicts agree to treatment under duress from their employer, family, or friends, but they’re not committed to the program personally. All recovery relies on an addict’s acknowledgement and acceptance that they need help.

Since there are no substances directly involved, it can be challenging to convince an addict and encourage them to change their destructive conduct. This differs from substance addiction because, very often, after detox, an addict will feel so much healthier physically that they strive to stay clean and sober.

Avenues of treatment mostly involve models to encourage behavioural changes. With the addict’s buy-in and cooperation, they’ve proved to be very successful.

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): is a short-term treatment of around 20 sessions with a qualified therapist. Depending on progress, treatment can get extended. CBT uses systematic exposure to the triggers and behavior around gambling so that habits can get unlearned and new skills taught. The focus is on identifying irrational, harmful and unhealthy beliefs and replacing them with positive, healthy views.
• Psychotherapy: is a more long-term approach to treatment. It involves exploring past life events so that they can get processed and released. Unresolved issues can cause anxiety or depression, which can lead to behavioral addictions.
• Family or couples counselling: can help get all parties to see and understand each other’s perspective. With more understanding, an addict might feel encouraged to get further treatment.
• Medication: mood stabilizers and antidepressants, in particular, can reduce gambling urges. Where underlying mental health problems exist, treating them can help addiction as well. Often people will self-medicate with behavioral addictions to calm mental health challenges they don’t know how to deal with or understand.
• Support groups: speaking to people who intimately know the problem and listen without judgement can be very beneficial. In the early days of recovery, support groups combined with CBT can help an addict understand their situation and learn how to adapt their behavior. Attending support group sessions after therapy helps maintain recovery.
• Financial planning: meetings with a finance professional can teach addicts how to manage their money better. These professionals will offer advice with economic rehabilitation and intervene to prevent foreclose and avoid bankruptcy.

How to help someone with a gambling addiction

It’s crucial to accept upfront that you may not be able to convince someone that they have a problem and need treatment. Successful treatment for gambling addiction relies heavily on the addict’s commitment to recovery.

Without that, treatment is unlikely to succeed, and the addict will only go to more extraordinary lengths to hide their problem.

Whether the addict is a colleague, friend, or partner, approach them at the right time and with empathy. Don’t jump them when they’re gambling or come in with severe threats and dire consequences. That will only make them bolt to escape your perceived attack.

Interventions for gambling addicts are more successful than substance addictions. If you’re doing a group intervention, ensure that everyone in the group understands their role and knows what they want to say. Avoid mobbing and bullying – it won’t work.

Explain what you’ve observed in their behavior and offer workable solutions. Stay clear of accusations and judgment or telling them how much you’ve done for them in the past. You’re trying to encourage a new beginning, which won’t happen if you burden them with the past.

If they want to think about what you’ve said, give them space but put a deadline on their decision with a consequence.

For example, if you’re dealing with an employee, tell them that it can cost them their job if they’re unwilling to seek help. Obviously, you’d have to have valid reasons for dismissal, such as prolonged poor work performance.

When it’s your partner, the situation is direr, and you must take care of your and your family’s needs before those of the addict. Don’t, however, make idle threats that won’t get carried out. That only creates the foundation for a cycle of threats, broken promises and loss of trust and respect.

If you don’t want to separate from your partner or end a good friendship, offer to go to group therapy or join a support group together. Many support groups have open meetings to accommodate people who are supporting an addict.

You can also educate yourself on gambling addiction by joining a support group for the family and friends of addicts. Knowing more about the problem and how it progresses will give you a clearer picture of what you want for yourself and how you can help.

During and post-treatment

Stopping gambling doesn’t imply recovery because the addict still has to break negative behavior and thinking and learn new skills. They need to deal with underlying causes as well.

Even when they’re in recovery and haven’t gambled for a long time, relapse is always possible under the right circumstances or if they’re exposed to triggers.

The term “people, places and things” regularly gets bandied about in support group meetings and for the right reasons. Encourage the addict to avoid people who don’t support their recovery, especially those they gambled with previously. Places they went to gamble must also be avoided, and things they did must get removed.

Let’s say they came home from work and sat down to gamble online after dinner – the routine must get changed completely. Accompanying them on a walk straight after diner, for example, is an excellent distraction that will quickly become a habit.

Debts might be sky-high when an addict stops gambling. Don’t enable them by paying them off. Instead, offer to assist the addict in making payment arrangements with creditors. If you’re dealing with your partner, get them to agree to you managing all finances indefinitely.

With all the support given in early recovery, it’s vital to ensure that support doesn’t morph into enabling over time. This can happen very quickly. Maintain boundaries and rules and don’t allow the addict to manipulate you.

Encourage the addict to share their feelings openly, especially the urge to gamble. They’ll only do that if it feels safe to do so, though. Panicking and flying off the handle won’t help either of you, but you can’t be strong all the time.

Together, draw up a list of at least three other people they can reach out to when they feel vulnerable. Tell these people they’re on the list to know how to handle the addict if they call.

Cravings and urges last for about 15-minutes. It’s when we entertain them that they can take over.

By reaching out, the addict distracts their mind and delays the urge. Since it’s not getting any attention, the craving will pass without manifesting mentally as reality.

Know upfront that supporting an addict takes time and plenty of patience.

Mahatma Gandhi best summed it up when he said, “We can’t, in a moment, get rid of habits of a lifetime”.

Treatment centers

Outpatient treatment is recommended most often. Where other addictions are present, though, inpatient or residential programs might be the best option.

Expect a detailed assessment to get carried out when approaching a treatment center. Determining the level of care necessary is essential to creating the right treatment plan because every addict has unique requirements.

Inpatient treatment involves 24-hour care and supervision. Any medical conditions will be addressed, and various therapies recommended, such as CBT, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy. Patients also have access to a psychiatrist if needed. Support groups like Gamblers Anonymous are very active in rehabs.

Gambling addiction on its own without any other addictions or severe mental health conditions is usually done on an outpatient basis. Patients are given a recovery plan and access to all the professional services they need. They continue treatment independently while having regular checkups and consultations with the treatment center.

Residential treatment comes in after inpatient treatment or possibly in tandem with outpatient help. The aim is to equip addicts to take their rightful place in mainstream society once again.

Unfortunately, gambling addicts can end up bankrupt and homeless due to their losses. Living in a halfway house provides a safe place for recovery and reintegration. Meals and a bed are taken care of, and access to physical and mental health care is available.  Residents are only allowed out if they have a job, and the house has strict rules and curfews.

Addicts are encouraged to join support groups and get their lives back into a healthy routine. Free time gets spent within the center, and usually, weekend activities and group outings form a part of treatment.

Helpful telephone numbers

In the case of an emergency or self-harm, always call 911 immediately for help.

•       National Problem Gambling Helpline – 1-800-522-4700
•       Gamblers Anonymous – 1-626-960-3500
•       Gam-Anon – 1-718-352-1671 (support for family and friends)

Books worth reading

All books listed are available on amazon.com –

•       All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars and Recovery from Gambling Addiction – Arnie Wexler
•       Gambling Addiction Recovery Workbook – C.W. v Straaten
•       Gambling Addiction – Kurt Dahl
•       The Easy Way to Stop Gambling – Allen Carr
•       All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars and Recovery from Gambling Addiction – Arnie Wexler
•       Gambling Addiction: The Easy Guide To Stop Gambling, Understand it, Learn What’s Behind your Addiction and Learn How to terminate it Now – Rick Conall

Conclusion

The notion that gambling addiction isn’t a disease but rather a sign of a weak character often means that it goes ignored and untreated. Families and individuals suffer severely as finances, trust, and relationships disintegrate.

Sadly addicts not only harm themselves but people who love and depend on them as well. Children exposed to the devastation of unchecked gambling can get left with long-term damage. They’re put at risk of developing an addiction, and they may also have trust issues as they grow up, putting a strain on future relationships.

As we learn more about the condition, people don’t need to hide in shame or hurt anymore. With the right attitude, professional help and support from family and friends, a gambling addict can find recovery and a gambling-free life.