Gambling – What is it to be addicted and how to stop with it?
In this article we will talk more about the eternal problem in gambling, namely addiction, which is worse and stronger than that to nicotine, alcohol and even drugs, namely the mosquito. Here we will clarify what being addicted is, what happens to the brain, why it happens and what outcomes there are.
We hardly need to tell you that there are hundreds of thousands of different mosquito-related stories of people on the internet. Some sad, some interesting, some startling. We’ll tell you a short story as the reason is just to find out what you could risk going deep into the mosquito, then we’ll comment on the specifics.
Michelle bets £550,000 over 3 years
Michelle Singlehurst had a cozy life. She was chipping away at a job that gave her £25,000 steady annual income, and her house was worth £440,000, more than many people make in decades. Yet, Michelle also loved to escape in games.
Nintendo and GameCube gaming became online slots, and between taking care of her husband, daughter, and elderly mother who nearly passed away in a nursery home due to maltreatment, something inside Michelle snapped.
Suddenly, online gaming didn’t seem like such a bad idea. She would escape her worries by playing away for hours, waking up at night, and logging back in. At one point, she had no idea if she had any money left.
She felt embarrassed as well as drawn to gambling. Before long, she had incurred thousands in debt from friends, and this would only be the beginning of what is one of the worst gambling addiction stories we have read.
Michelle decided to take care of her mother, and so the family wanted to move into a new house that would have enough room to look after Michelle’s mom. The family’s original home was sold, but Michelle didn’t quite intend to hold on to the money. Before long, she had gambled through the entire £440,000.
Her husband of 30 years, a good-natured man who was not tech-savvy, eventually found out and it got ugly. He blamed Michelle for her imprudence and lack of self-restraint, and took their daughter and left.
Michelle’s Breakdown Follows Shortly After
Michelle spent time with her parents as she started drinking and taking pills. One of these times, she overdosed and was rushed to a hospital. Even then, Michelle said her senses were dulled and she felt nothing – until one faithful doctor visit.
“You have one-in-three chances to survive,” the doctor said, explaining that Michelle had done near-irreparable damage to her liver. It was at this moment she suddenly came back to life and decided to live.
Her husband had started coming back and bringing her daughter to visit. Slowly, he was going to forgive her. Does the story end here? It almost does. Michelle is back with her family, but they have a big debt to cover. In three years, she managed to gamble away £550,000 and, in her own words, the family would never be able to afford a home.
While this addiction story can serve as a reminder for us all about the irreparable harm we can do to ourselves and others through our obsession with gambling, it’s also a good story of redemption.
What it means to be addicted to the gambling
As I said earlier, you just have to realize what a huge risk you are taking if you indulge in the gambling. We can look at a lot of stories, but perhaps at some point it’s more important to talk about exactly what this addiction is. I am not talking about problem gambling here, but addiction.
Some of the psychological terms for it are pathological gambling, compulsive gambling or gambling disorder. It means impulse control disorder. If you are a compulsive gambler, you cannot control your impulse to gamble even when it has negative consequences for you or your loved ones.
Gambling addiction or problem gambling is often associated with other behavioral or mood disorders. Many problem gamblers also suffer from substance abuse problems, stress, depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. To overcome your gambling problems, you will need to address these and any other underlying causes as well.
Although you may feel powerless to stop gambling, there are many things you can do to overcome the problem, rebuild your relationships and finances, and finally regain control of your life.
Signs and symptoms of gambling addiction
Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as a “hidden disease” because it has no obvious physical signs or symptoms like drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers also usually deny or downplay the problem – even to themselves. However, you may have a gambling problem if:
- You feel the need to hide your gambling. You may play secretly or lie about how much you’re playing, feeling that others won’t find out or that you’ll surprise them with a big win.
- You have a hard time controlling the gambling. Once you start betting, can you quit? Or are you forced to keep playing until you’ve spent your last buck by increasing your bets to get your lost money back?
- You play even when you have no money. You can play until you’ve spent your last buck, and then move on to money you don’t have – money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your kids. You may feel compelled to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money.
What happens to your brain when you bet? Then it releases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter that makes you feel aroused. You’d expect to feel excited only when you’re winning, but your body produces this neurological reaction even when you’re losing.
Reasons for gambling and what you can replace it with
Reason one. It may seem strange, but gambling can be quite a social activity. However, instead of going to a casino, sign up for a public speaking course, join a social group, volunteer, go to social events related to anything that might be of interest to you, and make new friends. There are many better ways to socialise.
Second reason. It is human nature to take risks and experience the pleasure of high adrenaline, which is one of the main reasons the unknown of the end result of gambling is so exciting. Instead of gambling, however, you can play sports. There are many sports where a certain amount of risk is taken and there is a high adrenaline rush.
Third reason. Boredom/solitude. Find something that excites you, like art, music, sports, or books, and then find other people with the same interests.
Fourth reason. Escape from reality, bad feelings and stressful daily life. By the way, here, if you think about it, you can notice that running away from reality is something a hell of a lot of people do, and not just through the gambling. The gambling is simply the worst choice, but some do it by eating junk food, others by drugs, others by alcohol, others by excessive playing of computer games, watching TV series and all kinds of similar activities. Keep in mind, however, that temporarily escaping reality will not solve your problems, but will postpone them, and by then they will have become either bigger or more in quantity.
Fifth reason. Delusional belief that this can fix some financial problems for you. Whatever we say, the cliché that easy money is for lazy people is true in most cases. Nowadays, you can make money from thousands of activities, but the gambling is the worst choice here.
How to get rid of the gambling?
For many problem gamblers, the biggest challenge is not quitting gambling, but rather staying in recovery – making a permanent commitment to abstain from gambling. The Internet has made gambling much more accessible and therefore harder for recovering addicts to avoid relapse. Many people who make the effort to get rid of gambling fall into depression because gambling is like an outlet for their mongo problems, and without it they don’t know how to escape reality.
Now We will tell you some proven methods by which to overcome the thirst for gambling.
Take the obligatory measures
First, you must talk to your family about the problems. It is very important that you are not alone in such a difficult situation. Close all your accounts for good on all casinos and bookmakers you have a registration with. You go to all the casinos you play at with your relatives to ask them to ban you from them as well, and then you explain to all the banks that lend to you what the situation is. Remember, we’re talking about gambling addiction here.
Plan ahead to avoid boredom
Former gamblers who are used to the ups and downs of active addiction usually struggle with periods of boredom in their lives. Try to plan your days so that you are not tempted to fill the empty space with gambling. Research seems to support this when results show that problem gamblers have a low boredom threshold. When faced with an uninspiring task, they will invariably avoid it or not complete it.
Do something completely different
Your brain is used to working a certain way when you’re gambling, but now that you’ve stopped, it still needs to be constantly stimulated. So try to set yourself new goals and tasks every day. When you’re focused on problem solving, you’ll be better able to deal with the urge to gamble when it arises.
Pick up an old hobby
Invariably, gamblers lose interest in their hobbies as they become more addicted to gambling. Once you’ve stopped, it’s important to revive your old hobbies. Not only will this boost your self-esteem, but it will also remind you regularly of your new lifestyle.
As with most behavioral addictions, it is important to find a healthier activity to replace the negative addiction. This will make you focus on the benefits of your new lifestyle rather than what you are missing out on.
Be especially vigilant in the run-up to special sporting events
Research shows that gamblers typically have difficulty with impulse control and delaying gratification. Recognize the need to strengthen your resolve when special events approach.
For example, if you have been a sports betting enthusiast, special events such as the World and European football championships, the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot or the Ryder Cup can be particularly challenging. Perhaps you should avoid the increased media hype around these events, especially when the bookmakers are offering special deals.
Find ways that help you cope better with stress
Stress is a barometer of how we manage our emotions and can be a major contributing factor to relapse from gambling. It’s crucial to find new, healthy ways to deal with stress, whether that’s exercise, meditation, hypnotherapy or talking to a trusted friend. The risks are that the temptation to gamble will become stronger as you become more stressed. Personally, I think sport is the best medicine, and not just in this case. Just imagine where you would be if the hours spent betting or in the casino were spent playing sports.
In the most severe cases, there are various institutions that have devoted themselves entirely to helping people addicted to the gambling. Gatherings are made, people with different lives share with each other the same problems and experiences with this addiction.
Conclusion
In the most severe cases, there are various institutions that are fully committed to helping people addicted to the mosquito. Gatherings are made, people with different lives share with each other the same problems and experiences with this addiction. This topic is of course extremely long and could be discussed for hours on end, so we stop here. We hope you found it helpful and interesting.
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