Gambling Addiction
Gambling Addiction
Like other types of addictions, it seems that some people are able to gamble without feeling much of a pull to repeat the behavior, while others become addicted to gambling. One important lesson everyone learns in rehab is that parts of life are not fair, and we must accept this and learn to cope with it.
Note: We offer gambling addiction treatment in conjunction with our pornography addiction treatment program.
Gambling addiction, otherwise known as gambling disorder or compulsive gambling, is the compulsive and repeated need for a person to engage in gambling behaviors. Gambling has been a long time problem for humans.
Most states have laws that either regulate or ban gambling, but despite these efforts many people still develop an addiction.
When a person has a gambling addiction they will often exhibit behavior similar to substance addictions.
How Gambling Becomes Addictive
At first, gambling may seem like harmless fun. You may buy a scratch ticket, put a quarter in a slot machine or join the fantasy football league at work. Everyone likes to win, but winning affects some people’s brains differently than others. They get more excitement out of the win, and they end up chasing this high like a drug.
When you gamble in a casino, the machines are rigged against you. It’s the only way they can operate. Betting on sports events has better odds, but it’s still far from a sure thing. The bottom line is, you can’t win often when you gamble. It just isn’t possible.
Problems arise when the gambler can’t accept the losses and insists on playing until they win. This only results in higher losses, which cause the gambler to panic because they have lost so much money. In their anxiety-ridden state, they believe the only way they can get that money back is to keep gambling.
The Effects of a Gambling Addiction
Gambling can lead to numerous family and financial problems. Gambling, by design, is structured in such a way that players cannot win. The house is always favored. When a gambling addict goes to gamble they are unable to stop at a reasonable point, and might get themselves into extreme debt trying to win big.
Gambling addiction can also have effects on personal and professional lives. Gambling addicts often resort to lying to their family, friends and coworkers to mask their addiction.
A gambling addict might have a difficult time maintaining jobs, relationships or keeping up with schoolwork.
As debt racks up, addicts often lean on their loved ones to help them to pay bills, but they often take that money and gamble it away.
Why Gambling Addiction Is So Destructive
Gamblers’ biggest losses are financial, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Once a gambler starts falling behind, they start to realize it will be hard to make up those losses. They don’t want their wife and family to know about their gambling, so they begin lying and hiding receipts and credit card statements.
Eventually what can happen is the gambler can cause their family to lose their home and other possessions, plunging them into homelessness and bankruptcy. These possibilities are so terrifying to the gambler that they may commit crimes such as embezzlement or larceny to make up the shortfall. If they are discovered, they may be prosecuted and sent to prison.
Why Do People Gamble?
There are a number of reasons addicts might compulsively gamble. Two common reasons are that addicts seek increased excitement related to wins or they are looking to escape from life.
For many people, gambling provides a feeling of relief when they are stressed.
Sometimes, people who who are addicted to playing video games or use the Internet frequently might be introduced to ways to gamble online, which is an extremely accessible way for people to gamble.
We encourage those suffering from a gambling addiction to contact us for a free consultation. The Desert Solace facility in St. George, Utah, is the perfect place to address the addiction.
Our clients suffering from gambling addictions find that an inpatient, residential facility is perfect for addressing the causes of their addiction. Treating addiction takes time.
Because addictions have effects on the whole family, we make sure to include the family in the treatment. It can be difficult to see a friend or loved one suffer from a gambling addiction, and our support team recognizes that involving them in treatment can be healing for everyone involved.
Desert Solace Can Help with Gambling Addiction
At Desert Solace, our professional counseling team understands gambling addiction. Here, you don’t have to feel fear or shame. We don’t judge; we are here to help you.
We run a residential program at Desert Solace because we believe that the best — and shortest — way to recovery comes through removing the addict from their environment. That allows them to concentrate on recovery, and it allows us to better identify the gambler’s triggers, helping them to develop alternative coping mechanisms. This is our philosophy for all our addiction treatment programs, including porn rehab and sex addiction.
The beautiful surroundings at our facility in St. George, our equine therapy sessions and the support of fellow addicts are all enormously helpful in the recovery process. Once our clients have graduated from the program, they feel confident returning home and taking life with their family one day at a time.
If you are battling a gambling addiction, contact Desert Solace. Don’t wait — get help today.
