If you suspect you may have problem gambling behaviour, make sure you read the text below carefully.
Over the last few years gambling has been getting more and more popular among people from all over the world. It is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable pastime, but the truth is that some people do not take it simply as entertainment. On the contrary, they start taking gambling pretty seriously. The situation gets even more serious when it comes to professional players who may got addicted to it and lose control over their whole life.
Causes of Problem Gambling
Problem gambling can also be described as compulsive gambling, or the unstoppable desire of a player to continuously place bets despite they are well aware of the eventual negative consequences of this behaviour. Compulsive gambling is not a problem only of people who are more addictive than other or ones who do not have good self control.
Causes of problem gambling have long been studied, but finding the real origin of such a problem is not easy. Most people believe that such behaviour usually depends on the player’s personal characteristics and the specific circumstances.
Money is often described as the main motive of compulsive gamblers to go on with their devastating behaviour, but this is not always so. As a matter of fact, many players who have gambling problems are not greedy or desperate for winning the money at all. Of course, financial issues could result in gambling problems occurring. Sometimes, people who suffer financial difficulties turn to gambling to try winning money quickly and easily. However, such hasty decisions usually make things even worse.
On the other hand, most compulsive gamblers use gambling to escape reality as kind of a defensive mechanism. They expect to deal with other problems easily and easily get addicted to the emotional rush that gambling usually brings.
Signs of Gambling Problems
People who have gambling problems normally demonstrate certain behaviour regardless of the reasons because of which these issues originally appeared. Here is a list with the most common behaviour changes you should be looking for if you suspect that some of your friends, family members or co-workers is a compulsive gambler.
- Long hours spent on gambling activities
- Refusal to stop gambling when asked to
- Lying when asked about the gambling activities they are involved in
- Family problems and arguments about money
- Newly-appeared financial issues, including new credit cards, loans, unpaid bills, etc.
- They look like being put under a lot of stress
If some of these signs are easily noticed in a family member, a friend, a partner or someone you know, you should try talking them out of gambling. Making a person realise they have a problem is usually the hardest thing to start with. Once such a person accepts their problem gambling behaviour, they can be encouraged to look for professional help.
Here is a list with the most common signs of a gambling problem, so make sure you thoroughly check it, especially in case you have such a problem:
- Thinking about gambling activities most of the time, or feeling unstoppable urge to gamble
- Often gambling to forget about your problems and escape the reality
- Feeling angry, or being stressed and frustrated when unable to gamble
- Lying your family and friends about your gambling activities or financial issues associated with them
- Putting away more money to gamble
- Borrowing money to gamble with
Getting Help for Problem Gambling Behaviour
If you have problem gambling behaviour, you can currently find professional help in several places. Casino players should remember that realizing they have a problem is the most important thing when things have gotten out of control and need to be brought back on track.
Once a player is ready to confess they have a problem, they will be able to start working on that in order to deal with problem gambling and regain control over their life.
Should you need consultation or professional advice, you can find help here:
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
Gamcare is based in the UK and provides local casino players with professional council and support to players and their families when it comes to current and former compulsive gambling.
Gamblers Anonymous – www.gamblersanonymous.org
This is an international organisation that takes gamblers from all over the works and helps them deal with problem gambling behaviour by sharing their experience.
National Council of Problem Gambling – www.ncpgambling.org
The organisation is based on the territory of the US. It is primarily focused on helping people realize how serious gambling addictions are and help players with problem gambling behaviour deal with it.