Gambling addiction, especially in the form of online gambling, has recently become more prevalent in society. Not a few gambling players are willing to seek money loans to continue gambling. What are the signs of gambling addiction and can someone who is addicted to gambling recover? Check out the following review.

Signs of Gambling Addiction

Gambling is a game that risks something to get money. Various forms of gambling are popular in the community, namely togel gambling, card gambling, ball gambling, hickey fighting, cockfighting, and the most popular today is online gambling.

In gambling, when you win, you will feel happy. The reward system in the brain can be affected and a surge of dopamine starts to occur. A large surge of dopamine can have a bad effect on your feelings and behavior. This can put you into a cycle where you return to gambling to feel the pleasure you once experienced.

When a person starts to seek pleasure only from gambling and not from other healthier activities, over time, the gambling habit can make you start to desensitize to the effects of the pleasure it provides. Gamblers start to make constant bets, even with larger amounts, to feel the same pleasure as before.

People who are addicted to gambling can no longer control their urge to gamble even when it is affecting their lives. If they don't have enough funds, gamblers can do various ways to get money for gambling. Gambling addiction is not only financially disruptive, but it can also cause mental health problems. At severe levels, gamblers can experience various mental health problems such as depression, stress, and anxiety disorders.

According to Yale Medicine page, a person can be said to have a gambling addiction disorder if for more than 12 months they experience at least 4 of the following 9 gambling disorder criteria according to the American Psychiatric Association:

• Feeling the need to increase gambling bets by increasingly larger amounts of money to achieve the desired pleasure
• Being agitated or moody when trying to reduce or stop gambling
• Repeatedly trying to control, reduce, or stop gambling but failing
• Frequently preoccupied with gambling, characterized by constantly thinking about past winnings, looking for ways to get money to gamble, etc.
• Gamble when feeling depressed, anxious, or depressed
• After losing at gambling, often tries to return for revenge 
• Lie to hide the extent of their involvement in gambling
• Have jeopardized or even lost work, education, family, or social relationships due to gambling
• Rely on the help of others to provide money for gambling 

If you feel that you or someone close to you is experiencing the above symptoms then you should consult a doctor or psychologist.

Read More: Strategies for Preventing Children from Being Addicted to Cell Phones

Causes and Risk Factors of Gambling Addiction

The causes of gambling addiction are not yet known, but experts believe that genetic, biological, and environmental factors can influence a person's addiction to something, including gambling.

Some of the risk factors that can cause a person to develop gambling addiction include:

• Gender

Men are known to be more at risk of developing gambling addiction problems than women. According to research, men are more attracted to strategic forms of gambling such as betting on sports or card games. But nowadays, gambling patterns between men and women are becoming more similar.

• Age

Gambling addiction is more common in young and middle-aged people. Gambling during childhood or adolescence can also increase their risk of developing a gambling addiction later in life. Many gambling disorders begin as teenagers.

• Family

Individuals who have parents with gambling problems are more likely to develop the same problem later in life. It is suspected that there is a link between genetic factors and gambling addiction, although the emergence of this problem in a person is not only influenced by genetic factors. There is a combination of genetic and environmental factors at play.

• Personality traits

People who tend to be anxious, easily bored, hardworking or highly competitive may be at greater risk of developing gambling addiction disorder.

Can Gambling Addiction Be Cured?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the FDA revealed that there are no medications to stop gambling addiction. However, some medications can be given to treat anxiety and depression caused by gambling addiction. As with other addictions, gambling addiction can be cured with a psychotherapy approach or by joining a community of addiction survivors. 

In psychotherapy, the therapist will help you recognize some of the following: 

• Help you control your gambling addiction
• Handling stress in a healthy way
• Find other ways to spend your time
• Managing your finances better.
• Restoring relationships with loved ones
• Maintaining recovery and avoiding triggers
• Addressing other mental health conditions that may affect addiction 

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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