Addiction Treatment for Online Gambling and Gaming

treatment for addictionAn online gambling or gaming addiction may not pose as immediate a threat as an alcohol or drug addiction, but it is serious enough to warrant addiction treatment. Digital gambling and gaming has been found to be a comparable addiction to casino gambling. It can jeopardize your finances, your relationships, your goals and your health. It can be strong enough to keep a person riveted for hours, even days on end in some instances, and can evoke hostility toward anyone who attempts to interfere with it. Although a digital gaming and gambling addiction does not pose an immediate threat to the addict, it can drastically decrease their quality of life and even shorten their life span.

Digital gaming and gambling addictions are treated at many inpatient rehabilitation centers. If a person is gaming so frequently that their life is beginning to deteriorate, this is the level of treatment they require. Inpatient rehabilitation will keep the addict away from digital gaming and gambling until they can recall how to function in a healthy way without it. If the addict spends too many hours at digital gaming or gambling but is not necessarily jeopardizing some aspect of their life, it could be that a less intensive form of addiction treatment is more appropriate for them, such as outpatient addiction treatment, support groups or self-help material.

An addiction to online gaming, online gambling or video games is not a joke. People have been known to call out of work and miss class when their favorite games are released, damaging their professional reputations. The hours of sitting in front of a screen damage a person’s posture and circulation, and cause obesity and muscle deterioration. Addicts often neglect their family and friends in order to engage in continuous gaming, causing their personal relationships to fall apart. The advice that mental health professionals give is not to treat a minor seeming addiction lightly. Any form of addictive behavior throws a person’s life out of balance and keeps them from living in a healthy way.