Signs that an individual is addicted to gambling

Generally, when people are addicted, they don’t like to admit that fact. The reason is, addiction comes with a certain stigma that people don’t like to identify with.

Therefore, they will look for different names to call their addiction. This would make them oblivious to any type of addiction help that they might encounter.  

In this post, you will learn how to spot the signs that an individual is addicted to gambling

Obsession

If you notice that someone keeps talking about gambling, an obsession is in play. People who are addicted to gambling would keep mentioning their previous wins and losses and how they look forward to better times ahead.

Everything around their lives revolves around gambling, and it becomes easy to tell that it is an integral part of their life.

Hiding their addiction

Not every obsessed gambler talks openly about their addiction. Some of them are secretive about it so that nobody will find out. They might hide receipts so that you won’t know what they are up to.

Additionally, they might be insincere about their whereabouts so that you will not track them down. Such lies will put them at loggerheads with their family and friends.

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Withdrawal symptoms

When some people don’t gamble for some time, they experience some withdrawal symptoms that doesn’t make them normal. Some of these symptoms are anxiety, irritability, depression, change in sleep patterns, restlessness, etc.

Gambling more than they can afford to lose

People who can control their gambling habit do not spend much money on gambling because of the risk of losing.

However, if you see someone who is ready to put much money than they can afford to lose, it shows desperation.

Such people are likely to lose the whole money because they would not be careful enough to take calculated risks. They will continue to take such crazy risks because they believe that they will hit it big one day.

When you observe some of these signs and you can confirm that someone is addicted to gambling, you need to assist them in finding professional help.

Healthy habits to replace gambling addiction

Many people don’t have a problem with gambling because of the huge prospects that are involved. This is why they will continue to try their luck until they hit the jackpot.

Similarly, most people keep gambling so that they can recoup their money.

In the long run, they develop gambling addiction where it becomes impossible to stop gambling. If you want to resist gambling addiction, one of the efficient ways is to integrate healthy habits.

  • Understand the root cause of the addiction

Every addictive habit comes with a root cause. In the case of gambling, it might be because you were seeking alternative ways of making huge money.

Additionally, it might have developed because you were pressured to join. Either ways, when you know why your addiction developed, it would be easy to replace or treat it.

  • Engage in Physical workouts

Another way to keep gambling at bay is to get physically active. When you engage in workouts, you build mental capacity and resilience. This makes you more tenacious when it comes to chasing your dreams.

You will be less inclined to chase shortcuts. Rather, you will prefer to go through the long and painful process so that you can meet your goals.

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  • Avoid triggers

If you want to replace gambling addiction, ensure that you resist triggers. Triggers activate the cravings to gamble. Some of these triggers could be people, places or events. When you have spotted these triggers, do your best to avoid them so that you won’t be roped into addiction.

  • Seek help from a professional

If you feel that your gambling problem is chronic, consider getting professional help early.

You need to ensure that your gambling addiction doesn’t get to the point where other aspects of life would be seriously affected. With professional treatment, you will learn methods on how to refrain from gambling.

If you know someone who is addicted to gambling, you can help them get help by suggesting some healthy skills or motivating them to see a professional.  

The dangers of gambling

Since gambling is not a substance like drugs or alcohol, people do not find its addiction damaging. However, the fact is, gambling can destroy someone’s life, and it often begins in bits.

You cannot die because of gambling overdose, however, it can make you take disastrous steps that can destroy your life.

One of the reasons why people gamble is greed. They want to cut corners to make money without realizing that there is no fast way to wealth. When they get disappointed during gambling, they enter into deep trouble, particularly financial crisis.

Below are the dangers of gambling:

Financial problems

All the time, gambling involves money. Gamblers can go to the extent of spending their savings and investments to keep playing. You will be surprised to hear that gamblers can quit their jobs in order to satisfy their cravings for gambling.

Poor relationships

Asides finances getting hurt, relationships also suffer when the individual is addicted to gambling. Trust is the bond which binds individuals together and when gamblers start lying about their gambling habit, relationships become affected.

Health problems

One of the common health issues that gamblers face is anxiety and sometime depression. Before you anticipate a win from gambling, these individuals are mentally stressed to a point that it is hard to focus on anything other than their gambling.

If the results of their gambling will be out in 24 hours, it would be difficult for them to either sleep or relax until they know their fate. This is one of the reasons why gamblers develop high blood pressure because their stress level increases.

When this continues longer than usual, they experience heart issues, mental disorders, etc.

If you don’t want to be a gambling addict, the best thing to do is abstain. When you start gambling and you reap the rewards at first, you will be tempted to continue. There are several people around the world who find it difficult to quit gambling because they don’t have the means and willpower.

However, with therapy, it would be easy to fight off gambling addiction.

Adverse effects of video gaming on kids

There have been several studies around the world inquiring into how video games affect kids. These days, there are several games that have different purposes. Some of the games are solely for relaxation and entertainment while others are targeted for their brain development and learning.  

However, not all video games are great for kids and some of them come with ill-effects.

Here are some adverse effects of video games on kids:

Social Disconnection

A child that spends too much time playing video games will be disconnected from the world. This is because they would spend the time all by themselves and they will be oblivious to what is ongoing around them.

With time, they will come to love the virtual world and they will prefer to spend time there instead of with people. It would be difficult for these kids to hold good conversations because they will easily feel out of place.

Exposure to bad/wrong values

As earlier mentioned, not all video games are great for kids. Some of them publicize some negative vices that some kids are forced to imbibe. If you see a child practicing a violent behavior, there is a big chance that they learnt it from video games.

One of the reasons why kids are easily swayed is because they are at a critical point of development. Hence, it is sometimes challenging for them to differentiate right from wrong.

Academic problems

A child who spends much time on video games will not value academics as they should. In fact, they will lose interest as time rolls by and they would not study nor pay attention in class like before. They will not necessarily pay attention to assignments and class projects because their attention is on video games.

Health problems

Playing too much video games means spending several hours in front of the screen. Their fingers and hands can be numb, their eyesight could be affected, and they could develop poor posture.

It is important for parents to pay good attention to their children to ensure they are not hooked on video games.

HOW DOES VIDEO GAMING BECOME AN ADDICTION

Video gaming addiction is a mental health condition which affects lots of people in the world today, and the number of addicted individuals is on the rise. There are many people who play video games, but not everyone is addicted.

There is a difference between a healthy fun gaming activity and addiction. Addiction has a detrimental impact on your life, and it should be avoided.

The designers of video games employed psychology in the creation of these games. They are created to be addictive, so that they can keep you hooked on the game.

They provide immersive experiences which supply a high level of dopamine, and when you are too exposed to this stimulation levels, structural changes occur in the brain.

Hence, you begin to reside in a world where immediate gratification is expected. Games have an immersive effect; you can play for several hours without being mindful of the fact that, much time has elapsed.

Games provide an environment which makes you feel safe, and in charge.

Someone who is addicted to games would always be preoccupied with video games. They will always look forward to the only gaming activity. With time, video gaming becomes the most prevailing activity in their life.

In addition to this, people who are addicted to games would experience withdrawal symptoms when there is no gaming in sight. These symptoms are sadness, cravings, irritability, anxiety and sadness.

Also, they feel there is an increased amount of time to be engaged in games. A good number of times, it is influenced by the finishing of a difficult goal which grants a false feeling of satisfaction.

These addicted teenagers find it difficult to control their participation in video games.

It would also interest you to know that, people who are addicted to video games would lose interest in their previous past-times, which are apart from video games.

People who are addicted to video games use it as an avenue to escape their negative moods. This happens when they are feeling sad, depressed, anxious and the likes.

CONSEQUENCES OF ONLINE GAMING ADDICTION

When it comes to online gaming, those who are addicted usually invest a lot of time playing, at the detriment of their relationships and health. Addicted gamers span across all ages, with a minute fraction being those who are quite old. Those who are hooked on online gaming tend to put aside their responsibilities which they are meant to carry out.

Asides the fact that neglect affects the relationships of online gamers, they take much time in discussing the game, which of course, tires people out, making them individuals who they do not want to be around. It becomes difficult for them to have real-life conversations, without having to integrate the online gaming world.

It would also be difficult for them to provide the necessary support and assistance to their family and friends, because they have little or nothing to contribute. For instance, an addicted teenager would find it difficult to develop necessary social skills, because his ability to do so, has been impaired. He would not know how to make friends, how to communicate with people, except those who are just like him.

To make things worse, the society greets the teenager with a look and feeling of weirdness, which makes the teenager to withdraw to himself, and seek solace in a world where he would be readily accepted. Christian treatment centers can usually help and support gaming addictions.

Below are some effects of being addicted to online gaming:

  1. Aggression: Studies have shown that those who are addicted to online gaming, tend to be more aggressive than usual, especially in teenagers. It exposes them to violence, and they take on behaviours which are not typical of their age.
  2. Poor performance at school and work: Online game addicts would find it very difficult to perform well in school. This is because they would spend most nights on the internet playing games, and the next day in school, they would be inactive. The same applies to the working-class adults. A good number of them reduce in productivity because of insufficient rest each night.
  3. Adverse health effect: Extreme gaming has a detrimental effect on the health of a teenager, as they spend more time playing online instead of undergoing physical exercise which is beneficial to the body. The long hours spent facing the screen also affects the eyesight of an individual.