Besides the risk of losing money, there is a risk of addiction when it comes to sports betting. It’s an addictive thing to get involved. You’re constantly hunting money, battling against a bookmaker to try and defeat them, chewing your nails until the final minute of the match to see if anyone scores to earn you a victory. There’s a buzz involved, a thrill to win, but when a rough patch comes along, and a loss hits you for five, or you can’t break out of a losing streak, people get desperate and try and gamble their way out of financial trouble.
Table of content:
- Prevalence: How Widespread Is It?
- Risk Of Addiction
- Signs Of Gambling Addiction
- Betting Addiction Treatment
- What Do I Do If I Believe I’m Addicted To Gambling?
Prevalence: How Widespread Is It?
Gambling is quite common. Increased accessibility, for instance, through online gambling, calls for increased awareness and uptight legislation. Anyone offering gambling services has a responsibility to implement policies and programs to combat underage and gambling addictions.
Research, prevention, and treatment of gambling addictions should be encouraged.
Risk Of Addiction
Gambling can lead to a variety of issues, but it can happen to anyone. No one can foresee who will become addicted to gambling. The behaviour can be represented on a continuum, ranging from abstinence to leisure gambling to gambling problems.
Gambling behaviour becomes an issue when it can’t be controlled and meddles with relationships, finances, and the workplace. The concerned person may not know that they have had a problem for some time. Many people who develop gambling addiction are deemed responsible and trustworthy, but certain factors can contribute to behavioral changes.
This may include:
- Retirement;
- A traumatic situation
- Work-related stress
- mental turmoil, such as depression or anxiety;
- loneliness;
- the existence of other addictions;
- external factors, such as friends or opportunities available
Studies have shown that people with a propensity to one addiction may be at greater risk of developing another. Genetic and neurological variables may have a role to play. Some people affected by gambling may also have struggled with alcohol or drugs, likely due to a propensity to addiction.
The use of certain drugs has been linked to an increased risk of compulsive gambling.
Secondary addictions can also arise in an attempt to minimize unpleasant feelings induced by gambling addiction. Some people who gamble, however, never encounter any other addiction.
Some factors increase the risk. This includes the following:
- Other addictions, such as drug abuse or alcohol;
- depression, anxiety or personality disorders
- sex, as it is more likely to impact men than women;
- the use of some specific medications, for example, dopamine agonists and antipsychotic medications, which have been linked to an increased risk of a gambling addiction
Signs Of Gambling Addiction
For anyone with a gambling problem, the feeling of gambling is similar to taking a drug or consuming alcohol. Gambling behavior changes the mood and state of mind of the individual. As a person gets used to this feeling, they keep repeating the action, trying to achieve the same result.
For example, in other addictions such as alcohol, a person begins to develop tolerance. The same “buzz” needs an increasing amount of alcohol. A person who is addicted to the gambling needs to play more to get the same “high.” In some cases, they “chase” their losses, hoping that they will win back lost money if they continue to play games.
A vicious cycle is forming, and an intensified craving for activity. At the same time, the power to resist declines. As the craving increases in intensity and frequency, the ability to suppress the urge to gamble is compromised.
This could result in a physical, social, psychological, personal, or professional consequence. Neither the frequency of gambling nor the frequency of gambling will determine whether gambling is an individual’s problem.
Some people indulge in occasional gambling binges rather than on a daily basis, but the emotional and financial consequences would be the same. Gambling becomes a concern when a person can no longer resist doing it and harms some aspect of the individual’s life.
Diagnosis:
For the diagnosis of gambling addiction, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that a person must demonstrate or experience at least four of the following in the past 12 months:
- Need to bet on increasing sums of money to experience the excitement
- Agitation or irritability while attempting to stop gambling
- Repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop, regulate or minimize gambling;
- Thinking often about gambling and making plans for gambling
- Gambling when feeling distressed
- Returning to gambling again after losing money
- Lying to mask gambling habits
- Experience relationship or job issues due to gambling
- Relying on the others for the money to be spent on gambling
Betting Addiction Treatment
In principle, treatment is divided into three types:
Therapy: This may be behavioural therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Behavior therapy helps a person suppress the desire to play by systematically introducing them to the behavior. CBT helps to improve the way the person thinks and feels about gambling.
Self-help groups: Some find it helpful to talk to someone in a similar situation.
Medications: Antidepressants and mood stabilizers may help minimize symptoms and illnesses that sometimes occur with gambling addictions. Some antidepressants can also minimize gambling impulses. Narcotic antagonists—drugs used to treat drug addiction—may be beneficial to some compulsive gamblers.
What Do I Do If I Believe I’m Addicted To Gambling?
If a person thinks that they might have a gambling problem, several self-tests are available on the Internet.
These assessments will not include a diagnosis and will not substitute face-to-face evaluation with a qualified health professional. Still, they will help people determine whether to pursue a comprehensive assessment of their gambling behavior.
Health practitioners can provide a comprehensive evaluation and develop an effective care plan based on their needs. Treatment and assistance may need to discuss different aspects of a person’s life, family life, schooling, financial problems, legal issues, and professional situation.
Anyone who believes that they are addicted to gambling should seek help. A health cares professional will be able to refer the individual to the appropriate treatment provider.
The recommendation of the APA for those who care for a person with a gambling problem is as follows:
- seek assistance, for example, via self-help groups;
- Consider the positive qualities of an individual and resist removing them from family life;
- Stay calm when talking to a person about gambling and refrain from lecturing, preaching, or getting angry;
- be open about the issue, including with children
- recognize that care is important and can be time-consuming;
- Set restrictions on family finances to stop paying off individual gambling debts;
