1. What Makes Gambling Addictive
2. Why Is Smoking So Addictive
3. Why Is Crack So Addictive

Partial reinforcement showmyads You don’t have to be a psychologist to know that reinforcement. Gambling can be just as addicting as many recreational drugs! What makes it so addicting, and are there any factors that make you more susceptible to being a.

Medically reviewed:06/22/2018
Last updated: 04/17/2020
Author: Addictions.com Medical Review

Reading Time: 7minutes

What is Gambling Addiction?

Gambling addiction or gambling disorder is defined as persistent and recurring problematic gambling behavior that causes distress and impairs your overall livelihood. Gambling addiction affects roughly 0.2% to 0.3% of the general U.S. population, and tends to affects males more than females, though this gender gap has narrowed in recent years. Gambling disorder is a behavioral addiction that can be effectively treated using a range of cognitive and behavioral therapies.

The desire to buy scratch tickets, play slot machines, and visit casinos aren’t necessarily signs of gambling addiction. But when the desire to gamble becomes overwhelming to the point you can’t stop thinking about it until you gamble on something, may be a sign you need help. Those who suffer from gambling addiction will continue to gamble despite negative financial, legal, and social consequences.

Gambling disorder is a brain disease that can cause you to do things you wouldn’t normally do if you weren’t suffering from addiction. Behavioral addictions like gambling disorder are often difficult to manage and control without getting professional help. Addiction treatment centers can help you overcome gambling addiction and teach you important skills aimed at helping you repair problems in your life caused by your disorder.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Gambling Addiction?

There are no physical health symptoms associated with gambling disorder. Familiarizing yourself with common gambling addiction behaviors can clue you into whether you or a loved one may need professional help.

Chasing after losses is the most common tell-tale sign of gambling disorder. This particular symptom is marked by the urgent need to continue gambling to earn back a loss or series of losses. Individuals diagnosed with gambling disorder may abandon their usual gambling strategies to win back all losses at once and may lie to family, friends, and therapists to hide the severity of their addiction.

The following behaviors are potential signs of gambling addiction:

• Needing to gamble using increasing amounts of money to achieve the desired rush and excitement.
• Feeling restless or irritable when trying to reduce or stop gambling.
• Inability to control, reduce, or quit gambling despite numerous repeated attempts.
• Preoccupation with gambling, such as devising ways to get more gambling money and reliving past gambling experiences.
• Gambling when experiencing feelings of distress, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, and depression.
• Chasing after your losses to get even after losing money gambling.
• Lying to conceal the severity of gambling behaviors, and the addiction.
• Loss of personal relationships, job, and educational pursuits due to gambling.
• Replying on others to provide money to resolve financial situations caused by gambling, such as a threat of eviction from the home.

Those with a mild gambling addiction may exhibit between four and five of these behaviors, while those with a moderately severe gambling addiction may exhibit six to seven of these behaviors. People who suffer from severe gambling addiction will usually exhibit all nine behaviors. Moderate to severe cases of gambling disorder tend to be more common than mild cases.

You might have a gambling problem if:

• You feel compelled to keep gambling until you’ve spent your last dollar. You may keep bidding until you’ve spent everything to win your money back, or you continue increasing bet amounts.
• You hide your gambling from friends or family members. You may sneak off to gamble without telling anyone, or lie about your gambling activities.
• You spend money you don’t have on gambling. You may use money intended for important bills like rent, mortgage, car payments, credit card bills, and other expenses for gambling.
• You steal from others or sell your possessions so you can gamble. You may steal money or belongings from others so you can gamble, or sell or pawn valuable possessions like musical instruments and vehicles to obtain more gambling money.
• You prioritize gambling over obligations related to work, school, family. You may stop going to work or school so you can gamble, or stop buying household necessities so you can use the money for gambling instead.
• You’re experiencing financial hardships due to gambling. You may have lost your home, car, job, and important personal possessions due to gambling.
• You’re facing a range of negative emotions triggered by gambling. Gambling may be a serious problem in your life if it’s triggering depression, anxiety, frustration, agitation, and remorse.
• You want to stop gambling but can’t. You have tried to stop gambling but can’t seem to stop despite your desire to do better and to stop gambling.

Negative Effects of Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction can produce many more negative effects than just financial hardship. Gambling disorder can affect your physical health, mental health, and social functioning, and lead to the loss of important relationships with friends and loved ones. You may also suffer a decline in work or school performance, and feel more restless and bored with all other areas of life that don’t involve gambling.

Those who suffer from gambling addiction tend to suffer from higher rates of poor general health than those who don’t gamble. Tachycardia and angina are common health problems among those diagnosed with gambling addiction. Many who suffer from gambling disorder also tend to experience distortions in thinking surrounding their addiction, such as superstitions, overconfidence, and a sense of power over the outcome of chance events. Nearly 50% of those receiving treatment for gambling disorder experience suicidal ideation, while an estimated 17% have tried to commit suicide.

The negative effects of problem gambling include:

• Financial problems including high debt, poverty, or bankruptcy
• Domestic violence and child abuse in families
• Suicidal thoughts, attempts, or the act of suicide
• Legal troubles, including arrests for theft or prostitution
• Behavior problems in children of problem gamblers
• Depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders
• Loss of relationships with friends and family
• A decline in performance at work or school
• Suicide and death
• A risk for drug or alcohol abuse

How Does Gambling Addiction Interact with Addiction?

Alcohol and cocaine are the two most common substances associated with gambling and binge gambling, respectively. Alcohol is legally available in most gambling settings such as bars and casinos and is often rewarded to gamblers for free at many of these establishments. Roughly 44% of people with gambling disorder in the U.S. also suffer from an alcohol use disorder.

Binge gambling is defined as intermittent episodes of uncontrolled gambling after long periods of abstinence. For instance, a person who practices binge gambling may only visit the casino five times per year but gamble non-stop for long periods during their stay. Cocaine use tends to be common among these gamblers since it produces stimulating effects of increased energy, alertness, focus, concentration, and confidence.

Individuals with gambling disorders tend to suffer higher rates of co-occurring alcohol and drug use disorders compared to their peers. Gambling often takes place in environments that enable and encourage alcohol and drug use. Gambling can also trigger mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, which many may self-treat using alcohol and drugs like marijuana, painkillers, and other addictive substances.

How Are Gambling Addiction and Substance Use Treated?

Gambling addiction is commonly treated using cognitive and behavioral therapies that treat the root psychological causes of your addiction. These therapies also help you identify and change negative, unhealthy thoughts and behaviors that may have led to your gambling addiction. Treatments for gambling addiction can be tailored especially for you or your loved one based on the factors surrounding your disorder.

Gambling addiction can also be treated using community reinforcement, group therapy, and 12-step support groups like Gamblers Anonymous. These treatments help you identify your triggers that can lead to gambling and teach you ways to overcome and manage those triggers. For instance, if a stressful day at work usually makes you feel like gambling, you may learn yoga, deep breathing, or other healthy methods that relieve stress without putting your health and well-being at risk.

Gambling Addiction Help

If you or someone you love needs treatment for gambling addiction, it’s important that you use a treatment approach that best suits your recovery needs. Gambling addiction treatment is available in many different settings, including inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.

Inpatient gambling addiction treatment can greatly benefit those who suffer from severe gambling disorder, and who have suffered severe financial, legal, or social problems. Inpatient treatment includes around-the-clock supervision in a hospital-like setting where you can live for the duration of your treatment program. The intense level of therapy, counseling, and supervision provided by inpatient treatment centers can help significantly reduce the risk of relapse while in recovery.

Compulsive gamblers often need support from friends, family members, and peers to help them stop gambling. Gamblers Anonymous groups can provide peer and social support for those in recovery or for those who wish they can stop gambling. These groups can provide a solid, healthy foundation for a successful and long-term recovery from gambling addiction.

Here’s how to help a family member or loved one suffering from a gambling addiction:

• Understand the addiction. The first thing you can do to help a loved one who is addicted to gambling is to learn all you can about the addiction. Find a support group that can help you cope with the stress that comes from having a loved one who is addicted to gambling.
• Find support. Support for yourself and for your loved one who is addicted can be very beneficial in helping with a gambling addiction. Many support groups are available throughout communities and in treatment centers. Therapists and counselors can also provide support for gambling addiction.
• Manage money tightly. If your loved one is addicted to gambling and is actively pursuing help, take over managing all financial responsibilities for your loved one. This can help reduce any gambling impulses your loved one may be experiencing throughout their recovery.

Preface

A brief overview

In today’s modern world the internet provides plenty of online gambling sites to the betting community. Those who gamble online with real money may more often suffer a gambling addiction than people who visit a brick-and-mortar casino. Online gambling is said to be more dangerous than casino gaming and is associated with higher risks of gambling addiction. While problem gamblers may be shy to visit a casino every day, online gambling sites are another matter. Problem gamblers may access an online casino each day from their smartphones, which may lead to an addiction.

Why the laws on internet gambling need to change

There are many gambling sites that are high-risk. Not all online portals are well regulated, some may use spying software and steal the personal information of their clients. Players need to beware that internet gambling websites often have their rights reserved in offshore jurisdictions. In the UK the laws regarding web casino gambling are badly outdated, leaving many online gamblers at the mercy of an online casino. The online games provider will try their best to incentivize people to wager as much real money as possible. Thus fuelling in them a gambling addiction.

Why is online gambling more dangerous than high street gambling?

A brief look at the main reasons.

Overall internet casinos are more likely to lead to addiction and problem gambling. Below is a list of reasons why:

• Ease of access leads to more play-time and higher gamble stakes.
• Poor regulation can result in credit card theft and misplaced odds
• The addictive properties of games are higher due to the ease of access compared to visiting a physical casino
• Gamblers may lose more money. Many who make a deposit with credit cards on the internet forget to keep track of their funds.
• Free betting games are offered to almost every gambler. Odds on the free games are often turned in favor of the player. This makes online gamblers think that they can win real money.
• Odds in real cash games can get tilted too much in favor of web casinos, placing a gambler at higher-than-normal risk.
• Placing bets from home can be more addictive than in a physical casino.
• Internet gambling sites can use bots in online poker, thus cheating players in the game.
• Many feel that it is far easier going to a site and placing a bet than visiting physical casinos.

Ease of access of an online casino

Gambling is more dangerous online partially due to how easy it is to access the webpage. Casinos usually have ID checks to ensure that players have reached the legal age to gamble. Further, the establishments often make sure that players are sober and no one entering is intoxicated. These establishments are much better regulated and they like to have a good reputation.

Online gambling is often seen as more dangerous than casino gambling due to how easy it is to access the site. Those who gamble online at casinos often forget to make sure that they do not spend all their time on the online portal. Accessing a gambling site from a smartphone is extremely easy, players can forget how much time they have spent placing bets. Further, by using digital money instead it becomes harder to stop gambling and keep track of losses.

Greater chance of becoming addicted

People who play online have a higher chance of developing an addiction. These players can sometimes exhibit signs of problem gambling by trying to get even with online casinos by staking higher bets. Further, they are less likely to seek professional help or read the information on the proper use of the gaming portal. Online casinos will usually shower a gambler with notifications and other details, enticing them to play more.

Online casino webpages are likely to use psychological methods to make players spend as much time as possible on their portals. This increases the chance of people who play online developing a gaming problem. Combined with the ease of access, which increases the hours spent on the webpage, online gambling is far more dangerous than visiting a real casino. It is far harder to stop playing when any place in the world, including the player’s home, can be turned into a casino in a single click.

Is online gambling dangerous?

Why online gambling webpages are proliferating

It does not cost too much money to start up an online betting establishment. At a price tag of just under 2$ million, it is at the minimum 20 times cheaper than opening a land casino. People can play at any time, from any place, without going to a specified venue. Many who like gambling need to know that it is becoming easier to find a gaming webpage. It is also far cheaper to operate online casinos, with little staff required and lower taxes. Thus online gambling webpages are becoming more and more common.

Tricking those who bet online

Many start their gambling on the web with some free activities, such as slots. Online gambling services will tilt the game probabilities in favor of the player when betting with virtual money. This way a web casino will make the person feel like they can win. Once a bet is placed with real money, web casinos will switch the probabilities in the house’s favor immediately. Thus novice punters will be quick to lose the cash.

Getting an account set up on a shady website

One problem with online gambling is that casinos can sometimes have poor regulatory oversight. Many are located offshore and some can have a shady reputation. What makes this dangerous is giving away sensitive personal information. Such as credit card or bank account details. The shady portal will then take this information and could potentially share it with malicious parties.

Further, it is important to know that when one has large winnings, it may take time to withdraw them into the client’s bank account. There have been cases of fraud committed by online gambling services. Such as stealing the player’s winnings or even their initial deposit. What makes online gambling dangerous is that there is little a client can do in such an instance. Therefore it is important to visit a safe online casino.

What Makes Gambling Addictive

Why is online gambling so addictive?

The addictive properties of wagering cash

Online gambling can lead to a bettor developing a powerful psychological addiction to the offered activities. Players can feel euphoric upon winning, and this causes dependency. Here a user can become addicted to the feeling and want to play again and again. Once they are hooked, an online casino will send them emails, notifications, and other absurdities enticing the bettor to visit the gambling webpage again. Generally, gaming addiction has been described by specialists as similar to a substance or alcohol dependency.

Having the gambling webpage at the fingertips

Previously it took a while to find a casino. People had to drive to the venue and get checked and verified by the establishment. Online gambling can be accessed directly from a computer. Or from a smartphone or a tablet. A great variety of providers offer mobile gambling to their clients. If one wants to wager money, they can easily do it from their mobile device while on the train or at a pub. This both increases the demand for gambling and lowers the threshold for wagering money.

If a fan is watching a football match, they can place a bet immediately from their phone. Previously this required a visit to a bookmaker. Online gambling is thus said to have greater habit-forming properties. Similar to cigarettes as opposed to cigars and smoking a pipe.

Why is gambling dangerous

Why Is Smoking So Addictive

Problem gambling

This is a case of psychological dependency where a bettor will feel depressed when they are not gaming. Here a player will always try to get even with the house and chase their losses. Further, an addict will not be able to restrain themself and make higher and higher wagers. A Gambling Disorder is recognized by the psychiatric profession and patients are offered professional help to assist them in relieving their symptoms. These may include:

• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Problematic gambling behavior
• Lying to hide losses
• Going into debt
• Losing a job or family

The mathematics are against the punter

When one tries to become even with the house, they tend to forget that the odds on every activity offered, ranging from roulette to slots, are stacked against them. In order to make a profit, casinos require people to lose money. Jackpots and winnings are paid out from other’s losses. Usually, a house edge can be between 1-2%, but sometimes it can go up to 20%. Particularly on the web. Thus the expected value of every bet is negative and players will always lose money in the long run. The same logic applied to bookmakers and other gambling providers.

Concluding remarks

The gambling industry has adjusted well to the modern age of digital technology. There are plenty of services and platforms offered on the web that provide the services previously only accessible at the brick-and-mortar establishments. While some may have a mediocre reputation, picking a safe webpage to visit is important. Even though wagering funds on the web is said to be more habit-forming than doing it at a land establishment, the industry has only grown in size. Those that need help to stop gambling should talk to their friends and family or visit a health professional.

Why Is Crack So Addictive

Kidal D. is author at LeraBlog. The author's views are entirely their own and may not reflect the views and opinions of LeraBlog staff.