Managing Gambling Addiction The Right Way
Online Gambling has truly transformed itself into a giant business. This is why companies leading the revolution have decided to go all out in promoting online gambling and making it more accessible.
This drive has furthered the overall growth of the industry and made online gambling more accessible. As a result, it has become easier for people to engage in it. However, this has also created a complex web of gambling addiction.
Online gambling has increased the overall number of people who develop a gambling addiction. The problem has been so catastrophic that a leading platform like the RollXO Casino has introduced real checks to keep people from slipping into the nothingness of addiction.
Today, we will be shifting our focus and looking at some of the most effective means of handling gambling addiction as a whole. But first, we need to understand what gambling addiction is.
Gambling Addiction 101
According to the Cleveland Clinic, gambling disorder affects around 2% to 4% of the US population. Out of which, a significant portion contains young adults. The alarming thing about the figure is that only a fraction of people with the disorder get diagnosed effectively. As a result, the figure might be widely off the mark.
The question is, what is gambling addiction? Just because a person likes gambling and engages in the activity from time to time, it does not mean that they are suffering from gambling addiction. However, if their affinity gets translated into a detrimental behavior, then it is safe to say that the person in question is suffering from gambling addiction.
The most dangerous part about silent gambling addiction is that it creeps up on you stealthily. Therefore, in most cases, the problem is identified too late. However, we hope that this article could help you with that and make you capable of handling it before it gets too big.
Handling Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction does not discriminate. It can affect anybody. You can be a teen, an adult, or a senior individual, but still suffer from gambling addiction. However, online gambling addiction mostly affects young adults or late teens.
The cause could be the allure of easy money. It could also be about wanting to escape a troubled living situation. Either way, something brings them to the door of online gambling, and before they realise the hooks of gambling addiction get in deep.
Before they could realise what was going on, they usually find themselves struggling with debt and other personal problems due to financial constraints left by sustained online gambling. However, things could have turned out differently if they had approached the situation with a little more clarity and maturity.
Here are some of the ways in which online gambling could be dealt with before it becomes detrimental:
Understanding The Problem
One of the first things that you must do to help a person handle gambling addiction is understand the signs. Signs of Gambling addiction might be difficult to identify, but they are there. You only need to spot them. American Psychiatry has identified some of the prominent signs of gambling, which include:
- Subjects reported feeling a thrill or a rush while gambling.
- Taking reckless risks to feel the rush.
- Craving for gambling intensified.
- Harking back to a gambling memory to feel comfort.
- Feeling guilty about gambling but not being able to stop.
- Incessant need for financial support.
These are some of the most prominent symptoms of gambling addiction that people might show. However, some people might project wildly different symptoms. Therefore, keeping a general eye out is necessary.
Pinpointing Triggers
Like every other addiction, Gambling addiction also works on triggers. A trigger is like a switch; when flipped, the subject might feel a strong urge or compulsion to gamble. This reaction or sentiment is a prominent factor in an addiction.
Pointing triggers is an easy and useful way of handling a situation, as it can help a person bypass that feeling. Now, identifying triggers can be a challenging task, as there is no set pattern to determine what qualifies as a trigger. For some, a trigger can be a situation, but for others, it could be stress. Either way, identifying triggers is crucial.
Identifying triggers is not easy, but can be achieved using a technique called journalism. Document your daily observations about your habit and triggers. This will allow you tp understand your situation better and help you handle it.
Identifying Thoughts & Feelings
The withdrawal effect of gambling is a serious phenomenon. Generally, when such episodes happen, it feels like a never-ending phenomenon. Subjects have stated that the only way to counter such an incident is by giving in. Therefore, such cravings can be managed or controlled with the help of three things:
- Thoughts: Keep yourself preoccupied or dump yourself with so much work that there is no time for you to daydream. The more you sit idly, the worse withdrawal gets. Therefore, stay busy.
- Feelings: Too many feelings of boredom can also trigger a person’s gambling addiction. Therefore, try not to think about the boredom. Otherwise, you will end up overthinking and land in trouble.
- Coping Techniques: A subject should learn and cultivate healthy coping techniques, such as reading, cycling, motorcycling, etc. This can allow for a better outlet compared to incessant gambling.
Avoiding High-risk Situations
One of the major parts of gambling addiction is the thrill and sense of adventure. The thrill of winning a substantial paycheck is something that cannot be put into words. However, the problem becomes real when a person seeks this thrill daily.
Many people have agreed that they started gambling to experience thrilling wins. However, things become problematic when you are staking everything you own to win a single round of video slot games. Then the problem becomes real and needs to be addressed ASAP.
Finding The Right Help
Like any ther addiction, help for gambling is also available. However, people do not acknowledge that they have a problem or see it as an addiction. As a result, there is a general lack of information. These include counselling, treatment, and restraint. However, no addiction can be countered unless the person is willing. Therefore, keep this in mind.