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Gambling Addiction Can Destroy All Aspects Of Your Life
Gambling Addiction Destroys Lives
Gambling addiction is a great destroyer of lives. This addiction can destroy all aspects of you life if you do not get help. When this addiction spirals out of control it can take everything from you that you hold sacred and important.
The biggest problem with gambling addiction is the fact that gambling as available everywhere and is seen as a very socially acceptable behavior. Gambling has been glamorized, and unfortunately many people have casinos within a half hour drive from there home as well as the availability of online gambling.
College kids have been very vulnerable to gambling addiction as online gambling and campus poker games have become a more common part of campus life. Many college students struggle with a gambling problem, and this has not been addressed by campus professionals like it should be.
So how can gambling addiction destroy all aspects of your life? Well for one, gambling can effect you socially, emotionally, occupationally, spiritually, mentally, physically, and financially.
1.Gambling can cause social isolation and loss of friends and family.
2.Gambling addiction can cause one to neglect his or her physical health through lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and poor eating.
3. Gambling addiction can cause severe depression, anxiet, and suicidal ideation.
4.Loss of job is not uncommon for a gambler because of missed work time and poor work performance.
5. Gambling can cause spiritually emptiness and a lack of connection to the world of the gambler.
6. Gambling addiction can cause tremendous financial losses that can sometimes be irreversable.
The dream world of a person with a gambling addiction is not real and is just a fallacy. Addictive gambling is not glitz, glamour, and images of happy people winning at the casino.
Gambling addiction is a great destroyer of lives, and many have committed suicide, gone to jail, and lost everything because of gambling.
If you have a gambling addiction you can stop gambling
now.
Life is better when you stop gambling.
Michelle Tee
Gambling Help Is Available When You Want To Stop Gambling
Stop Gambling
If you have a gambling addiction and you life is spiraling out of control, you are not alone. Things can get really bad for those who have a gambling problem as it can effect life in many ways.
When you stop gambling, life does get a lot better. If you are in the grips of a gambling addiction you may be financially devastated. It is easy for this to happen, because it is so easy to lose a lot of money very fast when you are gambling.
Slot machine gambling can be one of the worst, because the rate of bets per hour is in the hundreds.Think about the amount of money that can be lost. It is easy to lose a grand or two in one night, even on the penny slot machines.
There is help available for a gambling addiction. It is only possible, however, to stop gambling ,however if you want to.
G.A Meetings, also known as Gamblers Anonymous meetings are a great option if you like self-help groups. In addition, there are many counselors who specialize in gambling addiction or other forms of addiction.
There are also some excellent gambling help books and courses that can be downloaded digitally that can also provide gambling help for a gambling addiction as well.
Whatever you do, however, you must not give up trying to stop gambling. If you have a gambling addiction, things can get pretty bad in all areas of your life when you do not get help.
This addiction has the highest suicide rate of all addictions and the rates continue to go up with the proliferation of gambling throughout the world, as well as the availability of online gambling.
This addiction spares nobody and leaves a trail of victims whose lives have been truly devastated. Do not give up on yourself and your life and get help for your gambling problem now.
Life truly gets better when you stop gambling.
Michelle Tee
Alchohol Use For Those With A Gambling Addiction
When an individual has a gambling addiction and drinks alcohol as well, this can be a huge problem. This is especially true when a person with a gambling addiction is drinking while actively gambling.
Why do you think the gambling casinos in many parts of the country give out free alcoholic beverages. Do you think they are doing it just to be generous? I do not think so. The owners of these casinos know what they are doing as they are in business to make money..not give away free alcohol.
If you are actively drinking and getting a buzz off of alcohol, you will be more likely to spend more money as you are feeling good from your initial drinking behavior. The more you drink, the more money you may spend. The casino owners know this quite well and take full advantage of this.
For a recreational gambler with a budget, having a couple of drinks at the casino on a Saturday night is no big deal. However, for the individual with the gambling problem, this combination can be very costly (no pun intended).
Because alcohol is a depressant and can significantly impair judgement, alcohol is no friend to the compulsive gambler. An individual with a gambling problem can lose thousands of dollars while sitting in front of a slot machine, high on both gambling and alcohol.
If you have even the slightest signs of a gambling addiction, it is not a wise idea to drink alcohol while you are at the casino. You will truly gamble away a lot more money than you expected, just because of the effects of the alcohol on your judgement.
Be smart, and if you do make a decision to gamble, keep your alcohol to a minimum. If you do believe that you have a gambling problem, get help for yourself as soon as possible.
You should not be in or near a casino whatsoever if you have a gambling addiction. Gambling addiction can harm your life significantly if not treated.
Michelle Tee
Help With Your Gambling Addiction Problem
111 Tips To Help Beat Your Gambling Addiction and Reclaim Your Life
Families of Those With A Gambling Addiction
When a family member has a gambling addiction it can effect the entire family unit negatively. The family member with the gambling problem creates tremendous tension within the family unit that can effect all members of the family in a variety of ways.
Children of those with a gambling addiction tend to suffer the most. In severe cases, children of those with a gambling problem are brought to the casino and are waiting on the sidelines for hours while their parents are in the casino gambling. In more extreme cases, many children are left in the car while their parents are in the casino throwing out all of their hard-earned money.
Studies have also shown that the family member with the gambling problem can also become extremely verbally, physically, and emotionally abusive due to the stress of the addiction. This can be devastating to young children and adolescents as they are trying to succeed academically and socially.
The financial ramifications for families can also be devastating as well. Money that is supposed to be used for food, gas, shelter, medical bills, and other necessities becomes unavailable as it is squandered away by the gamblers. Debt piles up very fast, and the financial future of the family becomes severely threatened.
Many families who file for bankruptcy have been the result of having a compulsive gambler in the household gambling away all of their savings and credit. It is a tragic state of affairs that leads to homelessness, despair, and worse of all suicide.
If you have a loved one who is in the grip of this horrible addiction, intervention is imperative. The first thing you can do is reach out for help. I put some resources below that can help you get started so you can help your family get on the road to recovery.
Gam-Anon: http://www.gam-anon.org
1-877-727-5050
Gamblers Anonymous: http://www.gamblersanonymous.org
1-877-727-5050
National Council on Compulsive Gambling: http://www.ncpgambling.org
1-800-422-5700
Some Causes Of A Gambling Addiction
What are some of the causes of a gambling addiction? As a former gambler and mental health counselor, I have done a lot of research on why people develop a gambling problem. What I have found is that there is more than one cause of gambling addiction and that although it is important to know the cause, the solution is much more important.
Here are some of the many causes of gambling addiction:
- Gambling is exciting while the gambler is in action. The adrenaline high feels good, and it is quite easy to become addicted to these “feel good” chemicals in our brain.
- Gambling compulsively may fill a void for many people with a gambling problem. This void could be in many areas of one’s life. Poor social life, loneliness, job dissatisfaction, empty-nest syndrome, boredom, and lack of purpose can all contribute to a gambling addiction.
- A big win at the casino is the worst possible event for anyone with a propensity for addiction. The adrenaline high of a huge jackpot can fuel future addiction like jet fuel in a plane. Most, if not all people give back the winnings from their jackpot, plus much more money as well.
- Escape from emotional pain and psychological distress can also fuel a gambling addiction. This is especially true for “escape gamblers” who mostly play slot machines, lottery, or partake in online internet gambling.
- For “action gamblers”, the craving for action and feeling very important to others can fuel a gambling addiction. Action gamblers are mostly male and are usually sports betters, poker players, and racetrack gamblers.
- The thrill of “easy money” can fuel a gambling addiction, especially if the gambling addict has a long string of wins at the beginning of his or her gambling career.
- People with anxiety and/or depression have show a strong propensity for gambling addiction as well as other addictions.
- People with first degree relatives with a gambling addiction have a stronger propensity to develop this addiction themselves.
These are just some of the general causes of a gambling addiction problem, however, there are many more as well. In addition, each unique individual will have different reasons for having a problem with gambling, and no two situations are the same.
The most important thing, however, is that once some of the causes of a gambling problem are established, that the individual seeks immediate help for his or her problem.
The solutions, which include abstinence from gambling, professional help, and support groups, self-care, and lifestyle changes are most important in reclaiming ones’ life from a gambling addiction.
Michelle Tee
Avoid Substitute Addictions While Recovering From Your Gambling Addiction
When you have a gambling addiction, or any other addiction for that matter, it becomes very easy to substitute addictions. As a matter of fact, substitute addictions are very common, and can occur when you least expect it.
When you have a gambling addiction and you begin to abstain, an abundance of emotions start to come up. This is totally normal, however, it can be quite painful as well.
While you are actively engaging in addictive behavior, you tend to numb out your feelings. If you have a gambling problem, your attention is most likely on your addiction and not on any troubling emotional feelings you may have.
If you are active in your gambling addiction, you are most likely preoccupied with the high of gambling, your next gambling excursion, or how to obtain funds to finance your gambling.
While you are abstaining from your problem, however, your true emotions and thoughts begin to come through. These buried thoughts and feelings are the feelings that you have been hiding through your addictive behavior.
If you do not have a strong support system such as a counselor or therapist or a good support group, it becomes very easy to become overwhelmed with these buried emotions.
Once anxiety or that old friend depression start to surface, it becomes very easy to substitute addictions. Turning to food, drugs, alcohol, shopping, or sex can happen in an instant and it can truly stop the recovery process from happening.
It is best to be aware of the occurrence of substitute addictions when you stop gambling. Awareness can help you prevent a substitute addiction in its’ tracks.
Here are some tips to help you before you turn to a substitute addiction:
- Talk to your counselor or support group about your feelings so that you do not keep everything bottled up inside.
- Read self –help literature as much as you can. It will help put you in a more positive mindset.
- Do not isolate yourself. Make sure you keep busy. Loneliness is fuel for the addictive fire.
- Make sure you eat properly and exercise daily. It is hard to be healthy and behave addictively at the same time!
- Get a good night sleep every night as this will keep you thinking clearly and feeling good both physically and mentally.
Michelle Tee
Coping With Urges When You Have A Gambling Addiction
When an individual with a gambling addiction has urges, immediate action must be taken. A gambling urge is very powerful and an individual can give into this urge very impulsively.
If an individual gives into an urge without making an intervention, a vicious slide back into the addiction can happen in an instant. This can create a downward spiral of financial losses as well as severe demoralization.
Here are some tips to help cope with urges to return to gambling:
- Call your therapist or someone in your support group immediately. Do not waste any time taking this step!
- Go online and visit one of the gambling forums in MSN or Yahoo groups and read some stories about people’s gambling addiction. Reading about their stories may help the gambling urge pass, since it will give you a reminder of just how destructive your gambling addiction really is.
- Get to the closes Gamblers Anonymous or even an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting as soon as possible. You need as much support as you can get.
- Call an old friend just to say hi.
- Visit a bookstore and treat yourself to a good cup of fancy coffee.
- Treat yourself to a massage.
- Take a long walk outside or in the park.
- Rent a good movie or watch a good comedy show on television.
- Treat yourself to a good meal. Indulge yourself a little…your are worth it!
It is hoped that some of these tips were helpful to either yourself or to a family member or friend with a gambling problem.
Remember that we are all looking to receive pleasure and avoid pain. A person with a gambling addiction needs to replace his or her gambling activity with a pleasurable activity that is slightly indulgent… but non-destructive.
Michelle Tee
Self Care While In Recovery From Your Gambling Problem
If you are struggling with a gambling addiction problem and you are trying to recover, it is important that you practice self-care.
When you were in the midst of your addiction you were most likely not taking care of yourself very well. It is important that while you are in recovery that you take care of yourself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, physically, and socially.
You most likely neglected all of these areas in your life while you were active in your addiction, and it is important that you tend to each area of your life that suffered while you were gambling. You are also making a conscious effort not to be self-destructive.
The most important thing that you could do when you make the choice to stop engaging in compulsive gambling is to make a list in order of priority. For example, you may need to make an appointment to see a therapist as part of your self-care plan. In addition, you may need to visit a doctor or dentist as well.
After you make a list, tackle this list slowly so you do not overwhelm yourself. Once you start your recovery from your gambling addiction you may be very tired, vulnerable, depressed, and anxious. Do not try to tackle too much at once, as this can set you up for a gambling relapse.
I do believe that once you start addressing these needs one by one, you will start to feel much better about yourself. When you actively suffer from a gambling addiction problem, your self esteem is most likely extremely low. It is hard to feel good about oneself while throwing away time, money, and positive relationships.
When we are self-destructive to our body and minds, there is no way that we can possibly feel good about ourselves.
As you begin to practice self-care in all areas of your life you will be less likely to engage in your gambling addiction behavior. It is truly impossible to practice self-care and self-destruction at the same time.
Best of luck in your recovery from your gambling addiction.
Michelle Tee
Gambling Addiction As A Self-Destructive Act
Is gambling addiction self-destructive? You probably know the answer to that question. Gambling addiction is just about as self-destructive as you are ever going to get. Gambling addiction destroys us emotionally, financially, psychologically, spiritually, and of course financially. This is just about as self-destructive as you are going to get.
It has been said by experts in the field that gambling addiction is a form of self-punishment. These experts have stated that gambling addicts gamble to lose, and that this is a true form of self-harm.
It is up to you whether you believe what these experts say about gambling addiction as form of masochism. It becomes very psychogical and a lot has to do with the unconscious mind. Self –destruction is a hard concept to understand on a truly conscious level.
I also believe that many gambling addicts do not believe that they are being self-destructive. They may believe that they are gambling addictively as a form of stress release after a hard week of work.
I do think, however, that once a gambler crosses the line into a gambling problem or compulsive or addictive gambling, that gambling losses can become a form of self-punishment.
It is my belief that during a period of losing throughout one specific gambling episode, that the gambler may spend irresponsibly and self-destructively. A person with a gambling addiction has very low self-esteem, and pumping more money into a slot machine after losing several hundreds of dollars already could be a form of self-punishment.
As stated earlier, gambling addiction is a destructive, toxic, life-destroying problem that will rob the gambler of everything valuable in his or or life.
If you or a loved one suffers from gambling addiction, there is help available in your local area, depending on your country of origin.
You can visit my website for more resources as well.
Michelle Tee
Gambling Addiction: Help and Treatment For Gambling Problem
These Are Some Signs Of A Gambling Addiction
There are many signs of a gambling addiction that are important to know. If you or a loved on suffers from a gambling addiction or problem, knowing the signs of a gambling addiction will help lead you to an intervention. Although gambling addiction is not as easy to identify as drug or alcohol problem, there are very visible signs that you will be able to recognize.
- Lack of interest in activities that have nothing to do with gambling. The individual becomes totally preoccupied with gambling.
- Mood changes that are quite frequent and for no apparent reason. The lability of mood will become worse as the addiction progresses.
- Missing work or school as a result of gambling.
- Lack of self care and unconcerned about appearance. Usually there is an obvious change in appearance.
- Money problems, and asking to borrow money. There is also an excessive preoccupation with money.
- Stealing money as the severity of the addiction increases.
- Unexplained whereabouts for long periods of time, and potentially lying to family an friend regarding this.
- Social isolation by the person who suffers from the gambling addiction.
- Bizarre changes in spending habits so as to have more money for gambling.
These are only some signs of a gambling addiction by an individual suffering from a gambling problem. It is very important for an intervention to take place so the individual with the gambling addiction gets help as soon as possible.
Gambling addiction is progressive and it can truly destroy individual lives and families as well.
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