Recovery Is Sexy.com

Image via Wikipedia

Compulsive gambling is being unable to resist impulses to gamble, which can lead to severe personal or social consequences.

Symptoms:

People with Compulsive gambling often feel ashamed and try to avoid letting others know of their problem. Compulsive gambling is assed as having five or more of the following symptoms:

• Committing crimes to get money to gamble
• Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut back or quit gambling
• Gambling to escape problems or feelings of sadness or anxiety
• Gambling larger amounts of money to try to make back previous losses
• Having had many unsuccessful attempts to cut back or quit gambling
• Losing a job, relationship, or educational or career opportunity due to gambling
• Lying about the amount of time or money spent gambling
• Needing to borrow money to get by due to gambling losses
• Needing to gamble larger amounts of money in order to feel excitement
• Spending a lot of time thinking about gambling, such as past experiences or ways to get more money with which to gamble

Treatment:

Treatment for people with compulsive gambling begins with a personal recognition of the problem. Compulsive gambling is often associated with denial. People with the illness often refuse to accept that they are ill or need treatment.

Most people with compulsive gambling enter treatment under pressure from others, rather than voluntarily accepting the need for treatment.

Treatment options include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be effective.

Self-help support groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous. Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Principles related to stopping the habit (abstinence) for other types of addiction, such as substance abuse and alcohol dependence, can also be helpful in the treatment of compulsive gambling.

Expectations (prognosis):

Like alcohol or drug addiction, compulsive gambling is a chronic disorder that tends to get worse without treatment. Even with treatment, it’s common to start gambling again (relapse). However, people with compulsive gambling can do very well with the right treatment.

Complications:

Complications may include:

• Alcohol and drug abuse problems
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Financial, social, and legal problems (including bankruptcy, divorce, job loss, time in prison)
• Heart attacks (from the stress and excitement of gambling)
• Suicide attempts

Getting the right treatment can help prevent many of these problems.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider or mental health professional if you believe you have symptoms of compulsive gambling.

Prevention:

Exposure to gambling may increase the risk of developing compulsive gambling. Limiting exposure may be helpful for people who are at risk.

Public exposure to gambling, however, continues to increase in the form of lotteries, electronic and Internet gambling, and casinos. Intervention at the earliest signs of compulsive gambling may prevent the disorder from getting worse.

Take this questionnaire; Gamblers Anonymous 20 Questions

Related articles

-

Related Reading: