Thousands of medically and scientifically recognised addictions exist among humans, whether physical or behavioural, such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco, pornography, etc. Gambling or betting is one of the most prominent addictions people mention in that group. But we cannot dismiss gambling/betting altogether as dangerous because we can see a lot of people around who healthily indulge in this pastime. 

However, this does not mean that there is no danger lurking in them. There are a few things that can make the pastime of gambling dangerous if not taken care of. That is the real villain of the scene. There is one thing that is most important and must be mentioned, while gambling, our reins should be in our hands. It should never be missed. If it is lost, everything will perish.

Many other things make gambling dangerous. Let’s see what they are.

Gambling Addiction: A true villain

If we know that there is harm in doing something in our lives, we will naturally avoid it and save our lives, right?

But even knowing that it is affecting our finances and family relationships badly, a situation where we cannot let go of that matter will be very terrible. That condition is called, Compulsive gambling or gambling disorder. Here you are willing to risk everything you value in the hopes of getting something of great value, even if it affects your entire life.

A chronic mental health condition that can affect many aspects of your life, it changes your brain chemistry like drugs and alcohol and has withdrawal and tolerance characteristics. If you lose control of your gambling behaviours and consequently exhibit problematic gambling behaviours, it is critical to speak with a healthcare provider or mental health professional as soon as possible. Although treating compulsive gambling can be a challenging task, talk therapy can be beneficial.

Major symptoms

Like all other addictions, the patient does not have to immediately recognize that he has a mental health condition. Now if they realize this or if others suggest it to them, their mind should not be ready to accept it. 

Let’s look at some of the signs and symptoms of compulsive gambling:

• Always occupied with gambling thoughts: 24*7 occupied with thoughts of constantly planning gambling activities and how to win more gambling money.
• For Thrill: They need to gamble by increasing their money to get some thrill. Nothing else can give them that thrill.
• Becomes out of control: They make a sincere effort to control, cut down, or stop gambling but are unable to.
• Feeling restless: Feeling nervous or restless while you are making a sincere effort to cut back on gambling.
• Gambling to escape problems or to relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression
• As a relief from other problems: Gambling is used as an escape from life’s problems, depression, guilt, and depression.
• Trying to make up for losses: Repeatedly trying to recover lost money through more gambling, which leads to more losses.
• Constant lying: Lie to everyone close to you to hide the extent of your gambling.
• Career and Relationships Badly Affected: Family relationships, friendships, work, or school or work opportunities keep leaving you.
• Getting into debt: Borrows and gambles when cash runs out and constantly asks others for money to bail out of the resulting financial crisis.

But if you’re a casual gambler who doesn’t have a compulsive gambling problem, you stop and go back when you lose. It also sets a limit on how much you are willing to lose each day before venturing into betting. But if you have a compulsive gambling problem, every time you lose, you play to get it back, and every time you win, you crave more. 

The main danger is that these problems, which are initially small in magnitude, become more devastating over time. We often read in the news that some people turn to theft or fraud when they don’t have enough money to gamble, and some take their own lives out of helplessness.

Conclusion

There are many different ways to gamble today compared to the past. Online gambling, sports betting, poker, lottery, slot machines, bingo, and the list goes on. With the advent of online and mobile gambling that allows people to gamble 24 hours a day, the dangers lurking as well as the conveniences have increased. 

Here’s one thing we need to be aware of, some people see gambling as just a leisure pastime and can gamble responsibly, which is never a problem. Accept the reality that like most addictions, too much of it can negatively affect our lives. So just play gambling safely with proper planning and enjoy your life.

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