What Are the Warning Signs That You Need Help with Gambling Addiction?

Categories: Blog |
Published by: Jack Burns

09/03/2023

It is really fun to play poker with friends from time to time, join the lottery occasionally or get scratch cards for your anniversary or birthday. However, a big difference exists between cashing out a paycheck at a casino and buying lottery tickets occasionally or playing poker with friends once in a while.

If your betting behavior is not controlled, it can result in compulsive gambling. This, in turn, leads to homelessness, theft, fraud, domestic abuse, bankruptcy, and depression.

These impacts can also be detrimental to your loved ones. That is why it is advisable to get treatment for your gambling disorder right away if you start noticing either of the following warning signs:

1. You Continue Betting Despite the Consequences

Regardless of mounting legal consequences or financial woes, you can’t stop the urge to continue to gamble. You might still believe that betting will solve your financial issues, and continue gambling, believing that a huge winning is just around the corner.

Unfortunately, it takes more than a great loss for an individual to stop betting. That is because, as a gambler, you will get a high from betting, irrespective of whether you lose or win.

Gambling Starts Affecting Your Emotions

Although gambling is an exhilarating experience, as an addict, you may experience a mix of feelings, signaling a serious problem. Some of these emotions may include:

The urge to celebrate unrelated events by betting
Decrease in ambitions
Remorse feelings
Irritation or frustration when you tried to stop and failed

3. Your Keep on Lying about Your Betting Behaviors

Lying so you can hide your addiction and betting behaviors is a major warning sign. The compulsion and obsession with betting are so strong that an individual can go the extra mile to place another bet. This is normally accompanied by lying so you can cover up where you are, what happened to the money, and what you’re doing.

If you are a pathological gambler, you may even lie to yourself. When you behave in a manner, which isn’t consistent with your beliefs or values, it creates psychological discomfort. However, gambling addicts are not fundamentally liars. Lying, which accompanies gambling addictions, is part of the pathological behaviors of that problem.

4. You Bet to Improve Happiness

If betting becomes a necessary element of elevated mood or happiness, there is a high chance that the habit is to blame. However, this is often an overlooked sign of compulsive gambling. So if you realize that you gamble to mask problems, improve your emotions, or feel happy, then you better get help.

5. You are Always Preoccupied with Thoughts about Betting

If you think about betting continuously, this could be a warning sign that the relationship with the behavior is not healthy.

Thinking of betting occasionally is one thing. However, when it begins clouding your vision and taking up your brain space as well as your thinking power, it means you need help with your betting problem.

Concluding Remarks!

Stopping gambling behavior is not easy. But it can be achieved with the help of a treatment program and support group. Supportive family and friends won’t be enough for your journey to recovery. You will also need the help of experts to ensure you achieve your goal.

Want to read more of our latest posts? Check out our post with a few key tips you can learn from pro players to improve your poker.