Gam­bling ad­dic­tion (com­pul­sive gam­bling)

The symptoms of a gambling addiction are often similar to signs of other addictions.

The gambler…

• cannot stop anymore
• feels the need to gamble “just one more time”
• feels anxious when he/she  thinks about quitting
• becomes secretive over money
• lies to family and friends about his/her gambling habits
• gambles when he/she cannot afford to
• becomes increasingly desperate for money to fund the gambling

There are lots of reasons that may contribute to a gambling addiction, e.g. money problems, the desire to experience thrills, the entertaining atmosphere of the gambling scene, etc. Quite a few gamblers suffer from substance abuse problems, such as alcohol, depression, personality disorders, or ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Some people might be more at risk than others, e.g. people with addiction problems in the family, workaholics, people that are easily bored or highly competitive.

Once the addiction takes hold, it’s difficult for the gamblers to break the vicious circle: After they, for example, have lost lots of money, they desperately want to win back their losses. When they finally win, they often go on gambling to win more because the sum is rarely enough to cover what have already lost. Most affected people never even come close to breaking even.

Excessive gambling frequently causes a variety of emotional symptoms, e.g. depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and, in the worst case, suicide because losing everything (including family and friends) to gambling leaves many people without hope. Anxiety and depression sometimes result in sleep deprivation with  pale skin, acne, dark circles under the eyes, weight loss or weight gain.

Gambling addiction often leads to other addictions, such as alcohol and drugs that are supposed to alleviate the anxiety brought on by gambling. Even if a gambler never loses all his money during gambling, he/she might struggle with other addictions for the rest of the life. It‘s not seldom that relationships and families are destroyed due to gambling.

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