Gambling becomes an addiction when it is something you or a loved one cannot control and when it begins to affect a person's financial, familial, social, recreational, educational, or occupational functioning. 1,2 Gambling addiction, much like some forms of substance addiction, is associated with a release of dopamine in the brain as much as. Gambling Addiction has a number of stages to describe how the disorder progresses, as well as how to begin the path to recovery. The onset of problem gambling varies from person to person, and depends largely on the person's experience when they gamble. It can be important to understand the type of game you play, how it affects you, and why. 'Gambling Addiction: How Is Gambling Bad for You?' August 19, 2015. Medical News Today. Accessed April 12, 2017. An article about gambling addiction, its triggers, and treatment for it. 'Effective Addiction Treatment.' February 4, 2013. New York Times: Well Blog. Accessed April 12, 2017. Gambling addiction has the potential to cause irreparable damage if ignored. Here are the 5 stages of gambling addiction.
Odds and ends: A personal history of gambling addiction and recovery (Part 1 of 3)
By William 'Ted' HartwellSometimes after I've given a lecture or presentation, or during a community outreach event, someone will ask me how I became interested in the topic of gambling addiction. Or, if I've shared part of my own story of gambling addiction and recovery, how I came to be comfortable sharing it with others.
How does gambling addiction start? Can you recover and eventually help others who struggle too? Continue reading here for more on how anyone can get addicted to gambling. Then, we invite you to post your questions, comments, or experiences in the comments section at the end of the page. We try to reply personally and promptly to all comments.
How does gambling addiction start?
Those who eventually develop a gambling addiction are much more likely to have gambled during childhood (like me), even though the addiction may not manifest until decades later. Other risk factors may include:
- a family history of addiction
- trauma
- regular exposure to gambling activities
Sometimes people who develop a gambling addiction report that they were hooked from their very first experience. However, it is much more common for the addiction to be preceded by an extended period of controlled gambling-that is, gambling simply for the sake of entertainment, with none of the accompanying significant negative consequences that occur once the behavior becomes an addiction.
Part 1: When Gambling Was Fun, or How do you get addicted to gambling?
Gambling addiction was not something that happened overnight for me. My addiction is something that took several decades to grow, fester, mature into the monster that threatened to consume me at the end, bringing me finally to a state of pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization from which I could see no escape.
I consider myself very fortunate to have found several avenues of help for my illness before I could do grave harm to myself and others important to me in my life. As it was, the damage done was still significant, both financially and in terms of its effect on my relationships with family and friends. However, the process of recovery has resulted in new ways of thinking and living for me which have led to a much richer and fulfilling life than I ever could have imagined.
My early gambling years
I've been gambling since at least the age of 10, if not younger. My earliest recollection of gambling involved traveling with my family from Lubbock, TX to Ruidoso, NM to camp in the mountains at night, and attending the Ruidoso Downs racetrack during the day. While camping in the mountains was great fun, I would later come to believe that we were camping mainly so that my father could use the money saved as a result of not booking a hotel room for bets on the races.
My father gave each of the kids in the family $20 for the day to bet on the horses. While he was the one actually placing the bets at the window, we were actively involved in learning how to read the history of the horses' previous races, and ultimately, choosing the horses we wanted my father to bet our money on.
Gateway gambling: From horse racing to high stakes poker
By the time I was in my teens, my father had taught me how to play poker, and I was occasionally allowed to play in a game when my father would host one for his friends at our house. By the age of 16, I was a regular participant in a weekly poker game that included my father and several others from the university at which he taught, as well as some of their friends.
While this game involved fairly low stakes (nickel-dime-quarter), it provided the gateway for me to 'graduate' by the age of 20 to a much higher stakes poker game in college involving some of the same players, where single hands could potentially generate pots containing hundreds of dollars.
Control over gambling
Today, I recollect with some amazement that I won enough money playing in that game using stakes generated from a 15-20 hour/wk job working at Pizza Hut to move out of the house and pay for my own apartment and necessities while attending Texas Tech University. I believed that I was a pretty good poker player, but looking back with the benefit of hindsight I realize that there was at least one, and possibly two men in that game who were disordered gamblers. They would quite frequently stay in most hands until the very last card was dealt…I thought they were simply bad poker players, and was happy to regularly take their money, as were most of the other regular players in the game.
At this stage of my gambling 'career' I still had control over my gambling behavior. I religiously kept to self-imposed limits on the amounts I would spend for gambling, using only money I could afford to lose, and never any more, even if I happened to lose my stake on the very first hand of the night. For me, gambling existed firmly in the realm of entertainment, and it didn't hurt (then) that I would more often win than lose, sometimes substantial amounts that would represent several times the monthly earnings of what I was making at my Pizza Hut job.
Upon receiving my undergraduate degree, I elected to stay at Texas Tech after being offered a graduate assistantship to remain. I began making substantially more money with my assistantship than I had at Pizza Hut, which allowed me to play in the high-stakes poker game more frequently-virtually every week.
Las Vegas: Delayed onset of full blown addiction
It was about this time that I had my first opportunity to vacation in Las Vegas with a friend. It was a special package offer from a casino known at the time as Stupak's Vegas World, which included very inexpensive hotel rooms, as well as multiple complimentary meals (or 'comps'), tokens that could be used in special slot machines, and 'free play' chips. These were special that could not be redeemed for cash themselves but which could be used to make bets at table games such as black jack and which would then be replaced by real chips if you won a bet while playing with them.
My recollection of those few days is that not only did we NOT win any money during the trip as a whole, neither of us had anything but the most minor of wins on individuals bettor slots play over the course of our entire stay. In retrospect, this experience probably delayed the onset of my gambling addiction, though it certainly didn't prevent it.
Gambling addiction and life choices
I graduated with an M.A. in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology in the summer of 1991. In the months leading up to my graduation I had been applying for various jobs around the U.S., and I briefly considered an offer from the Bishop Museum in Honolulu before deciding that I'd barely be able to eke out a living in Hawaii on the salary they were offering.
I had rejection letters from all but one of the other institutions that I had applied for, save one. I made a follow-up phone call to see if the job was still open. Indeed it was, and a few weeks later I was flown out for an interview and landed the job…a cause for great excitement for me, particularly because of where I would be based: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Please stay tuned for next month's: Part 2-Hitting it Big, Addiction, and Progressive Deterioration
Understanding gambling addiction and help
So, how can you recover from gambling addiction? Getting help for a gambling problem starts with the recognition that gambling is negatively impacting one or more areas of one's life.
I'm sharing my story with you, in hopes that it may help you or a loved one understand that you not alone in your struggles, and that there are many sources of help available to begin to recover from the illness of gambling addiction.
Here are some resources that can provide those suffering from a gambling addiction as well as their family members and friends with immediate assistance and/or more information on gambling addiction:
- 24-Hour Confidential National Helpline: 1-800-522-4700
- Gam-Anon (for family and friends)
Gambling addiction and recovery questions
Do you have any questions regarding gambling addiction and recovery options? Please leave them in the designated section below. We will try to respond promptly to all legitimate questions and provide a personal feedback. In case we don't know the answer to your inquiry, we will gladly refer you to someone who can help.
—–About the Author: William 'Ted' Hartwell is an Associate Research Scientist with the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education in Las Vegas, Nevada, and facilitates Community Engagement for the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. He also serves on the Nevada State Advisory Committee for Problem Gambling, and was the 2014 recipient of the Shannon L. Bybee Award. He is a disordered gambler in long-term recovery and advocates for public awareness and understanding of problem gambling.
Gambling addiction is quickly on the rise.
Four out of five people will admit to indulging in gambling over the last twelve months, and gambling addictions are touching all age groups in society, even teenagers.
Unfortunately, there are many reasons why people get addicted to gambling.
Most people who have a gambling problem have poor impulse control, which can lead to the destructive behaviors associated with gambling addiction, and others look for a distraction that gambling provides.
Knowing the most common gambling addiction causes can help you identify what causes the addiction, which can help with treatment.
Contents
1. Poor impulse control
Almost all gamblers who become addicted suffer from poor impulse control.
Impulse Control Disorder (ICD) is a specific type of mental illness in which people can't control their behavior.
People with these types of behavior problems also suffer from many abuse problems and mental disorders, such as alcohol and substance abuse, mood instability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Impulse control has only recently become classified as a mental disorder.
According to the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual DSM-5, impulse disorder has only become its own section of the manual in 2013.
2. Past trauma
According to a study from in the United Kingdom, male gambling addicts are more likely to have suffered past trauma.
Psychologists identify childhood trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse, as triggers in those who become addicted to gambling.
Researchers claim that addiction treatment needs to address these triggers need, or patients will be more than likely to relapse.
In those patients who are undergoing treatment for gambling addiction, those who have suffered childhood trauma will also experience trauma in their adult lives connected to their addiction, such as loss of personal relationships, loss of employment, and bankruptcy.
3. Desire for psychological escape
According to a study conducted in New Zealand, women use gambling as a coping mechanism related to a desire to escape.
While men tend to use gambling as a form of control connected to the desire to win, women approach gambling differently.
There are many reasons why women may feel this need, whether it is problems in their home life, relationships, or work.
Gambling provides a stimulus or experience to focus on, which can alleviate any psychological problems that she may be enduring, allowing them to experience a sense of detachment, which will enable women to be undisturbed by the time and money spent on their addictions.
4. Illusion of control
Many gamblers suffer from believing that they are in control of their situation.
Having an illusion of control is when someone believes they are in control of a situation that they usually can't control.
Gambling wins are purely based on chance, and gambling addicts believe that every time they gamble, they will win.
According to the scientific journal Frontiers of Psychology, this illusion of control is not just connected to gambling; it is a particular psychological condition that can spread to other areas of addicts' lives.
The study indicates that problem gamblers have a higher instance of the illusion of control compared to other people who just indulge in gambling recreationally.
5. Addiction to euphoric sensations
Now that gambling is taken seriously as a legitimate addiction, many factors can contribute to the development of gambling addiction.
According to the Scientific American, researchers state that people innately feel a rush, also known as a 'high,' a euphoric sensation when they first gamble.
All addicts feel this euphoria, regardless of what they are addicted to, caused by the release of dopamine, a hormone in the brain related to the feeling of happiness.
Over time, as the risky behavior continues, the body gets used to the amount of dopamine, and it makes it more difficult for the brain to create it, leading to people needing to engage in the behavior more frequently to get the same feeling, quickly leading to addiction.
6. Desire for excitement
Up to 90% of gambling addicts receive treatment for gambling from slot machines.
Psychologists and researchers have found that the characteristics of slot machines that make gambling fun are what makes gambling so addicting.
The bright lights, the payoff relating to payment and winnings, and the immediate gratification of slot machines tap into the desire for the excitement that we naturally feel.
The excitement is directly related to the exact nature of gambling: the investment made that can turn into a small or a large reward, and the inability to predict when winnings will happen.
7. Adrenaline release
The release of adrenaline in our brains when gambling is one of the most significant causes of gambling addiction.
Psychologists used to believe that the adrenaline release that we feel when we are gambling and winning was one of the causes of addiction.
If that's the case, then why do gamblers who are losing keep playing over and over again?
Recent research, according to a story by the BBC, claims that our brains still feel that adrenaline rush during gambling losses, which leads to more bets and higher stakes.
Psychologists believe that gambling provides the brain with the stimulation it needs to produce the adrenaline, as well as other endorphins, to which the body becomes addicted.
8. Genetic factors
Recent studies have found that there are genetic factors that can contribute to developing a gambling addiction.
Much like other substance addictions, faulty genes can be responsible for the production of dopamine and adrenaline in the body, which can explain why addiction tends to run in families.
According to the Journal of Gambling Studies, researchers have found a genetic abnormality in most addicts that affects the hormone production of the brain, which contributes to developing addictions like gambling to create the hormone levels that someone who doesn't have the disorder can achieve on their own.
9. Obsession with sports of gambling-related activities
According to a treatment center based in Los Angeles, the connection between sports and gambling is hard to ignore.
Over 40% of people in treatment for gambling addiction primarily bet on sports games. Casino cruise little river south carolina.
The behavior is a learned one, often coming from factors introduced from an early age, watching parents and loved ones bet on the outcome of sports games.
Research also suggests that sports-related gambling is a predominant characteristic in male gambling addicts, with very few women suffering from gambling addictions to sports games.
Gambling addicts become so emotionally invested in the outcome of the games that they are betting on that everything else in their lives seems not to matter as much as it did before.
10. Developing failure to resist games of chance
The true nature of gambling addiction is not being able to stop engaging in a specific activity that relates to taking chances, despite the negative consequences that the behavior may cause.
According to a treatment center in Tampa, Florida, the connection to gambling addiction and the need to indulge in games of chance is the primary reason people become addicted to gambling.
The act of making a wager, or playing a game, or any other method of gambling creates dopamine in the brain, which can give us the happy, satisfied feeling we get when we make a wager; our minds quickly become addicted to this feeling.
11. History of financial thievery
One of the many characteristics of someone with a gambling addiction is someone who has financial problems.
Gambling, and the need to win, makes financial problems seem less important.
However, those who have suffered money problems before, and who have resorted to criminal activities related to that, are more likely to become compulsive gamblers.
Studies have shown that many gambling addicts had stolen from friends or family, or neglected to pay their debts, long before they became addicted to gambling.
This history of financial thievery may contribute to the ability to become addicted to gambling.
12. Innate quality of impulsive lying
According to many gambling treatment centers, lying is a central characteristic of all gambling addicts.
They will lie to their friends, family, and employers about the state of their lives, their financial situations, and many other things in their lives to hide their addictions.
Many addicts live in denial, so one of the many lies they will tell their loved ones is that they don't have a problem.
Over time, the lies that gamblers will tell become so habitual that the addicted person often believes it.
Gambling Addiction Symptoms
Other lies, such as about financial resources or the ability to control their activities, are also common among gambling addicts.
13. Excessive defensiveness regarding personal activities
Also connected with impulsive lying about their addiction, many gambling addicts become incredibly defensive when confronted about their actions.
They will become hostile to questions about where they are spending their time, how they are spending their money, or when they were gambling.
Many addicts insist that they don't have a problem, and they will attack those who insist that they do.
This type of behavior can contribute to the loss of relationships and the loss of employment.
Many gambling addicts will do whatever they can to keep up with their behavior, and the isolation of themselves using these defensive tactics is very common.
14. History of antisocial behavior
Despite most gamblers engaging in public gambling, such as on sports games, at slot machines, or at gaming tables in the casino, many psychologists agree that gambling addicts usually have a history of antisocial behavior.
According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Antisocial Personality Disorder is a recognized psychological condition that often presents as people who engage in neglectful or harmful behavior without any regard to the consequences.
Gambling addicts often have a history of this behavior, which often leads to a progression in their addiction as they no longer care about who or what they are sacrificing, as long as they can keep gambling.
15. Inclination to take massive risks
Compulsive gamblers who suffer from an antisocial personality disorder, or have a history of antisocial behavior, are also inclined to continue their actions, despite the enormous risk involved.
Psychologists believe that gambling provides the brain with the stimulation it needs to produce the adrenaline, as well as other endorphins, to which the body becomes addicted.
8. Genetic factors
Recent studies have found that there are genetic factors that can contribute to developing a gambling addiction.
Much like other substance addictions, faulty genes can be responsible for the production of dopamine and adrenaline in the body, which can explain why addiction tends to run in families.
According to the Journal of Gambling Studies, researchers have found a genetic abnormality in most addicts that affects the hormone production of the brain, which contributes to developing addictions like gambling to create the hormone levels that someone who doesn't have the disorder can achieve on their own.
9. Obsession with sports of gambling-related activities
According to a treatment center based in Los Angeles, the connection between sports and gambling is hard to ignore.
Over 40% of people in treatment for gambling addiction primarily bet on sports games. Casino cruise little river south carolina.
The behavior is a learned one, often coming from factors introduced from an early age, watching parents and loved ones bet on the outcome of sports games.
Research also suggests that sports-related gambling is a predominant characteristic in male gambling addicts, with very few women suffering from gambling addictions to sports games.
Gambling addicts become so emotionally invested in the outcome of the games that they are betting on that everything else in their lives seems not to matter as much as it did before.
10. Developing failure to resist games of chance
The true nature of gambling addiction is not being able to stop engaging in a specific activity that relates to taking chances, despite the negative consequences that the behavior may cause.
According to a treatment center in Tampa, Florida, the connection to gambling addiction and the need to indulge in games of chance is the primary reason people become addicted to gambling.
The act of making a wager, or playing a game, or any other method of gambling creates dopamine in the brain, which can give us the happy, satisfied feeling we get when we make a wager; our minds quickly become addicted to this feeling.
11. History of financial thievery
One of the many characteristics of someone with a gambling addiction is someone who has financial problems.
Gambling, and the need to win, makes financial problems seem less important.
However, those who have suffered money problems before, and who have resorted to criminal activities related to that, are more likely to become compulsive gamblers.
Studies have shown that many gambling addicts had stolen from friends or family, or neglected to pay their debts, long before they became addicted to gambling.
This history of financial thievery may contribute to the ability to become addicted to gambling.
12. Innate quality of impulsive lying
According to many gambling treatment centers, lying is a central characteristic of all gambling addicts.
They will lie to their friends, family, and employers about the state of their lives, their financial situations, and many other things in their lives to hide their addictions.
Many addicts live in denial, so one of the many lies they will tell their loved ones is that they don't have a problem.
Over time, the lies that gamblers will tell become so habitual that the addicted person often believes it.
Gambling Addiction Symptoms
Other lies, such as about financial resources or the ability to control their activities, are also common among gambling addicts.
13. Excessive defensiveness regarding personal activities
Also connected with impulsive lying about their addiction, many gambling addicts become incredibly defensive when confronted about their actions.
They will become hostile to questions about where they are spending their time, how they are spending their money, or when they were gambling.
Many addicts insist that they don't have a problem, and they will attack those who insist that they do.
This type of behavior can contribute to the loss of relationships and the loss of employment.
Many gambling addicts will do whatever they can to keep up with their behavior, and the isolation of themselves using these defensive tactics is very common.
14. History of antisocial behavior
Despite most gamblers engaging in public gambling, such as on sports games, at slot machines, or at gaming tables in the casino, many psychologists agree that gambling addicts usually have a history of antisocial behavior.
According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Antisocial Personality Disorder is a recognized psychological condition that often presents as people who engage in neglectful or harmful behavior without any regard to the consequences.
Gambling addicts often have a history of this behavior, which often leads to a progression in their addiction as they no longer care about who or what they are sacrificing, as long as they can keep gambling.
15. Inclination to take massive risks
Compulsive gamblers who suffer from an antisocial personality disorder, or have a history of antisocial behavior, are also inclined to continue their actions, despite the enormous risk involved.
Often diagnosed in those who have other depressive disorders, such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, people who suffer from antisocial tendencies often become addicted to gambling.
It is easy for them to engage in risky behavior, more so than those who do not have the condition, because they don't feel guilty about it, leading them to even more risk-taking behaviors.
16. Failure in professional life
For many people, struggling to excel in their career can negatively impact their lives.
If someone isn't making enough money at work or has been fired or laid off from work, this can lead to the desire to gamble.
The idea that gambling can give them enough money to get back on their feet is what drives them to the activity, which can lead to an addiction.
Once someone is addicted to gambling, it is hard for them to stop.
Their addiction becomes more important to them than anything else in their lives, which can lead to abandoning personal and professional responsibilities.
In many cases, this can lead to the loss of their employment altogether.
17. History of anxiety-related issues
Gambling addicts often also suffer from anxiety disorders, which are often induced or worsened by stress levels.
According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, compulsive gamblers also suffer from anxiety disorders at alarming rates: over 10% have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and as much as 22% have a panic disorder.
A professional from the University of Calgary has claimed that the anxiety that comes from having stress in life is connected to the desire to gamble, which is essential in the study of how addictions develop and how to treat them.
18. Excessive financial pressure
Often, the spiral into addiction begins because addicts have lost the money they have invested in the activity, and they try to win it back.
According to a study in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, financial concerns are often related in the many stages of the addiction.
Often the addict will suffer a significant financial loss in their activities, and they will often lose more money or assets than they can afford.
This leads to many compulsive gamblers to approach family and friends to provide funds to cover the losses, often with extra to keep gambling.
Many gamblers often keep placing bets to make up for the money they have lost, hoping for a large payout.
19. Negative peer pressure
Many recovering gambling addicts report that negative peer pressure contributes to relapse.
This pressure can come in many forms and from many sources, from gentle urging to an insistence on engaging in the behavior to become part of the group.
Recovering addicts find that the impulse to gamble can return after just one event.
According to a gambling recovery foundation, many gambling addicts and recovering addicts find themselves in situations where they feel pressured into gambling, which can lead to the downward spiral into addiction.
20. Pure happenstance
When gambling addicts finally begin treatment, one of the first things many of them will say is that they don't know how they got addicted.
Many will remember the first time they gambled: a random trip to a casino on vacation or an outing with a friend or significant other.
They also report that they felt a 'high', or an extremely positive feeling, that they tried to emulate again, which led to more habitual gambling.
Knowing the common causes of gambling addiction can help addicts receive the treatment they need.
Stages Of Gambling Addiction Sites
Psychologists and psychiatrists today have been combining the treatment of the addiction with its underlying cause, making treatments more effective.
