When you have a bet you don’t ever think you will become addicted. How could you as you don’t bet very often and when you do you only loose a small amount of money. What many people don’t know is that it only takes a small amount of gambling before you are hooked.
Many don’t notice they have an addiction until it is far too late. Below are some of the falsehoods associated with a gambling habit:
- Real gamblers gamble most days – It has no bearing on how often you gamble if you have an addiction. It has more to do with how they view the bet and not how often they do it.
- When you lose all your money, that when you have a problem – It has nothing to do with win or lose but more about how much the debt is affecting their life.
- It’s not possible to become a gambling addict – Yes it is. Euphoria will keep you gambling as you need to get a bigger and bigger adrenalin hit each time and it is hard to stop regardless of the consequences.
- People only gamble when they have money worries – Emotion is the key here and people who are compulsive gamblers only care about the rush and not the money they lose.
- A compulsive gambler is only an irresponsible person – Many responsible people have subcommand to a gambling addiction as it is a problem anyone can have.
- Gamblers are all criminals – Gambling is the cause of criminal activity through needing the money for their next fix.
- A compulsive gambler gambles on anything – Most gamblers have a preferred thing to gamble on and most often do not gamble on anything else.
- Compulsive gambling is only a problem when they can’t afford it – Gamblers lives are affected greatly by the addiction and it is the gambling itself not the finances that is the problem.
- If you pay off a gamblers debt they will be cured – If the gambler has a person who keeps paying their debts they have the ability to gamble more. The debt is not the real issue it is the gambler and the help they need is not through paying their debts.
- You can spot a compulsive gambler a mile off – Gambling is an easy addiction to hide and therefore it can be difficult to recognise the addiction. As online betting is quite private it is really easy to hide.
After reading the above and you think a loved one or friend could have a gambling addiction it could be really important for them that they seek help. Their local GP is the best place to start.