There are signs that a person has forgotten to create a demarcation between wagering for fun and splurging on online casinos. Here are a few signs that you might be addicted to gambling without the slightest idea about it.
Let’s begin our discussion by explaining the idea of “compulsive gambling.” For your information, it is a behavioural addiction wherein the individual has a psychological compulsion to wager. In this situation, gambling addiction can be destructive for the person. But such an individual will continue to gamble without worrying about the repercussions.
Gambling has become a part of popular culture, with around 86% of US adults taking part in it at some point in their lives. According to recent stats, around 52% reported lottery gambling last year. The rate of gambling globally has increased, and the results are shocking. Especially when COVID-19 hit the world, nobody had the slightest idea that gambling would emerge as a global rage.
As far as gambling addiction is concerned, it doesn’t happen by accident. It is staunchly based on the psychological principle known as VRRS. This stands for variable ratio reinforcement schedule. This has been long recognized as a compulsion-creating system. Below are a few signs you are addicted to gambling:
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You Deny Your Gambling Habits
We all make mistakes in life, and it is organic for humans to run away from admitting them. However, when a mistake is not being owned and frequently denied, there’s something fishy about it. Similarly, lying about addiction is a weak behaviour.
Sometimes, the compulsion and addiction are so strong that a person will go down to any length to hide it. This usually includes lying about gambling habits. Let’s suppose if somebody is a huge fan of playing pokies online and splurge on the game, they will continue to lie about playing it in the first place.
Pathological gamblers will come to a point where they will start lying to themselves. They will even begin to rationalize their negative behaviour, which will affect their families at some point.
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It Affects Your Emotional Negatively
Like other forms of addiction, gambling is some sort of coping mechanism. Since a lot of people suffer from stress daily, they will attract energy from gambling to find happiness. Even if somebody has found solitude in gambling, it will become a chance for them to keep pushing their negative emotions away.
Gambling activity causes the release of “feel good” chemicals in the brain. They help a person to achieve ultimate happiness. This means the negative activity will make you feel good for a little while, but the long-term damage cannot be ignored.
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You Start to Gamble More Than You Can Afford to Lose
This is perhaps the most dangerous sign that is not to be ignored. A casual gambler or a newbie will spend some of their money on gambling. But when they incur a loss, they will decide to take a backseat for a while.
However, a pathological gambler will never compromise on this hobby. They will continue to gamble more than they can afford to lose. So much that they will even begin to compromise on their monthly expenses.
Not to forget, gambling addiction takes a lot of time to develop. As a result, you will begin suffering from job loss, relationship stress, physical health problems, and many more issues.
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You Start Borrowing Money to Pay For Gambling
Borrowing money is the biggest red flag that should be alarming to you. This means you eventually risked more than you could afford to. In the worst cases, people even sell their homes and assets to cover the cost.
At first, there will be normal days of borrowing, but later, things will worsen with time. There are such desperate times that gamblers even begin to go down to every length so that they can cover the loss somehow.
They continue gambling in the pursuit of “luck” being on their side. However, they are too late by the time they realise that a lot of damage has already been done.
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You Gamble Until All of Your Money is Gone
The obsessive drive to gamble becomes such havoc that one ends up losing all of their money. This burns down their savings and affects them in every way possible. They ruin their monthly pay checks and don’t have a single penny to do the groceries.
Going broke from gambling is a big risk for somebody with this addiction. So it’s best if you keep away from this habit as much as you can. Now is a good time to stop this habit, otherwise, it will destroy you as a person.
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You Are Obsessed
What happens to us when we get obsessed with anything in life? Well, there are various answers to this question. We start ignoring our family members, take less interest in work and even forget to be responsible for everything at home. This puts everyone around us at the receiving end of the damage.
The obsession will compel you to incur any kind of loss, whether it is personal or professional. Therefore, it is best to understand this habit on time and seek help. Or if you know somebody obsessed, they need to be stopped before it is too late.
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Your Friends and Family Members Think You Have a Problem
Despite becoming an expert at lying, your family and friends will make you aware that you have a gambling problem. And when family and friends express a concern, it is to be taken seriously, no matter what.
The continued concern will be perceived as “nagging” by the pathological liar, but it is to be addressed seriously. While you might be searching for top 10 betting apps Australia, still your loved ones will be all over the place, worried about you.
But, an obsessed gambler will perceive it as a negative environment. This is when families fall apart and people lose their loved ones.
