A gambling addiction, sometimes referred to as 'compulsive gambling' or 'problem gambling’, is characterised by having a continuous urge to gamble, despite the negative effects that it can have on your life. It is believed that gambling may reflect a diagnosis of impulse control disorder, where trouble regulating your emotions and behaviour can make it difficult to manage the urge to gamble and seek out the associated adrenaline rush.

Compulsive gambling can cause difficulties in relationships and at work, whilst the cost of funding it can become a huge financial burden. While it is possible to get lucky from time to time, particularly if you feel that you are knowledgeable about the sport or card game in which you are betting, it is important to remember that betting odds of any kind are always in favour of what is ultimately a lucrative industry for a reason.

If you find yourself in a vicious cycle of incurring loss after loss, a common issue of gambling addiction is the hasty placement of further bets to recover lost money, which can mean that you place increasingly risky bets as your losses become greater.            

A gambling problem isn’t restricted to one type of gambling, and it could involve any of the following:

• Online sports betting
• Online casino games such as virtual slots and card games
• Betting in a bookmakers
• Betting on slots or quiz machines found in a pub or nightclub
• Betting at a sporting event such as a horse or greyhound racing event

Over the last few years, fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have been placed in betting shops, meaning that people can gamble on a variety of casino games within the bookmakers, often at large stakes in a short space of time. It is this technologically advancing and accessible betting market that can make it very difficult to stop compulsive gambling once it has started.

The thrill of gambling is linked to risk taking, which induces a natural high. The effect of this altered psychological state is similar to that of stimulant drugs. In the same way that a drug addict becomes preoccupied by their habit, so too does the gambling addict.

Because there are no clear signs and symptoms if you or someone you care about has a gambling addiction, it can be difficult to spot patterns of compulsive betting when compared to more visibly clear symptoms of drug or alcohol addiction. For this reason, gambling is sometimes referred to as a ‘hidden illness’, and many who have gambling addiction will deny or play down the severity of their problem.

However, there are subtle signs that will appear if someone has an ongoing gambling addiction. Even if you deny that you have a gambling problem, your family and friends will often be able to tell that your behaviour has changed, and try to help you; it can pay to listen to them carefully and heed their warnings, as they only have your best interests and wellbeing in mind.        

One of clearest signs that you or someone that you know has a gambling addiction is placing bets when there isn’t the money available to do so. Whether you are re-mortgaging your house in order to gain more betting funds or you are an older person gambling away a family inheritance, it is never too late to seek help, even when the situation appears irreparable.         

The most common signs and symptoms of a gambling addiction may include:

• A preoccupation with gambling and loss of interest in other hobbies
• Increasing the quantities gambled to recoup lost bets or to experience the same thrill
• A negative impact upon relationships with those closest to you
• Concealing the amount of money and time spent betting from family members
• Stealing money in order to gamble
• Denial that you have a problem

In addition to these, you may also suffer from additional physical and psychological symptoms. These symptoms may include anxiety, irritability, headaches, stomach aches and stress-related symptoms.

Many people who place a bet do so with the intent of having a brief thrill in the knowledge that they may win, although their minds won’t be occupied by the thought of winning. An occasional flutter on a horse, or the purchase of a lottery ticket when there is a particularly large total jackpot at stake, is often where the relationship with betting starts and ends for most, so why do others develop an urge to gamble more?     

Some of the factors that are believed to contribute to gambling addiction include:

Stress – the pressures of modern life can lead individuals to turn to different vices as a coping mechanism, particularly if you feel that your stress levels have become overwhelming or have been present for a prolonged period of time. The temporary relief and distraction that is provided by gambling can initially appear to reduce your stress. However, what seems to be a momentary stress reliever can quickly place further pressure on you, leading to you developing a gambling addiction that results in reduced finances and the ‘perfect storm’ for long-term emotional and financial problems.     

Psychological - due to the adrenaline rush associated with placing a bet, particularly when it is a large sum of money, research has indicated that the release of a chemical in your brain in response to pleasurable experiences, known as dopamine, may contribute to addictive behaviour. Dopamine makes you want to relive the same sensation, so if your brain is creating too much of the chemical, this can make it more difficult to control the urge to gamble.

Convenience or filling an emotional gap - while it cannot be positioned as the sole reason for gambling addiction to develop, the convenience of being able to place a bet from your smartphone or computer means that it has become increasingly difficult to resist the temptation. Before the onset of digital technology, there was a concerted effort required if you wanted to place a bet, and often involved travelling to a particular location such as a bookmakers.

In addition, television adverts promoting betting companies, and the normalisation of gambling activities for the elderly such as bingo, have contributed to a culture where gambling is deemed socially acceptable. Elderly people or those that have lost loved ones may use gambling as a means to socialise, such as when an elderly person visits the local betting shop when seeking out conversation.                          

If you have a gambling addiction, resisting the urge to place a bet or seek out a casino in order to satisfy the craving for the associated adrenaline rush, can be very difficult. Part of the therapeutic process when receiving treatment for gambling addiction at Priory involves helping you learn alternative ways to address these cravings, without having to physically gamble.

If you feel a gambling craving beginning to take hold, here are some tips to avoid giving in to the urge:

Postpone gambling until the moment has passed - while many forms of gambling can be a response to a spur of the moment desire, consciously telling yourself to hold off from gambling for a certain amount of time, such as 10 minutes or an hour, can help to reduce the urge enough to resist acting on it.

Avoid being on your own - having a gambling addiction and preventing cravings involves being aware of triggering situations. Being isolated or stuck for things to do can lead to a greater chance of gambling purely to pass the time. If you are alone and begin to experience gambling cravings, contacting a family member or friend and arranging an activity can help to keep you occupied until the craving has passed.

Think about the consequences – while it can be difficult to look at the long-term when gambling, preventing further gambling by remembering how you felt last time you lost a similar amount of money, and the impact it had on people close to you, can help to dissuade you from giving in to the craving to gamble.

Get help for compulsive gambling

In order to stop gambling, there needs to be an admission that there’s a problem – this may typically come after a large loss or losing a substantial amount of money over several days. Get in touch with Priory today to see how we can help to treat gambling addiction.

The most effective method of treating gambling addiction is via a comprehensive programme of addiction therapy. However, if you are struggling with gambling addiction alongside another co-occurring condition, such as depression or anxiety, it may be appropriate for you to be prescribed medication to help with this dual diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with a further mental health condition alongside gambling addiction, your treatment programme may involve inpatient treatment to ensure that any prescribed medication such as antidepressants are being taken at the effective dose.