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Alternative Forms of Addiction

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Gambling addiction
Gambling is known as compulsive gambling, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Compulsive gamblers can not control the impulse to gamble, even when gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones. Gambling is all they can think and all they want to do, no matter the consequences. Gambling addiction is any gambling behavior that affects your life. People who are preoccupied with gambling, spending more time and money, and chasing losses have a serious gambling addiction.
In America gambling affect more than 15 million people. Feelings such as depression, stress, loneliness, fear, and anxiety can trigger compulsive gambling or make it worse. Everything starts after a stressful day at work or after a conflict with spouse or coworker, an evening at the casino can seem like fun, and a way to start. There are healthier and inexpensive ways to unpleasant feelings in check like; meditating, exercising, and practicing breathing exercises.
Gambling addiction is difficult to leave but the principal factor is to accept the addiction on work on it. Gamblers can not leave it alone they need the help of loved ones and special health clinics to recovers. Every addiction hurts and leaves scars, but with help every thing can be easier. Gambling addiction affects every year more people, is easy to start but takes time, perseverance, and courage to quit.
Gambling addiction affects more than 15 million Americans who are problem or pathological gamblers. Gambling does not only submerge the addict but also the family, employers, work associates, friends and taxpayers. The family members are the most affected by this burden of pain and misery. The family suffers from form material depravation, family members often suffer from divorce trauma, child abuse and neglect, and domestic violence. Gambling causes strong feelings among family members which are harder to resolve. They feel angry, betrayed and scared because they know they have lost all their saving and belongings. The stress and health problems that gambling causes among family members are in the result of anxiety and depression, deprivation of sleep, headaches and ulcers. Many families have problems coping with these factors and they result in burnout. When the parents have gambling problems the children feel forgotten, depress and angry. They often believe they are the problem and that if they are good they the problem will stop. Family violence is also common when there is a gambling problem. It leads to physical and emotional abuse of the partner, elder or child. Gambling also affects the gambler in the social and economical settings. Gambling problems results in jobs loss and unemployment. It is also a factor of debt and bankruptcy, which will be result of losing their homes and being evicted from the place they live. In some case it might lead to fraud or forgery, crime, arrest and incarceration. In other cases it is the cause of poor physical and mental health, alcohol and drug abuse and even suicide. Gamblers suffer greatly from harassment and treats from bill collectors and creditors. These increase the neglect and divorce, stress and financial burdens. Approximately 85 percent of families with a gambler addiction had reported to receive treats from creditors and bill collectors.
Individuals with obsessive gambling lose power over of their gambling behavior frequently with solemn costs. They’re continuously chasing their losses, and they frequently go beyond boundaries to conceal their gambling. They may go as far as stealing when faced with distressed economic struggles. Rather than being a habit , obsessive gambling is theoretically classified as an impulse-control in which you can 't oppose an enticement or force to achieve an act that 's damaging to you or someone else . Whatsoever the label, it’s hard to conquer the commanding hook of compulsive gambling without professional treatment. People with compulsive gambling are typically in it for the thrill, rather than the actual winnings. They find the action exciting and arousing. The key difference between compulsive or problem gambling and social gambling is self-control. Each social gambling session usually lasts for a set period of time and involves pre-determined spending limits. It typically occurs with friends or colleagues rather than alone. The player gains satisfaction whether he /she win or loses. Signs and symptoms of obsessive gambling contain : An anxiety with gambling , Reliving past gambling experiences , Taking time from work or family life to gamble , Concealing gambling , Feeling guilt or remorse after gambling , Borrowing money or stealing to gamble , Failed efforts to cut back on gambling , Lying to hide gambling . People with compulsive gambling often wager money that they need to pay bills. When they lose they chase their losses, or attempt to gain back the money they've gambled away. They may turn to gambling both when they feel down and when they feel up. If they try to cut down on gambling, they may become restless or irritable. Children of problem gamblers are at greater risk than others for developing a gambling problem themselves. One study found that 50 of the children of pathological gamblers were also pathological gamblers. It’s not known what drives individuals to appoint in compulsive gambling trouble with certain logically occurring chemicals in the mind may play a role. Compulsive gambling usually begins in the late teen years. On exceptional occasions, gambling becomes a dilemma with the very first wager. But more frequently, a gambling dilemma progresses in excess of time. In fact, many people spend years enjoying social gambling with no problems. But more common gambling or life stresses can turn casual gambling into something much more serious. During periods of stress or sadness, the urge to gamble may be particularly overwhelming. Ultimately, a person with a gambling problem becomes almost completely lost in thought with gambling and getting money to gamble. For most compulsive gamblers, betting isn't as much about money as it is about the excitement. Nourishing the excitement gambling typically involves taking gradually greater risks and placing larger bets. Those bets may involve amounts they can't afford to lose. Unlike the majority of informal gamblers, compulsive gamblers are compelled to keep playing to get back their money an outline that becomes progressively more disparaging over time. Gambling affects the individual doing it and anybody who is close to them. Through personal experience getting obsessed on gambling is mostly from the action and excitement of everything simultaneous with gambling. When gambling they are part of the action and not just watching individuals play a game for money. The initial step in the treatment of a gambling addiction is for the person to admit that they are powerless to control their gambling compulsion.
The next step is for the person to have the desire to stop the addiction and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to stop gambling. The person must change their behaviour that is associated with gambling. If they gamble at casinos they need to stay away from casinos. If the person gambles on the internet they need to stay off the computer. If the person gambles with a certain group of friends, she needs to make new friends. If credit or debit cards are a trigger she needs to get rid of her credit or debit cards. Most persons with a gambling addition need personal support through cognitive-behavioural therapy or 12 step Gambling Anonymous or both. Cognitive-behavioural therapy can identify the environments that stimulate the gambling compulsion and help the client to develop new behavioural strategies. Therapy can also help the client identify thoughts and emotions which trigger the gambling compulsion. 12 Step Program offer on-going groups support and have the advantage over formal therapy of being free of cost and available for the remainder of the clients’ life. In the 12 step program, the gambler admits that she is powerless over gambling and her life unmanageable. As part of the 12 step program the gambler examines the damage that she has done to other and makes amends for the damage that she has done to others and makes amends for the damages. During the 12 Step process the gambler learns to identify the thinking and behaviours that lead to relapse and works on changing her ways of thinking. important to any 12 steps program is the surrender to a God of the individual's understanding which gives the person a spiritual purpose in life.

References http:/rehab-international.org/gambling-addiction/effects http://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/CA256902000FE154/Lookup/GRA_Reports_Files1/$file/NatDefs_ExecSum.pdf

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