- Image by jasonfrench via Flickr
Gambling at games such as poker, horse races or athletic games can be fun sport for a lot of people, especially those who enjoy visiting such luxurious and exciting places such as Las Vegas, Nevada, where the casinos are a magical land unto themselves. Gambling is also something that can become a problem for some people to the point where they ruin important things in their lives and hurt loved ones along the way. At what point does the game of gambling become a serious gambling problem? When does a gambler cease to be a fun sport and become a furious spender?
An impulse control disorder such as gambling brings an exciting sense of almost-giddy anticipation to the player before the game, feelings of intense pleasure during the game, then feelings of extreme guilt and remorse when it is over, with increasing amounts of time and money having been thoughtlessly spent. There are several clear symptoms of when gambling is no longer a fun hobby and has become a problem.
•Preoccupation- re-living previous gambling experiences and making plans for the next one.
•Higher Stakes- an intense need to gamble for higher stakes, with increasing amounts of money in order to get a bigger thrill.
•Slacking work and home life- taking inordinate amounts of time from the job and family time to spend it gambling instead.
•Lying- hiding the fact that gambling is happening.
•Money Problems- borrowing or stealing money from others to gamble with.
As is the case with most impulse control problems, there are inevitable and often serious consequences to problem gambling. Usually the first problem surfaces in the form of money troubles. When money issues begin to cause problems with family members,with planning for the family’s financial future and getting the bills paid on time, then gambling has become a serious problem in need of attention and intervention.
