The Bible has it correct when it says “money is the root of all kinds of evil”. The pursuit of money and riches has produced problems for individuals for centuries. Between the simple access casinos, bookies, and state lotteries it’s no wonder why so many people develop gambling addictions.
Money helps purchase fantasies. When individuals play the lottery, they can dream of winning money and living out dreams. But what really occurs to the individuals who win? Most donate to charitable organizations; some report becoming happy afterwards; but several stories do not have pleased endings. In fact, many stories of lottery wins remind us that winning doesn’t help some people.
As is true for problem gamblers, believe it or not, winning could be the first slippery step in a downfall.
Three phases of compulsive gambling
According to Dr Robert Custer there are 3 phases of a progressive gambling problem: a winning phase, a losing phase, and a desperation section.
Phase 1: Winning
Within the winning phase, you might expertise a big win or a series of smaller wins that result in excess optimism. You may feel an unrealistic sense of power and control and you’re excited by the prospect of much more wins. At the same time, you can’t maintain the excitement unless you are continually involved in high-risk bets. Your bets improve, and ultimately, the increased risk puts you in a vulnerable situation where you cannot afford to shed. Inevitably, Murphy’s law kicks in and “what can go wrong, does go wrong” and you lose.
Phase 2: Losing
Within the losing section, you might brad about previous wins; how you had the casino or track or bookie on the ropes. But within the immediate scenario, you’re losing more than winning. You are also most likely to begin chasing you losses, attempting to win back what you’ve lost.
You’re much more most likely to gamble alone, and when not gambling, you are more most likely to spend time thinking about how and when you will gamble subsequent. Most importantly, you are concerned with how you will raise much more money, legally or illegally. You may have a few wins that fuel the size of one’s bets. However the dominant pattern is that of losing. Moreover, making the next bet becomes much more important that the winning of any previous bet.
As you continue to read these descriptions, you may find your self feeling more desperate. A sense of futility may becoming building. You might think “how stupid can they be?” or “I do not do that!”. The emotions within you are building for a reason. Do not steer clear of seeing the compulsive nature of your gambling behavior. If our descriptions match your experiences, be aware that your behavior may be getting progressively out of control.
As the losing continues, you start lying to family and friends and become more irritable, restless, and emotionally isolated. You start borrowing money that you are unsure about becoming able to repay. As your life turns into unmanageable, you may be developing some serious monetary problems. Your denial with the massive monetary pressures that are constructing might seem unbelievable to some people.
If you do not alter your pattern soon, you will be engaging in much more and more self-destructive behavior.
Phase 3: Desperation
The desperation phase involves still another marked alter in your gambling conduct. You may now make much more bets more often than is regular, in much more desperate attempts to catch up or “get even”. The conduct that’s now out of handle is connected with deep remorse, with blaming others, and with the alienation of family and friends. You may engage in illegal actions to finance your gambling. You might expertise a sense of hopelessness and believe about suicide and divorce. Other addictions and emotional problems might also intensify throughout this section and drag you down.
If any of the preceding descriptions fit you, you might be 1 of the 3% of adults in North America who experience a gambling dependancy that results in debt, household disruption, employment loss, criminal actions or suicide. A recent study indicates that individuals who begin gambling as adolescents are about three times more likely to become problem gamblers than people who begin gambling as adults.
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