Understanding Gambling Addiction

Distinguishing the casual gambler from the true addict can seem difficult, but problem gamblers often exhibit several warning signs. The progressive, downward cycle of pathological gambling typically follows a pattern of increasing involvement in the addictive behaviour and can be categorised into three phases; Winning, Losing and Desperation.

During the winning phase, sufferers experience a big win, or a series of wins, that leaves them with unreasonable optimism that their winning streak will continue. This leads them to feel great excitement when gambling and sufferers begin to love gambling and trust that their luck will not run out. They keep on betting and begin adding to their bets. Sufferers feel confident and comfortable, until the losing phase.

During the losing phase, sufferers begin to withdraw from friends and family. They start gambling alone and consider borrowing money by legal or illegal means. Their gambling isolates them, and this isolation often encroaches on their home lives. As sufferers increase the quantity and amount of their gambling, their debts become a problem. At this point it is common for sufferers to start chasing their losses, wanting to return to gambling directly after a loss with the hope that they can win the money back.

During the desperation phase, there is a marked increase in the time spent gambling. This excessive time spent gambling leads to sufferers feeling guilty, blaming others for their problems, and alienating their family and friends. They may begin to engage in illegal acts in order to ascertain money with which to gamble. They may turn to alcohol or drugs to combat the helplessness they feel and may experience psychological and social problems such as depression, emotional collapse, divorce, suicidal ideation or attempts.