A large number of people who gamble see this activity as a way of having fun, a hobby or a pastime, not realising that gambling is a health, but also a social problem. When the ups and downs of gambling begin to take over every aspect of a person’s life, it can be said with certainty that a gambling addiction has developed. The only safe way of overcoming gambling addiction is to treat it.
Even though gambling is a legal activity, it can have serious negative effects on the gambler and their family’s life. A pathological gambler can win, but also lose large amounts of money or property in just a couple of days, or even hours! This happens because they are not capable of stopping their habit. To be more precise, gamblers have no ability to control the impulse to gamble.
The rush of euphoria that follows after a win can be so exhilarating that gamblers start carving that feeling. However, when they lose (more than they invested), gamblers experience an emotional low, which drives them to seek a quick fix, in an attempt to recapture the initial thrill and excitement .
The inability to control the urge to gamble, despite all the negative consequences this habit has on gambler’s life and health, is called pathological, compulsive or problematic gambling.
In the following text, we will reveal how to recognise a gambler, their behaviour and psychology, as well as how to help them quit gambling forever.
Treating a gambler and the general problematics in gambling today
In order to understand what gambling addiction treatment involves and how it is carried out, it is essential to first grasp the core of this addiction. Although it is a non-chemical form of addiction, this type of dependency can still cause significant problems. Gambling, as such, wreaks havoc on a person’s life – it destroys families, ruins careers and social relationships, and harms both mental and physical health.
Things are further complicated by the fact that gambling is, unfortunately, legalised. As we know, betting shops and casinos can be found almost everywhere nowadays. The availability of gambling and the sheer number of betting shops have reached truly epidemic proportions.
Sports bettings, online betting, casinos and similar games come in different forms. Betting was once limited to racetracks, casinos and both organised and informal wagering. The stereotypical pathological gambler had the following characteristics – a male (mostly) who frequented these places and was also previously involved in substance use or abuse.
In the meantime, things have changed. Today, gambling is recognised as a problem that affects individuals from all walks of life, including every age group and both genders. As online gambling increases in popularity, gamblers don’t even have to leave their house and visit betting shops to gamble.
- If a person lives within 10 kilometres of the nearest betting shop, their risk of becoming a pathological gambler doubles.
- Alcoholics are 23 times more likely to develop a gambling addiction.
- Three out of five people who gamble recreationally end up becoming pathological gamblers.
- Each year, more than 750,000 people aged 14 to 21 are classified as pathological gamblers.
This is precisely why treating gambling addiction is the path to full rehabilitation and a return to a happy and healthy life.
How does a gambler behave?
Pathological gambling is, in fact, a behavioural form of addiction, when gamblers have a pathological need to gamble. Moreover, a pathological gambler gambles repetitively with ever-increasing stakes, expecting a greater gain, but in reality, the losses are the only thing getting bigger. Therefore, the question is justified – how does a gambler behave ? More precisely, why do gamblers behave the way they do? We will now try to explain it.
Lying about their habits
A gambler often lies about their habits to hide the extent of their problem. This is also the first and main symptom of gambling, but also of any other addiction. The obsession and desire to gamble is so strong that they will do anything, just to be able to gamble. This usually includes hiding where they are, what they are doing and what happened to their money.
A pathological gambler lies not only to others, but also to themselves. This is a psychological process known as cognitive dissonance. When individuals behave in a way that is not in line with their values or beliefs about how they should behave, it creates psychological discomfort – cognitive dissonance. In order to reduce this psychological discomfort, it would be logical to stop the “bad” behaviour – gambling and related behaviours. However, this logic does not exist in compulsive gambling.
Gamblers will start lying to themselves, rationalizing their behaviour, even if the reasons they use are false or make no sense, instead of stopping gambling. This is a natural psychological process meant to reduce the psychological discomfort caused by cognitive dissonance. Gamblers are not inherently liars, but the lying that accompanies gambling is part of the pathological psychology of gamblers and the behaviour that results from their addiction.
Gambling with stakes higher than the gambler can afford
Gambler’s behaviour is characterised, as we have pointed out, by the inability to stop gambling. Gambling continues even after losing more money than the pathological gambler can afford. These losses can put the gambler in debt or put the gambler’s car or home at risk.
Gambling addiction often takes up a huge amount of time. As a gambler spends more and more time gambling, other things in life suffer. Family, school, home and work obligations are neglected. Gamblers often gamble while at work, or when they should be sleeping or spending time with their family.
The consequences can be:
- Divorce;
- Losing their job;
- Arrest and criminal charges due to illegal actions that gamblers partake in to find money for gambling;
- Physical and mental health problems (lack of sleep, self-neglect);
Despite mounting losses, pathological gambling persists until the gambler acknowledges the problem and recognises that only treatment can help.
Borrowing money
Gamblers do not hesitate to constantly seek loans to finance their addiction. Numerous accounts of gamblers have shown that they use the usual methods of borrowing money: asking for money from family, friends, credit, bank loans and mortgages. After that, they resort to loans with very high interest rates.
The psychology of gamblers is such that their desperation to gamble drives them to do whatever it takes to obtain more money to keep playing. They do this in the false belief that “this time” they will be lucky and that they will get rich.
Treating a gambler and serial gambling
The urge to gamble is so overpowering in pathological gamblers that even losing money doesn’t make them stop. They may gamble away their entire savings, wages, and even money meant for essentials. Gamblers do all this without considering the consequences of their actions.
Repetitive tries to recover the loss with more gambling
Gamblers exhibit a telltale behaviour known as “chasing” losses. As their losses continue to pile up, the pathological gambler remains convinced that just “one more bet” is all they need to recover their lost money. For them, the next bet is always the big one.
This is typical gambler psychology, that is, a strategy they believe will help them recover all previous losses and finally start winning.
Beyond the brain’s reward system, which fuels their urge to gamble, compulsive gamblers are driven by a delusional, obsessive belief that the next bet will be a big win, pushing them to do whatever it takes to keep gambling.
Gambling obsession
Pathological gambling is both an obsessive-compulsive disorder and an impulse control disorder. The fixation on gambling and the prospect of winning trigger intense anxiety, which can only be relieved by placing more bets.
In the eyes of a gambler, obsessive gambling becomes the only “cure” for anxiety. Pathological gambling causes them to dwell on past bets, while their thoughts are consumed with when they can place the next one. This makes it hard for them to concentrate on everyday activities, as these invasive thoughts become uncontrollable.
Gambling treatment and rehabilitation programs can break this destructive cycle and help gamblers take back control of their lives.
Engaging in illegal activities
It is no secret that gamblers often resort to criminal activities to obtain the money for gambling, after exhausting their funds and all available options for borrowing. This usually results in stealing money from friends and family. However, in some cases, more serious forms of theft can take place, such as robbery, armed burglary, violent behaviour, and embezzlement.
Friends and family notice the problem
Even if they try to hide the issue, a gambler’s behaviour becomes increasingly obvious over time. Initially, family and friends begin to suspect this person has a problem with gambling, and eventually, they start questioning how to identify a gambler.
When family and friends express their concerns, gamblers usually deny the problem. As gambling problems become more evident, family and friends can become more persistent, struggling to understand why the gambler can’t just “simply stop.”.
Pathological gamblers look at this worrying as nagging and grumbling. This is why they push friends and family away, which indicates that gambling has damaged family relationships.
Treating a gambler and gambler’s psychology
The question raises – what is gambler’s psychology like? More precisely, what do gamblers think? Besides being a serious problem, gambling is also an interesting psychological phenomenon.
By definition, gambling is when an individual is unable to stop or control their behaviour. In other words, gamblers cannot quit on their own, making treatment essential. While they may attempt to stop or reduce their gambling, these efforts are often short-lived, as they eventually fall back into their old habits.
In general, when discussing gambler’s psychology there are five observations made:
1) When in good mood, the urge to gamble increases
Studies have shown a link between things that elevate a gambler’s mood (such as their favourite sports team’s success) and an increase in gambling. This is because a positive mood can encourage a person to take greater risks.
2) Gambler’s fallacy
Take roulette as an example. If a gambler sees seven black numbers that repeat in a row, he will put his money on a red number. This is a well known psychological process known as gambler’s fallacy. A gambler erroneously believes that a certain random event is less likely or more likely to happen based on the outcome of a previous event or series of events. In reality, the chances of having any type of outcome are always the same.
3) A change in expectations of winning
In an interesting study, horse racing bettors were asked to estimate their favourite horse’s chances of winning — both before and after placing their bets. Gamblers tended to believe their horse had a better chance of winning only after they had placed their bets.
4) The bandwagon effect
When big wins in a prize game attract massive media attention, it sparks a huge craze to take part. It’s simple—people don’t want to miss out; they want to be part of a game where there’s a chance they too could “become millionaires.” In these situations, even those who have never entered a sweepstake before will jump on the bandwagon and buy tickets.
5) Superstition in gambling
By definition, the result of every gambling game should be based on chance. However, a pathological gambler believes they can crack the system and find a way to outsmart the laws of probability. This includes :
- Trying to predict patterns, or random number mantra (in reality, such mantra does not exist);
- Gamblers often try to choose ‘hot’ slot machines and avoid ‘cold’ ones, believing, for example, that they should continue playing a machine that has already given some wins;
- Ritualistic behaviours and superstitions believed to “improve” their chances of winning (wearing specific clothes or making movements with a rosary or other amulets).
- Illusion of having control – The gambler’s belief that they can use skill to outsmart a game that is, in reality, governed by chance.
Treating and how to recognise a gambler
To recognise when a gambler needs treatment, it’s important to be aware of the signs of gambling addiction. This raises the question: what are the symptoms of gambling addiction, and how can we identify a problem gambler?
Recognising a gambler can be challenging, especially when they refuse to acknowledge the problem. For many families, the first warning sign is the sudden loss of a significant amount of money. However, there are other indicators to watch for that can help prevent serious negative consequences and protect the well-being of the entire family.
Here are some of the symptoms of pathological, or compulsive gambling
- Giving up favourite hobbies, recreational activities, or family events in order to gamble.
- Opening a new bank account or applying for new credit cards without any obvious need for additional funds.
- Possessing large amounts of cash that quickly disappears.
- Being secretive and evasive about gambling activities.
- Experiencing problems at work or conflicts in social relationships due to gambling wins or losses.
- Losing control over how much money is wagered or how frequently bets are placed.
- Attempting to quit or cut down on gambling without success.
- Placing increasingly larger bets or taking greater risks (such as borrowing or stealing money to gamble).
- Expressing guilt, shame, or regret about gambling but being unable to stop.
- Asking friends or family members for loans without a clear need for extra money.
- Lying about gambling activities or spending habits.
- With the rise of online betting, gamblers may spend excessive time on the internet, hiding their gambling behaviour.
The most obvious consequences of gambling addiction are often financial. Problem gamblers can lose alarming sums of money in a very short period of time. Losing a large amount of money can be devastating for compulsive gamblers, potentially leading to severe depression, suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, insomnia, self-destructive behaviour, or even suicide attempts.
Confessions of fully recovered gamblers
We’d like to share a few stories from former gamblers who turned their lives around after receiving treatment at MedTim clinic and have successfully overcome their addiction.
Radoslav, 45 years old, from Serbia, former gambler
“On my way to the casino, I’d dream about winning huge sums of money and being seen as a hero. My body would be buzzing with tension and excitement, and I’d be sweating with nerves. But most of the time, I lost, and my depression and shame only got worse. The only way I thought I could get out of this cycle was to gamble again, trying to win back what I had lost. A friend recommended the MedTim clinic, and thanks to their treatment, I no longer have the urge to gamble.”
Lyam, 53 years old, from France, former, now fully recovered gambler
“I would make 3,000 euros in one night, only to lose double that the very next day. I kept doing this for a long time, until I eventually put up all my assets just to keep gambling. That was the turning point in my life when I confided in my best friend, telling him I couldn’t go on like this anymore. Encouraged by him and after doing some research online, I decided to try a revolutionary treatment for gambling addiction at the MedTim clinic. It’s only thanks to their selfless support and reliable treatments that I still have a roof over my head today – and I’m no longer a gambler!”
Giuseppe, 42 years old, from Italy, former gambler
“I lost 30 kilograms because of gambling. No one could recognise me. I focused all my attention on betting; it was the only thing that mattered to me in life. Not only did I lose a lot of money, but I also lost many friends, and my health started to suffer. Heart problems began, and that’s when I knew I had to end this somehow. I went to the MedTim addiction treatment clinic, where their kind team of professionals showed me that there was indeed a way out of this madness! I will be forever grateful to them because today, I’m a fully recovered gambler.”
Treatment for Gamblers and How to Help a Gambler
How can you help a gambler? It’s important to understand that quitting gambling isn’t simply a matter of willpower, as pathological gambling is a disease that requires proper medical treatment. The key to successful recovery from this exhausting addiction lies in identifying and addressing the underlying issues that led the person to gamble in the first place.
At MedTim Addiction Treatment Clinic, we have the most esteemed experts with decades of experience in treating all forms of addiction! As you’ve seen from the testimonies of former gamblers, we’ve successfully treated and helped former gamblers from all over the world find their way back to a healthy life. Unlike many others, we are persistent and determined to put an end to gambling addiction, as well as other forms of dependency, once and for all!
Regardless of the severity or intensity of the gambling addiction, we apply only the most modern, innovative, and proven treatment methods and programmes. We provide each patient with the highest level of medical care, attention, and complete rehabilitation for gambling addiction. Because we know how to help you quit gambling for good! Because we know how to help a gambler!
The medical treatment for gambling addiction at our clinic lasts only 12 days! In addition to pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and education for both the patient and their family, we offer top-tier support in the form of outpatient care after discharge from the clinic.
We’ll help you or your loved one quit gambling for good! Don’t hesitate to contact us anytime and schedule your free consultation.
MedTim is always here for you!
