Gaming when illegal is called gambling. This is the most crude and layman definition of the vice which involves wagering of money or something of material value. When talking about history, ancient tales of Gambler’s lament and Mahabharata testifies to the popularity of gambling among kings and princes. Hence the dating cannot be done. But this is known for sure that religious authorities generally disapproved of gambling. Arthashahstra recommended taxation and control of gambling, ancient Jewish authorities disqualified professional gamblers from appearing in the courts, some Islamic nations prohibit it. It has been seen that gambling has social consequences and is at the receiving end of flak from most of the nations. Then why do we find an increased rate of addiction to this social evil. What is in it that is so appealing to the masses. The answer is the monetary gains. When we are acquainted with such ways of earning quick money we seldom turn our backs. But one must not forget the popular law, “action and reaction exist in pairs”. The reactions are hereby given.

Gambling is bad for your health and it violates many Scriptures as seen above. Seek hard work and trust in the Lord with your income. The Tulsa-Tulane game was the gambling heart attack to end all gambling heart attacks. Not everything is a bad beat and not everyone needs to be reminded every three seconds.

10. At a loss

An unsuccessful gambler is often at a loss of money and sleep. He is restless and this urges him to resort to more gambling to recuperate the losses. What about a successful gambler then? Can we say it in Toto about his success rates? Everyone among us is not an MIT graduate who knows his game with numbers and algorithms. Be it a person in need for money or elite people of the society, no one welcomes loss. The stress related to these losses can hamper one’s health and ultimately one’s life. In Michael Jordan’s own words, I want people to understand, gambling is not a bad thing if you do it within the framework of what’s meant to be, which is fun and entertaining.

9. Exposure

Don’t the children learn pretty quickly? But don’t expect them to learn the good always. Researchers argue that now a day’s children below 18 gamble increasingly. Gambling exists in much forms-racing, bingo, card games, dice games, lottery, slots and horse betting. Increased accessibility to internet has coined a new form of gambling-internet gambling. Among other drawbacks of internet this too has its repercussions. Since youth are inquisitive and often at a need for answers, they are more likely to develop problems related to gambling than adults.

8. Isolation

“I can’t face this mess alone, but am I not a loser who will not be helped?” Have you often heard such words from gamblers? Are they considered lonely or the society is too harsh on them? Does your spouse blame you for the financial bankruptcy, threatening to leave you? If you have an answer to these questions and going through a similar mental state, then it is high time to realize the emotional problem related to gambling. Family members may avoid a gambler for he embarrasses them. Your partner might develop strong feelings against you. This makes it hard for people to get love and support. They feel isolated and suffer like a loner.

7. Impact on children

What is it that you smoke? Is not it bad for your health? My teacher says so. Please stop gambling. If you aren’t all ears to these queries, you will soon lose on your children. Children often feel forgotten, depressed and angry when they see their parents or one of them has a gambling problem. This rushes them into taking sides between their parents. This is a serious problem as it concerns the fragile mental behavior of the children. There have been cases when they stop trusting their parents seeing their addiction. It is true they follow the elders but when their ideals go berserk, it comes as a setback. They may lose their trust and start misbehaving, feeling down in the dumps.

6. Fights and abuses

When nations are in crisis, they wage wars; families create violence. Gambling instills remorse among the people when they lose the game. Many feel all the more stressed, anxious and depressed. Above all of it, if his family starts to think of him as a gangrenous limb to be removed, would not he be angered and aggressive. Gambling problems lead to physical and emotional abuse of a partner or child. Researches show that 25-50% of spouses of compulsive gamblers have been abused. Among them some have been physically and verbally abused and some have even attempted to suicide as a result of it. A medical school in Nebraska found that gambling is as much a risk for violence as alcohol abuse. One can always look up for the research reports online.

5. Suicide risk

The most likely people who commit suicide are the ones prone to heavy alcohol, drugs or similar addiction. On the other hand some who have threatened suicide or hurt themselves in the past are also at risk. It would be obvious to state the reasons for depression and such terminal steps. Loss of money, alienation from family and spouse, child abuse, damage to self-dignity- who wouldn’t be crestfallen.

4. Impediment to career

A student will skip classes; forget to study his lessons just because he is somewhere busy stacking cards or bidding online. An employee will show up less at his office and his performance will drop. Of course one is not anti-gambling. You may even question, if someone is alcoholic, alcohol should be banned then. The point here is not to make this problem everyone else’s but to make them aware of the implications this vice can have on your career; for it will be harder to come back to the real world now, because time has already passed by.

3. Fraud and double standards

Legalized gambling is the fastest growing industry in the world and can have drastic influence on state government, one is being corruption. Till date there have been numerous news reports of corruption and fraud in state lotteries. Evidence shows that the poor and the disadvantaged are its easy targets. Let us not get into the political sphere of this huge gambling business because people love to earn quick and spend lavish. At times like this, it is either self-motivation or family interference which can pull us out of this deep pitch. No doubt legalized gambling is a bad social policy but it is better to stay mum on such sensitive issues.

2. Bleeding account

Know an interesting fact? The average compulsive gambler has debts exceeding $80,000. If unlucky, they end up hassling with loan sharks who would go after their lives if they don’t pay. Feel the crunch the person might be undergoing, marital disharmony, divorce, substance abuse. If we try to find a link between the increased crime rate and gambling, chances are we will get success. Embezzlement, theft and involvement in organized crime are some hideaway means for potential gamblers. Your bank account will run dry if you don’t monitor your recreational options.

1. Problem gambling

When gambling becomes problematic and there is a plausibility of difficulties, it becomes problem gambling. Ludo mania as is commonly referred is a mental state of excessive gambling without an urge to stop. So grave is this problem, that it is diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling. It might be difficult to accept but people dealing with this addiction can suffer from depression, migraine, distress, intestinal disorders and other anxiety related problems. Now that is something to mull over as gambling is becoming more prevalent throughout the world. A problem gambler gambles as frequently as he will take a tranquilizer, a drug, or have a cup of coffee. It becomes an addiction; the person will wish to experience the emotional affect same as before. It can disrupt your physiological, personal and professional life to a grave extent. The solution may not lie in banning and imposing strict laws on legalized gambling but since it is causing negative impacts on one’s individual life, it needs to be curbed.

Gambling, for some people, is a leisure activity that offers a night out on the town enjoying time with friends and family, with a distant possibility of winning money. For other people, the stakes are higher. After all, gambling is a $40 billion dollar industry in the United States. In Las Vegas alone—the unofficial gambling capital of the world—the casinos bring in over 10 billion dollars from people placing bets. Though many of those people only gamble once in awhile, there are people who make gambling the center of their universe. In other words, they are addicted to gambling.

The temptations to gamble are everywhere and you don’t need to be in a casino to try your luck. Every state in America, with the exception of Utah and Hawaii, offer some type of legalized gambling—from old-school slot machines to sports-betting apps and everything in between. The accessibility to gambling has only amplified with the Internet. Based on various surveys in recent years, it is estimated that two million people in the US are addicted to gambling. But that figure has the potential to increase at anytime, because those same surveys revealed as many as 20 million people noting that their gambling habit had begun to interfere with their work and social life. That type of behavior falls into the category of “compulsive gambling,” which is the stage before gambling addiction.

What is Compulsive Gambling?

“The shortest version is that compulsive gambling is, as its name implies, a compulsion,” says Lance Dodes, MD, author of THE HEART OF ADDICTION: A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviors. “Compulsive gambling leads to an addiction, which is a psychological symptom that is well-understood and treatable with psychotherapy oriented toward that understanding. It is not a biological, genetic or moral issue, and it is not fundamentally different from other compulsive behaviors or addictions.”

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Usually, people start out gambling for fun, and then they lose money they didn’t mean to, and they end up chasing that loss until all their money is gone. And in many cases, people are gambling because they have faced emotional and financial losses and they are trying to console themselves.

There is a misconception among many people that problem gambling, another term for gambling addiction, is not a big deal. “Most people don’t realize that problem gambling is a real disorder, just like alcohol or drug addiction,” says Shelia Moran, director of communications and marketing at First Choice Services, a nonprofit agency in West Virginia dedicated to mental health issues and problems. “They think it’s just a bad habit that can be easily ended. The good news is that we find most people who get treatment are able to successfully stop gambling.”

Gambling and Co-Existing Mental Health Conditions

Sadly, it is estimated that over 80% of people who suffer from some type of gambling addiction never seek treatment, no matter how bad their problem is. Other statistics reveal that while there are people who do seek treatment for their gambling addiction, over 70% end up returning to the world of betting. People with this type of disorder are more likely to suffer from other types of mental health and substance abuse issues. Many gamblers also have an alcohol disorder or addiction, and over half were nicotine dependent.

The emotional toll it takes on people is devastating, and in many cases a gambling addiction can also bring bouts of depression, and in extreme situations may lead to suicidal thoughts or tendencies. People with a gambling addiction are also prone to anxiety, high stress and extreme sadness. When a gambler loses everything, their life will suddenly become hopeless and they fear what the future might bring.

Gambling Addiction Symptoms and Signs

Is Gambling Bad For Your Heart Attack

As with other addictions, there are warning signs to look out for. These include:

• Keeping gambling habits a secret
• Having trouble controlling their gambling habit
• Continuing to be involved with a gambling habit when they cannot financially afford to do so.
• Resorting to illegal activities to pay for their gambling habit

Physical symptoms of excessive gambling include problems sleeping, weight gain or loss, dark circles under the eyes and extreme headaches.

How can you tell if someone has a gambling disorder? The American Psychiatric Association has developed guidelines and says that a person requires at least four of the following issues to take place during the past year:

1. A person feels the need to gamble with an increasing amount of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
2. A person becomes angry, restless or irritable when someone tells them to cut back on their gambling, or to stop it altogether.
3. A person will have unsuccessfully tried to cut back or stop gambling on their own.
4. A person has frequent thoughts about gambling, including reliving past gambling adventures, planning their next gambling outing, and thinking of ways to get money to gamble with.
5. A person will often gamble when they are feeling distressed.
6. After a person loses money, they return to try and “get even” (referred to as “chasing” one’s losses)
7. A person will not hesitate to lie to hide their gambling activity.
8. A person will jeopardize or lose a significant relationship, job or educational/career opportunity because of gambling.
9. A person will begin relying on others to help with money problems caused by their gambling habits.

Treatment Options for Gambling Addicts

If you suspect that someone in your life is addicted to gambling or a compulsive gambler, you should know that there is help. Here are treatment options to consider:

• “Behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy are recommended for compulsive gamblers,” says Katie Hurley, LCSW. “Behavioral therapy uses systematic exposure to the behavior to teach skills to reduce the urges, while cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhealthy and irrational thoughts and replacing them with positive/adaptive ones. Family therapy is another option,” Hurley explains.
• Apps can help instill healthy habits and encourage consideration of events and emotions that lead to compulsive behaviors. Addiction AVERT app can help curb cravings. BreakFree can help people who use their smartphones to gamble spend less time on their phone.
• Adaptive coping strategies like exercise, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, and meditation are all positive options. There are even meditation apps that can help anyone who doesn’t know where to start.

Is Gambling Bad For Your Heart Disease

According to the American Psychiatric Association, as of 2016, there are no FDA-approved medications for the treatment of gambling disorder. There is, however, emerging scientific research that has shown that medications can be effective in reducing the intensity of urges and cravings for gambling.

Finally, Gamblers Anonymous has been beneficial in the lives of people who have an addiction; however, they must first admit they have a problem, which is often times the most difficult thing to do. If someone is unable to find an accessible chapter of Gamblers Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous addresses many of the same behaviors.

Just as anyone can become addicted to gambling, anyone can stop.

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