Gambling Addiction - How to Treat It

Gambling is a fun and exciting pastime that is enjoyed by people the world over. There are those that gamble on sports, on business, and even on politics! It’s a great way to try something new and feel the thrill of making fast money. However, gambling addiction is a very real problem. Like any fun pastime, gambling can be taken too far and have disastrous consequences. In this article we’re going to look at some of the signs of gambling addiction and recommend some subsequent courses of action.

Signs of a Gambling Addiction

There are some telltale signs to be aware of in both yourself and your loved ones. These signs often point towards a growing gambling addiction and should be addressed immediately. Do you or someone close to you

• Act very secretive about your gambling?
• Continue to gamble even when you have no money to gamble with?
• Have the inability to walk away from a gambling situation regardless of how poorly it is going?

All of these are signs of a potential gambling addiction. Like any other growing addiction it needs to be identified immediately. Luckily, after identification there are several great sources of help for gambling problems.

Gambling Addiction Treatment

Gambling addiction treatment comes in a variety of forms. Gambler’s Anonymous is probably the most famous. This 50 year-old institution uses a twelve-step program that is very similar to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Another very useful field of treatment is the counseling route. One of the most prominent forms of counseling is cognitive behavior therapy. This therapy aims to identify the cognitive processes that cause a person to have an uncontrollable desire to gamble.

However, the undisputed best approach to take for treatment of a gambling addiction is a combination of the above methods. All are certainly useful on their own, but they work much better together to help people identify and resolve their gambling problems.

Conclusion

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying gambling. It’s a fun way to spice up everything from a vacation to watching sports. Gambling can be performed in the context of a skillful venture (the various casino card games) or the context of blind luck (buying a lottery ticket). But like all fun things, gambling must be enjoyed in moderation. You should always watch yourself and your loved ones for signs of a growing addiction and take the necessary steps to cut off such a condition before it has a chance to develop.