Addictions - Compulsive Gambling

By Michael Russell

Gambling addiction is driven by a chemical and genetic disorder in the brain, causing a person to have compulsive behavior towards gambling. When a gambling addict gambles, they do so not to win money, but to satisfy the crippling urge inside their brain to take that chance or challenge. It satisfies their urge for excitement.

Gambling is a big money-making industry in the US. The gaming industry annually nets billions of dollars, due to people spending more money each year on legal gambling. The state governments in the US promote the state lotteries in order to collect taxes on this money. While gambling was illegal in the US sixty to seventy years ago, more and more states began legalizing gambling until now all but three states are the only ones that prohibit gambling.

Gambling between individuals has become popular with football money pots each week, where a person can bet on winners in the NFL games and college games. The baseball World Series each year has numerous pots with people trying to pick the winner. In fact, there are money pots for all the sporting events. Anyone wanting to take a chance to win some money can participate. Most of these pots are just for fun and a small change is required to enter into a money pot, so most people see it as a game - just for fun. However, there are those who take the game too far and become engulfed in gambling and these people are considered to be addicted.

There are horror stories that come out of Las Vegas that tell of people who go there and lose their house. These situations happen because of that urge that keeps people gambling and not knowing when to stop. They are always expecting this time it will happen - this time they will be a winner!

Unfortunately, the largest percentage of gamblers are those in the lower income brackets. In other words, those who can least afford to lose any money tend to be the ones who will gamble. Perhaps they are in need of more money and feel they can possibly acquire the money through gambling.

In states where the lotteries were set up, several ministers claim to have counseled individuals who have gone so far with their gambling that they have lost their homes, their savings, their children’s college education money, etc. These ministers say this is the dark side of the state lotteries that is not publicized.

A gambling addiction is characterized by an individual who is preoccupied with gambling. They spend their time figuring out how to get money to gamble with and what their next gambling adventure will be. They continue to gamble until they reach the point where they are betting some serious amounts of money, then feel depressed over the losses they have incurred. Their attempts to stop have failed and they develop feelings of guilt and helplessness. At this point, they start to borrow from others to pay off their gambling debts and some even commit fraud or theft to promote their addiction. Gambling addiction has broken up relationships and some have even resulted in job or career losses. A gambler will lie to others in an attempt to hide how serious their gambling problem really is.

A person with a gambling addiction first has to admit they have a problem before they can be helped. This is the first step on their road to recovery. They have to admit they are a compulsive gambler and have to recognize they cannot view gambling as just a game to have fun with.

The human brain has a built-in mechanism that causes a person to repeat things they are accustomed to doing and other things they enjoy doing. Eating and drinking become a habit with individuals and, of course, this is necessary to keep us alive, but there is also a stimulus in the brain that can cause compulsive actions. The treatment for gambling addicts is geared toward controlling that function in the brain that causes compulsive behavior. Through psychological treatment and group therapy, gambling addictions can be dealt with and controlled.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Dog Training

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

               

Gambling Debt Help

By Eddie Tobey

Gambling is addictive, and often leads to financial trouble. Thousands of people fall into gambling debt, and this is where gambling debt help is needed.

The people who are unfortunate enough to find themselves falling into gambling debt should seek some professional gambling debt help. These gambling debt counselors are experienced professionals who will gladly help the gambler to overcome his various financial problems. They can often help these people get out of the debt trap to start a new life. They teach them the right procedures in which to repay their creditors, while saving as much money as possible in the process. They can offer gambling debt help by consulting the various creditors and getting them to lower their interest rates. This in turn lowers the amount of money the gambler has to repay.

However, as gambling is very addictive, gamblers need not only financial help, but also personal counseling to overcome this addiction. Many gamblers in debt have tried Gamblers Anonymous for help, only to come out of it when they run into friends and co-workers at the meetings. As gambling is a private addiction, they cannot face known people with this addiction.

With the Internet, there are many private chat rooms with self-help manuals available online to provide psychological help to compulsive gamblers who want to beat their addiction. With a search engine, compulsive gamblers can easily find treatment that best fits their position.

So gamblers, with the assistance of professional gambling debt help individuals, can overcome gambling debt and get on with their lives.

Debt Help provides detailed information on Debt Help, Debt Consolidation Help, Credit Card Debt Help, Free Debt Help and more. Debt Help is affiliated with Credit and Debt Counseling.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey

               

Senior Citizen’s Gambling Addiction On The Rise

By: howard keith

Over the past few months there has been a significant increase in the number of seniors who have taken up gambling as a new form of entertainment. Through this exposure a larger percentage then expected have become addicted to gambling.

The local gambling establishments are to blame for the sudden rise in seniors with a compulsive gambling addiction.

The gambling establishments have created various incentive programs and innovative advertising gimmicks to lure them into a dark world. The end result is a senior with a self destructive behavior pattern and low self esteem.

In the last week alone I have received numerous emails from seniors who lost all their financial resources due to their compulsive gambling addiction. They do not know how this happened to them and now are ashamed of their behavior. A majority of these seniors still have not told their children and or friends about their problem gambling.

One of the emails expressed concern that the gambling establishments were victimizing retired individuals with the following incentives:

Tired of staying at home with nothing to do, come down and visit us we will make you feel at home.

Free live entertainment awaits you.

Buffets and exotic restaurants

Make new friends

Not only will we pay for the transportation with coupon vouchers, we will also throw in free lunch at our buffet. You are getting a full day of entertainment and we will feed you too.

You can earn points while you play which you can spend at one of our many unique gift shops.

Bring the enclosed encrypted coded card for you to scan to see if you are the grand prize winner. Remember there are other prizes you can win too with this coded card. All you need to do is swipe it. The coded card is good for the month of May.

Earn enough points and you can stay for free in one of our luxury VIP hotel rooms.

ATM machines, cash advances and line of credits are available

If you need anything while you are visiting us, just ask for one of our many hosts. We have hosts available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to make your visit a most enjoyable one.

We are living in a new world where gambling is playing a major role. It’s time for people to take control and educate themselves.

There are alternative programs available for senior citizens. Once you know you or someone you know has a problem with gambling it’s imperative to get help before they lose all their assets and their sanity

Article Source

For more information on gambling addiction and stop gambling you can check out

Stop Gambling Addiction website has the useful resources and links on how to stop gambling. www.istoppedgambling.com/

               

Dont Gamble With Your Finances!

By: Colin Pike

If you are a compulsive gambler, think before you gamble with your money. When you can afford it, there is no problem, but if you gamble bills money you might find yourself in quite a mess. Anyway you look at this you still need professional help.

Gamblers are not supposed to get Cash Advance Loans, because it is obvious where the money will be spend. They would do anything to have gambling money, from a innocent borrowing to steal, beg or mortgaging their house without their families knowing, getting secret loans. As all gamblers are, they start their nights at a Casino thinking that they will not spend more than a couple of dollars. The games allure them though into thinking that they could win the Jackpot, and by the end of the night they are penniless.

Compulsive gambling is not a financial problem, it is an emotional one. Getting a Cash Advance Loan as a gambler will mean more trouble, as this persons rehabilitation depends on letting go any methods to obtain fast and easy money. His savings are probably already gone and they can not afford even to pay the interest rates on a Cash Advance Loan. It is a vicious circle and the gambler will be more and more surrounded by debts.

The compulsive gamblers generally have regular incomes, but the amount is not even near enough to satisfy their spending needs. When they have tried any possible method to get some gambling money and those methods are expired, they will probably try to contract an Advance Cash Loan.

Unfortunately, Cash Advance Loans companies can not find these kind of things such as a compulsive gambling behavior, and they rely on what any applicant fills in the form. The loan company will presume that the loan is meant for paying off financial obligations; they don not even suspect that the loan might never be returned.

The compulsive gambler does not even realize the financial difficulty he is in, as he thinks that his luck is just around the corner and once he earned back his money he will pay off all of his debts. You can visit a Casino if you want to relax and have some fun with your own extra money. If you plan to get a loan for gambling purposes, think again. Do not create a financial hole that you will not be able to escape just to have fun!

Article Source

Colin writes about various topics ranging from pet training tips to health related subjects. For more writings by him, visit: Financial Articles

               

Video Gambling - Confessions of an Addict

By Paul Kennard

Some people associate gambling as a means of enjoyment or social interaction. But at one point in my life it became an addiction. The fun stopped and the problems began, but oddly enough while it was happening I didn’t know the moment the switch occurred. I was introduced to gambling at the age of 23 while working at a small restaurant on the northwest part of town. It was a slow time of day and there were three video lottery machines in a small room in the corner of the restaurant. The entire staff would play the machines during the slow times throughout the day and I never thought much about it. They would spend their tip money in hopes that they would win it big with nothing more than a spare change left behind by patrons.

One day I decided to drop a quarter into the machine myself and take a run with my luck. The game Keno looked pretty interesting to me so I picked ten numbers and hit start. Before I knew it I was racking up credits, 500 to be exact. I couldn’t believe it, I had just won $125.00 and it was my first time playing any kind of game of this kind. I was on top of the world and experiencing what I would later understand to be a gambler’s high.

On my way home from work I passed a couple of casinos, they had always been there but I never really noticed them before. With gambler’s high still pumping in my veins I decided to stop and try my luck again. My line of thinking was that if I only took in $20.00, I could only lose $20.00. However, if there such a thing as beginners luck, I am sure had it. By the time I left the casino that night I was another $350.00 richer and laughing to myself about how I could quit my job to play professionally.

As a result of my “beginners luck” I became a gambler full and true. First only taking in $20.00 or $40.00 at a time, but before long it was $100.00 or $150.00 in sad attempts to gain back what I lost the night before. I was having some personal problems at the time and going to the casino was a good way for me to keep my mind off all the problems at home. Perhaps I was trying to find an escape, or maybe that is just the excuse that all addicts use.

Now a few years later, I was about to have a baby. My gambling came to a halt during this period. I had other things to keep my mind busy, so I didn’t need it at the time. There was about a two year period where I didn’t gamble at all, in fact, I didn’t really think much about it. However, once things on the home front began to worsen again, I immediately started looking for something else to consume my thoughts. I was on the verge of hitting bottom and I didn’t have a clue. With a new born baby at home and never knowing where my boyfriend was, I felt lonely and depressed. I sought comfort in the casinos and began to hit the machines again. It was just like old times.

I can remember going into the casino with $100.00 and my ATM card in hand. It was warm and inviting, like an old friend welcoming me back with a big hug. I never needed my ATM card that day as I had hit the big one with my last $20.00. One thousand dollars, I couldn’t believe it. That was more money then I would make working at the restaurant in two weeks and here I won it while having free drinks handed to me.

Being the gambler I had turned into it was not enough to just win $1000.00. I immediately took $300.00 to another machine and began feeding in my winnings one quarter at a time. However, I guess I had the touch that day for sure; I won another $1000.00 almost immediately. I was hooked and everything in me was telling me that what I was doing was right.

If I hadn’t of won I don’t know that my gambling would have gotten so out of control. I began gambling daily, sometimes all day long and far into the night. I would skip work to go to the casino. Gambling became a big part of my life. I would pass on sleep to gamble, I didn’t eat as the high of gambling kept me from thinking about food. My relationships suffered as suddenly I didn’t have the time to talk with old friends on the phone or participate in the lives of my family.

I would be very irritable with my young son after a loss. The only thing I thought about was sitting at those machines with a beer in one hand and money in the other. Pay days were the worst; I would drop $600.00 in one day. This only led me to lie to my family and friends so I could borrow money from them to feed my son, or even worse, to just gamble it away. My family life was fading away from me and the people around me knew there was a problem.

It was only about two months ago when I lost it big. I received my income tax refund, and with in a week it was gone. I lost nearly $2500.00 to video lottery. It was at this moment that I realized that I desperately needed help. I was very scared to tell everyone what was going, especially my boyfriend. How could I explain what I was doing and where all the money was going? After many long conversations and much heart ache my boyfriend decided to forgive me. He told me that he would be there for me and that we would get through it together. This is exactly what I think was missing in my life to begin with. Someone to open up to and talk to about my problem, and thankfully he was there for me when I needed him the most.

It has been only two months since I came clean and I have vowed not to have video lottery in my life. Each day still comes with its own challenges but I have enrolled in school, and spend much of my time playing with my kids. Ever since video lottery took over my life 5 years ago, I have not had a lot of time for my family. To see the difference in my family life is what is keeping me going. The smiles on the faces of my children and to have them know that everyday there will be a good supper on the table is so magical.

Click here to read the original article

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Kennard

               

Gambling Addictions

By Jimmy Sturo

Casinos are exciting places to visit. Most of us have seen various shows on TV about the world of gambling. Las Vegas has become synonymous with casinos and gambling. The glitzy lights, glamorous atmosphere, the idea of winning a packet of money, and above all, the sheer action and excitement is a dream come true for any gambler.

Unfortunately, this dream can often become the gambler’s worst nightmare. The adrenaline rush and the thrilling “high” that gamblers experience when they risk their money on games are extremely addictive.

Addiction to gambling is similar to any other addiction. The adrenaline rush and the “high” slowly give way to a seductive, alluring feeling which makes a few gamblers take a plunge into the darker side of this entertaining game. This plunge can truly have some devastating consequences.

Addiction to gambling happens when the player crosses that fine line between playing for entertainment and playing for the “high” feelings associated with gambling. Once a player starts playing for the “high”, chances are he or she is an addict. Some gamblers are so addicted that they don’t even care if they lose, so long as they have a piece of the action.

This unquenchable thirst for some gambling action can ultimately be destructive not only for the players, but for their families as well.

Gambling is an example of extremely poor money management that can ruin lives and families. Divorce rates, spouse and child abuse, suicide, homelessness, and many other such ills are higher in families where there are gambling addicts.

As an example, let’s take a look at the effects gambling has on children. Children of compulsive gamblers, often called “casino kids,” have sometimes been left at the outer rim of the casinos for hours while their parents gamble inside. In extreme cases, some children have even been left in the car for several hours while their parents are busy gambling. Leaving the children with babysitters while the parents make a round of the various casinos, card rooms, and bingo rooms is also pretty common.

Imagine the effect of this physical and emotional neglect on the minds of young children! Children are often the first target of abuse either by the gambler or by a person dependant on the gambler. This devastating abuse often goes unnoticed because the children suffer in silence.

Fortunately, there are quite a few places from where one can get help. Gamblers Anonymous is a great place where lots of gamblers have been rehabilitated and lead clean lives, free of the addiction that once afflicted them directly, and their families indirectly.

Addiction provides detailed information on Addictions, Addiction Recoveries, Drug Addictions, Addiction Treatments and more. Addiction is affiliated with Alcoholism Addiction Treatment.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Sturo

               

Gambling is a Bad Habit Hard to Break, A Habit that Can Kill a Marriage Dead

By Terry Ross

Gambling is one of those increasingly common marriage problems that are often over looked despite over 50% of compulsive gamblers having been divorced. As with many bad habits, gambling has a real negative impact on family life with the habit often leading to serious financial problems as well as neglect of partners and children and sometimes proving to be a catalyst for abuse.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission reported that more than 15 million Americans have a serious gambling problem often generated from boredom, a need for change, the adrenalin rush or as a result of marital or family conflicts. Gambling is becoming an ever increasing marriage problem and it’s a bad habit that has serious consequences with regard to family and personal life.

Very few people have any kind of understanding of the devastating impact that the gambling habit can have. Gambling is one bad habit that if it grabs a hold it takes over your entire life, wrecks you marriage, alienates your family, leaves you in financial ruin and destroys your life. Like alcohol abuse, gambling is often a root cause for domestic violence and child abuse. Gambling starts as just a bad habit, something that you do when you’ve got some spare time but it quickly worms its way into your routine and becomes and all encompassing and hard to break addiction that rules your life.

The escalating habit has been made worse with gambling becoming even more common as a result of the onset of internet gambling. There are now around 1,700 gambling websites all vying for business and just waiting to encourage more and more people into the regular gambling routine. Online gambling is a really bad habit to get into with the 24/7 access from the comfort of your own home, the loss of the sense of reality when gambling away money and the ease at which the gamblers can add more funds.

Research has shown that online gamblers are more likely have the most serious gambling habits / addictions and the families of those addicted suffering a greater intrusion into their everyday lives.

Terry Ross is the author on and the creator of: Common Marriage Problems, a site dedicated to resolving marital conflict.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Ross