Addiction to gambling very quickly turns from a lifestyle into a real disease, which can be very difficult to get rid of. According to the most conservative estimates, about 10% of the world's population suffer from gambling addiction to one degree or another. Someone squanders entire fortunes in slot machines, and someone plays in virtual casinos for days on end.
Gambling addiction refers to diseases of a psychological nature, for which there are no drug treatments. The process of getting rid of addiction takes place in a psychotherapist's office. However, professional assistance does not always give the desired results. Especially in cases where the patient does not realize the importance of independent work on his illness.
A common misconception is the argument that getting rid of gambling addiction is easy - just not playing is enough. Depending on willpower, a person suffering from this ailment may for some time deny himself the temptation to place a bet again, but without a powerful motivational foundation, such efforts quickly come to naught, and the interruption mode ends with another game.
It should be remembered that gambling addiction is often suffered by people of an unstable emotional disposition, exposed to stress and withdrawn in themselves. Any little thing can provoke such a player into a breakdown. Moreover, the so-called withdrawal syndrome leads to the fact that a person begins to look for an excuse to break loose.
Psychologists in such cases recommend starting with a complex detachment from the game environment. To do this, it is necessary to neutralize as much as possible situations that can push you to play. It is necessary to avoid visiting places where slot machines are located. You should spend less time at the computer and increase your productivity to reduce the temptation to visit a virtual casino.
On the way to getting rid of gambling addiction, it is often necessary to fill the void formed after refusing to play with some kind of "substitute". And it's good when they become interested in sports, family pastime or increased activity in social activities. However, giving up on the game can often exacerbate other latent tendencies, such as alcohol, high-speed driving, or drugs. In order not to allow one to go from one extreme to another, it must be remembered that at the initial stage of the fight against gambling addiction, an important role is played by "putting things in order" in a person's consciousness and positioning oneself in society. You should clearly understand the origins that led to gambling addiction - and often it is not a desire to realize your passion or elementary greed. The root of gambling addiction lies much deeper and is often associated with lack of fulfillment in professional or family life, lack of everyday comfort and pathological envy in relation to more successful relatives and friends.
Having understood the origins of the problem, a person suffering from gambling addiction has to do serious work on himself and make every effort to realize the destructiveness of the motives pushing to the slot machine or the next party of the card game. A reassessment of values will make it possible to achieve an impressive result if a person suffering from gambling addiction finds support and understanding from loved ones. The sharp decline in free cash is also a major deterrent for the pathological gambler.
Gambling addiction, like any disease, is divided into easily diagnosed stages. The most difficult one is characterized by a permanent desire to play and a lack of satisfaction from winning. In fact, the game process turns into a single chain of actions, without which a person no longer makes sense of existence. The accompanying depression and deep sense of shame sometimes lead to sad consequences. At this stage, self-medication rarely leads to the desired result, and serious psychotherapeutic treatment must be used to combat gambling addiction.
