Ways to Spot a Gambling Problem

Gambling Psychology

Many people associate gambling with distractive behavior or illegal activities, nevertheless, gambling can be looked upon as a leisure activity, which is essential in living a well balanced life.

One of the most interesting methods of gamblers identification offered by psychologists is making gamblers deal with childhood fears. On a deep psychological level, gamblers want to lose all their money so that they can reach a bottom and this process is initiated by a past action that was left unresolved in the subconscious, resulting in an overwhelming sense of guilt.

There are plenty investigations administered on the subject of gambling problem and plenty more to be administered in the future. We cannot always treat or prevent gambling problem, but at least we have the ability to discover such addictive behavior by using the following keys:

Fixation on gambling activities:

Unless this person can be characterized as enthusiastic football fan, who likes to put a buck or two on his favorite team, exaggerated preoccupation with sport results or gaming scores will convey the obvious symptom.

Apathy and lack of interest:

Sudden indifference towards family members, colleagues or favorite activities, which once used to capture major part of that person's life, indicates some severe disruption in daily life.

Missing money or belongings:

Gamblers have a tendency to sell their personal items or to conveniently misplace money to sponsor their gambling habits. It is nearly impossible to notice this phenomenon at work, unless we are talking about large sum of money, but it is not so difficult to observe it within home environment.

Mood swings, lies and nervousness:

Gamblers lie to protect their secret and they usually respond with extra anxiety and in more severe cases with violence. Generally, drastic mood changes together with deep feeling of discontent or depression disclose problematic situation, which needs appropriate treatment.

Loss of self-control and irrational behavior:

As time goes by, gambling addicts tend to bet larger amounts, take greater chances and gamble more frequently, what result in complete loss of control. Periods of stress, depression or excessive alcohol use aggravate gambling activity and express the obvious sign of gambling problem.

The psychology of gambling can be best understood if one examines the two extreme views regarding what gambling is. On one hand, there are those who view gambling as a disease and sickness, while on the other hand, there are those who see gambling so involved in and integral to the daily affairs of humans, that it requires no interpretation or moderation.

Gambling can be fun, but when it gets to be more than a game, you might have a gambling problem. The important thing is to put things into perspective and to spot gambling problem in time in order to provide professional help.