05.10.2021
Gambling Addiction?
Gambling is indeed awe-inspiring! One thing that is certain, you lose from time to time. However, you have fun and are thrilled that you may be in for the next jackpot.
Nevertheless, for about 7% of all gamblers in the world, gambling can result in something other than entertainment; it can negatively affect their quality of life and land them in a terrible financial mess.
Modern science has revealed that problem gambling has gone beyond a lack of self-control; an addiction to gambling is setting in for some gamblers.
What causes an “addiction” to gambling?
Any time we hear of an addict, we often think of an individual with a drug or alcohol-related problem. However, the DSM-5, which is the current standard for psychiatric disorders, has revealed that gambling disorders are an addiction in the truest sense.
Gambling disorders are an addiction in the truest sense.
One would think that a problem gambler would be given a treatment similar to that given to a compulsive shopper. However, this is not so. Mental health experts have revealed that the same treatment plans given to substance abusers are much more effective for problem gamblers.
The National Center for Responsible Gaming has said, “Gambling disorder is considered as an addiction because the growing studies on problem gambling have revealed that substance abusers and problem gamblers manifest common symptoms.”
The real impact of problem gambling on more than just behavior
Psychologists have made it known that people suffering from serious gambling disorders have the same characteristics as drug addicts: decline in physical and mental health, lying to friends and family, and even withdrawals are the common features of people with either substance or gambling addiction.
No wonder, these symptoms have the same root. A key contributor to the DSM-5 Dr.Charles O’Brien has said that research studies have revealed that “gambling triggers the reward system in a similar way that a drug does.”
Although we are no neuroscientists, the findings make a lot of sense. We all derive great pleasure from gambling. This pleasure is the result of dopamine released by the brain. The same dopamine makes things such as chocolate, sex, etc. pleasurable.
Some individuals are highly vulnerable to drug addiction and compulsive gambling due to their inherently underactive reward system.
However, something is wrong with the mental reward system of those who are vulnerable to a gambling disorder. In the words of Scientific American, “Some people are highly susceptible to both drug addiction and compulsive gambling due to their inherently underactive reward circuitry.”
Several research studies agree with this finding of Scientific American. The parts of the brain that suppress impulses are flawed in problem gamblers. Furthermore, research studies have confirmed that dopamine levels are drastically reduced in individuals with a gambling disorder. Also, researchers have discovered that problem gamblers have a higher probability of developing Parkinson’s disease, which is mainly due to dopamine malfunction.
What does all this mean?
It is important to note that problem gamblers are not bad people. The growing scientific studies have confirmed that their brains are wired in a way that they can develop a problem probably due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
The team of experts at CanadaCasinoNews owes it a duty to ensure that each time you play casino, you have great fun!
However, if you discover that gambling is negatively impacting your life, you should get help. Today, the available help resources are easier to access and much more effective than ever before. The help resources for problem gamblers include Canada Safety Council, Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), CAMH, GambleAware, Gambling Therapy, Gamblers Anonymous, and GamCare. Here is the phone number of the Canadian National Council on Problem Gambling: 1-866-531-2600. Many other services also offer free assistance 24/7.
Please, play responsibly.
