How Gambling Affects the Body, Mind and Emotions
Gambling is an activity where people put something of value at risk in the hope of gaining something else of greater value. This can be anything from betting on a team to win a football match, to playing scratchcards or online gambling games. Problem gambling can cause harm to individuals, their families and the community.
Often, gambling can take over someone’s life and become a way to escape from problems or deal with them. Eventually, it can lead to a variety of psychological and emotional issues such as stress, anxiety and depression. In extreme cases, it can also lead to criminal behaviour and a variety of health issues including high blood pressure and heart disease.
Problem gambling affects the brain, body and emotions in different ways and is very hard to overcome. However, there are strategies that can help to reduce the urge to gamble and increase resilience against pathological gambling. These include identifying triggers, learning coping techniques and taking regular breaks from gambling. The important thing is to recognise that the urge will pass and focus on your emotional wellness.
Identifying triggers can be useful, as it can help you to understand what circumstances or situations encourage you to gamble. For example, if your route to work passes by a casino or you watch sports on TV that inspires you to place a bet, try changing your routine to avoid these triggers. Likewise, if you tend to gamble when you’re feeling bored or stressed, try to distract yourself with an activity that requires more concentration, such as working on a hobby or exercising.
There are many different types of gambling available, from traditional casinos and lotteries to online games, fantasy sports leagues and DIY investing. It has never been easier to bet money on a game of chance, and the availability of these products means that gambling can be done at any time of day and from anywhere in the world. Those who are most vulnerable to gambling problems are people with low incomes, who might have more to gain from a big win than others. People with a family history of gambling addiction or mental illness are also at greater risk.
Gambling can be addictive because of a number of factors, including the illusion of control, irrational beliefs and the gambler’s fallacy. All of these negative thinking patterns can increase the likelihood of compulsive gambling and need to be addressed.
People with a problem with gambling can have difficulty walking away from a game and often feel the need to secretly gamble or lie about their gambling habits to those around them. This can lead to conflict in relationships and financial strain. They may also have trouble focusing at work and be more likely to miss deadlines or commit theft or fraud in an attempt to fund their gambling habit. In some cases, severe problems with gambling can lead to suicide as the individual sees no other way out of their situation.