Is there a solution to gambling?

Addictions make up one of the most widespread types of pathologies today, and what is worse, some of them enjoy a certain degree of social acceptance or normalization, with many people assuming that addictive disorders are, in fact, part of a lifestyle.

Fortunately, each year after year we understand more about how addictions work and about their consequences. different variants, some of which have not even been considered addictive disorders in a beginning.

This is the case of pathological gambling, sometimes also called pathological gambling: since participating in games of chance over and over again does not have to involve taking drugs, its characteristics highly harmful to mental health have gone relatively unnoticed, something that has contributed to the fact that thousands of people around the world have developed the disorder. But… Is there a solution to gambling? Let's see it.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

What is pathological gambling?

Gambling or pathological gambling is an addictive disorder in which we develop

an extreme urge to engage in high-frequency gambling and betting, to the point that mental health and social and work life are affected.

On the other hand, it is estimated that in Western countries, between 0.1 and 3% of adults have developed this psychological alteration at some point in their lives, and furthermore, those who suffer from this pathology are more likely to develop other types of addictions as well.

People with gambling problems usually start by gambling relatively small amounts of money, but once they have settled into this routine and this has settled into his usual way of behaving and thinking, more and more money and time is spent trying to earn something, which makes debts accumulate and the person's emotional involvement in the need to earn large amounts of money at the same time grows, which which causes the pathology to expand and complicate more and more.

When pathological gambling is already very advanced, people who suffer from it tend to try to hide what is happening to them at all costs and it is common for vehemently deny having a problem, showing a very high degree of irritability at suggestions to seek professional help.

It is also relatively common reach a point where they need to borrow money from family and friends, in some cases even stealing money, without ever being able to return those amounts due to the nature of their pathology. This causes not only their mental health to deteriorate, but also their bonds with others.

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Is it possible to overcome gambling addiction?

As with all addictions, gambling addiction has among its characteristics its ability to expand and permeate with its presence all aspects of the person's life, because as it progresses and consolidates, the person who suffers it increasingly focuses more on "satisfying" their need to play to try to win something, everything else is relegated to the background.

However, if the person becomes fully or partially aware that they have a problem, it is possible to overcome pathological gambling and turn the page through a process of therapy. And it is that this disorder is based on a series of behavior patterns that the person learns without realizing it, with which it is also possible to "unlearn" them with psychotherapeutic support.

In therapy, patients with gambling disorder learn to direct their attention to other sources of stimulation and motivation, to detect the trap-thoughts that can lead them to relapse, to identify places and social contexts in which the risk of end up betting increases, to manage the anxiety produced by spending the first weeks without participating in that kind of games, and plus.

The intervention is carried out fundamentally from psychotherapy, but sometimes it is also useful to have the support of psychiatry, since the consumption of some psychopharmaceuticals (always under medical indication) can be useful to mitigate the symptoms of addiction in the early stages of treatment.

Now, we must bear in mind that gambling is not completely reversed; Those who overcome this disorder should always keep in mind that, compared to the rest of the people, they are more vulnerable to games based on gambling, and that they should take some measures to prevent the appearance of relapses. These measures, however, do not prevent a normal life.

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Looking for addiction treatment?

If you are interested in having the support of a team of mental health professionals to face and overcome an addiction, please contact us.

In Advance Psychologists We have more than 20 years of experience serving patients, and we intervene both in addictive disorders with substance use as in those without substances involved, working from psychology and from psychiatry.

In addition, we also offer services in the field of family therapy, couples therapy, neuropsychology, sexology, coaching and speech therapy. We can do psychotherapy sessions in person at our center located in Madrid or through online therapy.