Why is it important to seek professional help for gambling addiction?

It is estimated that around 0.9% of Spaniards will develop a gambling addiction at some point in their life.

This is a psychological alteration that, despite the fact that in many social circles it is very normalized, requires therapeutic support as soon as possible, because its effects are reflected in a wide variety of problems severe.

Throughout this article you will find a summary of these harmful effects of gambling addiction, and several guidelines on what to do about this condition.

• Related article: "Addiction: Disease or Learning Disorder?"

What is gambling addiction?

As its name suggests, gambling addiction is a type of addictive disorder in which there are all the fundamental characteristics of these pathologies, among which it is worth highlighting the dependence on a certain behavior pattern and the need to delve deeper into these behaviors to avoid discomfort.

However, unlike what happens with drug addiction, in this case the person does not feel that they need to consume a certain psychoactive substance, but rather that the problem is based on the need to play games of chance (although it must be clarified that there is also addiction to video games as a category Besides).

Characteristic symptoms of gambling addiction

These are the most characteristic symptoms of gambling addiction, and the signs of the extent to which this disorder is a problem that goes beyond the simple love of gambling.

1. Appearance of the feeling of discomfort if you go a while without playing

One of the hallmarks of this disorder is that simple well-being is not expressed by the fact of participating in games of chance, but what drives action is, above all, avoiding the discomfort caused by the fact or not playing.

2. Need to bet more and more

This need is reflected both qualitatively and quantitatively: gambling is becoming an increasingly important part of a person's life.

• You may be interested in: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

3. Using deception to ask for money and hide liquidity problems

In order not to arouse suspicion about the instability generated by the addiction (something that could lead others to pressure to end the habit of gambling), the person tries to hide their financial problems, in order to have easier access to loans.

4. Poor anger management and a tendency to be irritable

Something as simple as taking many hours without playing makes the person see as an intolerable obstacle anything that supposes them to postpone those sessions even more, or anything that distracts you from thinking about and fantasizing about this topic.

5. Tendency to play hide and seek

This is another of the behavior patterns associated with hiding the existence of the pathology. For example, it takes the form of going to the casino without telling anyone, or participating in poker gambling by locking yourself in the bedroom, etc.

6. Upset with negative emotions

Along with the development of this disorder, emotions associated with discomfort arise, especially of the anxious and depressive type. In fact, people diagnosed with this condition are statistically more prone to suicidal ideation.

What solutions are there to this disorder?

Gambling addiction can be overcome, but all solutions go through seeking professional help and starting a treatment process. In this sense, You must take these criteria into account to know how to find a good therapy option.

• Make it a team made up of accredited health professionals.
• That these health professionals have many years of experience in addiction treatment.
• That the team of therapists work with accredited health programs.
• That the detox center is accredited for addictive behavior treatments.
• That it offers different types of treatments, adaptable, and that it includes a follow-up process.

Looking for addiction treatment?

If you are looking for treatment options for addictive disorders, be they drug addiction or pathological gambling and other behavioral addictions, please contact us.

Llaurant la Llum is a detoxification center specialized in the treatment of addictions both through outpatient care and through through our residential treatment program, both based on methodologies backed by scientific evidence. Our residential income center is located in Picassent (Valencia) and our outpatient office is in the center of Valencia, next to the City of Arts and Sciences.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Becoña Iglesias, E. (2004). Pathological gambling: prevalence in Spain Health and drugs, vol. 4 (2): PP. 9 - 34.
• Griffiths, M. (2003). Action plan: Problem Gambling. The Psychologist. 16 (11): 582–585.
• Moreyra, P.; Ibáñez, A.; Saiz-Ruiz, J.; Nissenson, Kore; B., Carlos (2000). Review of the Phenomenology, Etiology and Treatment of Pathological Gambling. German Journal of Psychiatry, 3 (2): pp. 37 - 52.
• Potenza, M.N. (2008). The neurobiology of pathological gambling and drug addiction: an overview and new findings. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363 (1507): pp. 3181 - 3189.