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Perhaps you like to buy a scratch off lottery ticket once a week. Head to the dog or horse races once every couple months for fun. While activities that involve betting on people or objects are fine and can be entertaining. It crosses the line into an addiction when gambling becomes an integral part of life. This means that your addiction to gambling is put ahead of other things in life, including family and friends. This may also mean that work, finances, and thought processes are negatively affected. If you are gambling with money that is needed or has been set aside for something else. Continue betting even though you have lost a large amount. Or just waiting for that ‘next big break’, then you probably have an addiction to gambling.

Like any addiction this can happen slowly over time or after one attempt at gambling, usually a win. Also like other addictions, gambling addictions are treatable.

Addiction To Gambling

Addiction To Gambling goes by many names. Pathological gambling, gambling disorder, and compulsive gambling, but all are impulse control disorders. If you have an impulse control disorder you cannot control the impulse to gamble. Even when the effects are known and negative. You probably gamble when you are up, down, broke, or flush with cash. Maybe you fall more into the category that you are not totally out of control, but if gambling is disrupting your life at all you have an addiction that will likely get worse over time if not treated. Gambling addiction problems tend to be associated with co-morbid behavior or mood disorders. This means that those with gambling issues may also have ADHD, bipolar, anxiety, substance abuse issues, or a host of other related problems.

If you are still unsure if your gambling is an issue consider the warning signs shared below.

Problem Gambling

Feeling the need to be secretive about your gambling, even if you are winning, typically means there is a problem. Having trouble controlling your gambling, such as trying to win back lost money or placing increasingly higher bets regardless of your financial situation means there is a problem. Choosing gambling over paying bills or stealing to get more money to gamble and having friends and family worry about your gambling are also signs of an addiction.

As with any addiction, gambling addiction treatment starts with the realization that you have a problem. You are not the first with this issue and you will not be the last. As gambling is often a way to deal with strong emotions, good and bad, you must learn to handle these emotions in a healthier manner. Some people exercise, some find others to spend time with who do not like to gamble, and others find other hobbies to fill the time.

Getting Help

Know that this is not an addiction that can be handled alone and a strong support group should be in place. This group should have people you can trust and be honest with and who will confront you when you are failing while supporting your victories. If you need to turn your finances over to a trusted individual short term so you can get your life back on track. Finally, if a co-morbid disorder exists, seek treatment to it no longer effects the gambling urges. You can recover from a gambling addiction, but it is not easy. However, if you are willing to do the work a normal, gambling free life is possible.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

When most people think of addiction the addiction to drugs and alcohol are the first things that come to mind. In fact for many, addiction is synonymous with drunks sitting in a bar night after night or an addict shooting up in an abandoned building. While this may be highly accurate for some addicts, it could not be further from the truth for many others. Countless people from all walks of life and from numerous different places have addictions to various things. Addictions range from video games and shopping to food and gambling with everything in between. Many of these addictions, though common, are not truly studied or addressed. Fortunately there is help for all types of addiction, though the way that help comes may vary in many cases. Read on to learn a little more about addiction in general.

Addiction Defined

Addiction is defined as the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. This is further defined as having a dependency, habit, or problem with the substance, thing, or activity. This means that anyone who has a problem with anything in life in which the excess use or acquiring of that thing has affected life or daily activities in a negative manner is in active addiction. While it may seem that something as simple as shopping could not be an addiction. Those with an addiction to shopping will buy unnecessary and unwanted items with money that is not available to spend. This can quickly and negatively affect their lives. While this type of addiction may not necessarily show on the physical body like the effects of drugs and alcohol, the whole being is affected.

Affects Of Addiction

Addiction also always affects those around the addict. Addictions to food, gambling, and even technology are no exception. Someone who is addicted to gambling may spend money meant for family trips or basic needs. Perhaps they may continually borrow or even steal money from others to pay off debts. Those with a technology addiction may ignore friends and loved ones for an online world that requires little actual interaction. Those with a food addiction may have certain behaviors that alienate others. These could include hoarding food, hiding to eat, overeating, or related behaviors. As a food addiction spirals out of control it may be that the person begins to steal or becomes so overweight that self-care can be an issue. This means that others are affected negatively.

Addiction Help

If you find yourself with an addiction of any kind, know that there is help available. When you are ready for help or if you just want further information reach out to others. Find someone to help you overcome the habit that has been taking over your life. Do not be afraid to admit that something that may have started out as a fun activity has turned into something that is causing real problems. The road may not be easy, but conquering addiction will always be worth it in the long run.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

When You’re Struggling With An Addiction, Your Health Takes a Backseat

Let’s be honest – when you were in your addiction, you probably weren’t too focused on maintaining good health. When you are struggling with a compulsive habit; you simply don’t have the desire, motivation, or focus required to make healthy choices.

When addiction is running the show, nothing else matters. The only thing that is important is feeding your compulsion – whether it’s substance use, gambling, or sex. This is the nature of an addictive habit.

However; when you get into recovery and you stop engaging the destructive cycle that has been driving your life for the last few months or years, you simply MUST make your health a priority. Mental and physical well-being are critical to the recovery process, which reduces the likelihood of a relapse. It’s easy to slip into old patterns if you’re not careful. This is especially true if you aren’t taking care of yourself.  

Poor Health Can Make It Feel Challenging For You To Get Well

By the time you get help for an addiction problem, you can be in pretty bad shape. Your physical, mental and emotional health may have deteriorated significantly. After being unhealthy for so long, there is a lot of work to be done in the area of wellness. This can feel overwhelming.

Chances are; you have been eating poorly, getting little (if any) exercise, not getting enough restful sleep, not maintaining healthy social relationships, and not pursuing healthy activities that bring you joy. As a result, when you get into recovery, you can be malnourished, have health problems, be exhausted, feel isolated, and experience depression.  

When you feel bad, it can be difficult to muster up the energy or desire to do the things you know you need to do to boost your health. You might feel like you don’t want to do anything but sleep, watch TV, or lay around by yourself. This makes you feel unmotivated to eat right, exercise, or establish a strong social support system. It can be a vicious cycle.

Putting Good Health At Top Of Your List

When you first get into recovery, remaining abstinent from your addictive behaviors should be your number one priority. It requires incredible discipline, commitment, and a whole lot of energy to endure the first few months of withdrawal and reorient yourself to a place of stability.

Nevertheless, after you overcome those first challenging months of your new life, you have to step up your efforts to get better and be well. Recovery is not just about maintaining abstinence from substances and unhealthy behaviors. It’s about finding a new way to live and establishing new habits – healthy, positive habits.

When you feel ready, make the decision to start working on putting good health at the top of your priority list. Once you do this, you will automatically start to gravitate toward healthy behaviors and habits. Start slow so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Maybe start by getting on a sleep schedule where you go to bed at a reasonable hour and get 8-10 hours of restful sleep. Then, cut out the sodas and drink more water. Then, start walking 20 minutes a day. Slowly, with time, you will restore your good health and feel physically, mentally, and emotionally energized.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.