Addiction the Didease of Denial
Many people gamble because it helps them escape other problems they have going on in their lives, or relieves boredom and gives them a buzz. Some gamble because they enjoy the challenge or competition and others just find it fun. The thing is, gambling can be really addictive, and many addictions quickly become big problems that can cost a huge amount of money and even make you ill.
Problem Gambling
Problem gambling has a negative effect on the life of the gambler or the people close to them, like parents, friends, brothers and sisters, boyfriends or girlfriends, and others in their lives. It might be that someone’s gambling is causing them to be unhappy, have less energy, fall behind at school, underperform at work, stress about money, or have arguments with family members and friends. If someone’s gambling is causing any of these effects, it is considered to be problem gambling.
Anyone can develop a gambling problem. Two of the things that seem to put people at risk of developing a problem are a history of gambling in their family and the age they started gambling themselves. The earlier people start, the more likely they are to experience gambling-related problems later on.
People don’t start out as problem gamblers. It starts as a fun activity, but somewhere along the way it begins to cause problems. If you think there’s a problem, the chances are there is one.