Win, Draw and Ultimately Lose
Gambling presents a lure of easy money. It creates an
illusion of an easy income which can very quickly lead to financial loss. The
insidious human vice leads people to a trap that they can never free themselves
of. The odds of winning are less, and if the chances were any greater, the
gambling industry wouldn’t have survived so many decades.
Gambling is an obsessive compulsive disorder in some
people. Gambling may present itself in various forms. Even betting with a
friend is a form of gambling. When a person repeatedly seeks to earn money by
engaging in some form of gambling with the hope of earning money that may solve
his financial problems and instead ends up in financial distress, it is called
gambling addiction.
In the hope of winning an unreasonable amount of
money, the person loses whatever little he had. The cycle continues until he
has nothing left to lose. The gambler feels he can win back the lost money in
the next opportunity but most of the times it doesn’t happen. To break this
habit, they may seek rehabilitation.
Humans have always found the easy route attractive,
the money earned after hard work is no match for the money won in a lottery
even if its just a few pounds.
The gambler fails to recognize the problem until it’s
too late. Perhaps the next bet will change his fortune. But by then his family,
society, job and finance has already begun to suffer. It has been seen that a
compulsive gambler is ready to risk his relationships to continue with his
gambling ways. Often he is too embarrassed to ask for help. He has ignored his
responsibilities but the urge to gamble far exceeded everything else in life.
Gambling has a direct effect on the social and
familial life of a person. One realizes he is addicted to gambling only when he
is unable to stop doing it. There are both physical and emotional symptoms that
reveal a person’s addiction. It is an addiction that cannot be treated
medically. However, it is possible to treat the mental anxiety and depression
that results from the experience.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicine may reduce
the problems or may even worsen them. Hence it is better to seek medical
supervision and consult a psychiatrist. Self-medication for anxiety and
depression may be harmful. Sometimes the medications themselves may lead to
addiction. While the gambling addiction
cannot be dealt with through medication but consultation may help.
Since gamblers get a high from betting and winning
sometimes, they seek to find that high from other sources when in a withdrawal
stage. Hence, prescription drug overuse is common. Gambling addictions can lead to a person suffering from mental
health problems and risk of suicide. Some cases have seen even the family
members of the gambler committing suicide. Hence it is not to be taken lightly.
Gambling is a serious problem and should be taken
seriously. Seek gambling help and speak to someone you trust to begin the de-addiction process.
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