Addictions are 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.
Luckily, every year we understand more about how addictions work and about their different variants, some of which were not even considered addictive disorders in the 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 highly harmful characteristics for mental health have gone relatively unnoticed, something that has contributed to that thousands of people around the world have developed the disorder. But… Does gambling addiction have a solution? Let’s see it.
Compulsive gambling or pathological gambling is an addictive disorder in which we develop an extreme need 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 in addition, those who suffer from this pathology are more likely to develop other types of addictions as well
People who suffer from gambling addiction usually start by betting relatively small amounts of money, but once they have adopted this routine and it has become established in their usual way of behaving and thinking, they put more and more money and time into trying to win something, which which causes debts to accumulate and the person’s emotional involvement in the need to earn large amounts of money at a time to grow, which causes the pathology to expand and become increasingly more complicated
When gambling addiction 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 them to deny having a problem very vehemently, showing a very high degree of irritability when faced with suggestions to seek professional help.
It is also relatively common that they reach a point where they need to borrow money from family and friends, in some cases also going so far as to steal money, never 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 ties with others.
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 a person’s life because as it progresses and consolidates, the person who suffers from it increasingly focuses 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 therapy process. And this disorder is based on a series of behavioral patterns that the person learns without realizing it so it is also possible to “unlearn” them with psychotherapeutic support.
In therapy, patients who suffer from gambling disorder learn to direct their attention to other sources of stimulation and motivation, to detect trap thoughts that can lead them to relapse, to identify places and social contexts in which the risk of ending up gambling is increased. increases, to manage the anxiety caused by spending the first weeks without participating in those types of games, and more.
The intervention is carried out fundamentally from psychotherapy but sometimes it is also useful to have the support of psychiatry, given that the consumption of some psychotropic drugs (always under medical indication) can be useful to mitigate the symptoms of addiction in the early stages of treatment.
Now, we must keep in mind that gambling addiction 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 gambling-based games, and that they should take some measures to prevent the appearance of relapses. These measures, however, do not prevent you from leading a normal life.
Are you 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, contact us.
In Psychology For We have more than 20 years of experience caring for patients, and we intervene in both addictive disorders with substance use and those without substances involved, working from psychology and 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.
