Online Casino Addiction: What Are Its Characteristics?
With the emergence of new virtual environments due to the development of the Internet as a medium, new sources of risk regarding mental health also appear.
We see an example of this in the addiction to online casinos a topic we will talk about in this article.
What do we understand by addiction to online casinos?
Online casino addiction is a form of psychopathology based on which The experience towards which dependence is generated is participating in games of chance offered by Internet pages specialized in these, and in which you bet with real-world monetary units, or some form of currency based on the real economy, which exists beyond that game or the entity that offers it. That is, in this type of game, losing means losing real money.
In reality, this is a form of pathological gambling, which is often called pathological gambling at a popular level; However, the fact that the medium in which the activity on which the addiction is based occurs is the Internet is very significant, as we will see.
Symptoms of pathological gambling
Addiction to online gambling It is reflected through the symptoms of gambling addiction in general The main ones are the following.
The minds of people addicted to gambling tend to drift toward memories or fantasizing about these types of experiences. Many times, even to the point of thinking about it when other people are talking to them.
This, in turn, It encourages a feeling of discomfort to arise when they are not playing, since they long for those experiences
2. Mood changes and increased irritability
Addictions usually generate an unstable emotional state, as well as a greater propensity to be irritable and react with anger and hostility towards the setbacks of everyday life.
3. Search for excuses and hiding information about the gambling activity
People who develop addiction to gambling find themselves in many situations in which they choose to lie so as not to direct the attention of others towards their dependence problem.
4. Search for borrowed money
Unfortunately, in most cases, Those who have been addicted to gambling for some time end up suffering serious financial problems by spending all their money in this activity.
And since the desire to continue playing overcomes them, they try by all means to obtain liquidity, often borrowing money through deception (they will not be able to return it) or in some cases even stealing.
5. Poor mental health in general
The wear and tear of addiction causes other psychological problems to arise such as insomnia, anxiety disorders, or other addictions (it is very common to end up developing two or more addictive-type disorders).
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What are the particularities of pathological gambling in the online environment?
As we have advanced, the addiction to games of chance in which you can participate through the Internet It is not in itself a psychopathology “officially” recognized in diagnostic manuals, but rather a variant of the clinical category of pathological gambling which is a conceptually well-defined disorder.
However, this does not mean that this version of gambling addiction does not have its own peculiarities. Below we will review these, focusing on those characteristics associated with greater risk and danger.
1. There are many fewer filters for vulnerable people
The lack of control based on direct observation of those who play makes it not very difficult for people who are especially vulnerable to addictions to participate in gambling.
2. Constant access to the game increases the harmful potential
Addictions are based on habits and access to contexts that act as “temptation.”
In the case of addiction to online casino games, The simple fact of being in a house with Internet access and a computer already means exposure to this type of elements That is to say, even at home many self-sabotaging thoughts can appear that lead the person to relapse in a matter of a few minutes (if he does not know how to manage them).
3. Internet browsing becomes a risk
Due to the operation of the Internet and the cookie systems that offer personalized advertising, many people who participate in online gambling are bombarded by these ads which in turn are not well regulated legally and can use persuasion techniques that exploit the vulnerabilities of addicted people.
4. It usually costs more to detect
On many occasions, those who suffer from addictions end up going to therapy due to family pressure. But in the case of online gambling, The discretion offered by the online medium means that if you maintain a low profile, it is possible to participate in the activities of the online casino without raising suspicions until the addiction has become very established.
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Is it always dangerous to play online casino?
Given what we have seen in the previous lines, it is understandable to feel fear at the simple idea of participating in online gambling games.
However, it must be kept in mind that Playing these games does not trigger the appearance of these types of disorders ; As with psychopathologies in general, it is a multi-causal phenomenon, so that for a person to develop addiction to online casinos, several factors must occur interacting with each other. Put more briefly, the fact of playing from time to time is a necessary but not sufficient element to suffer from addiction.
But that should not make us forget that precisely the intangible nature of participation in online gambling means that there is a tendency to underestimate the harmful potential of this type of addiction and the symptoms through which it is expressed.
Unlike what happens, for example, with the consumption of stimulant drugs, here there is no very specific act that we can identify as the basis of dependence (which in the case of psychoactive substances, taking a pill or consuming of a line of cocaine), so many people, and especially the youngest, the emergence of pathological gambling in their lives takes them by surprise.
Are you looking for professional support for addiction problems?
If you are facing a complicated situation in relation to an addictive disorder such as pathological gambling, contact us. In CITA Clinics We specifically specialize in treating addictions (with or without substances) at all stages of the recovery process: from detoxification to rehabilitation and establishing lifestyle habits that reduce the risk of relapse.
We do all this from medicine and psychotherapy, both through weekly therapy sessions, or from our complete assistance service in our residential module designed for admissions, which is fully equipped with wellness and leisure activities. , located in a place surrounded by nature in the Barcelona area.
