The 7 Types Of Gambling Addiction (causes, Symptoms And Treatment)
Although addictions are a serious problem, they do not all present the same way There are clear differences at an organic level if you are addicted to a substance, such as nicotine or cocaine, than if you are addicted to a certain behavior, such as shopping or gambling.
And gambling addiction, also called gambling addiction, is a problem that can manifest itself in a subtle way, either because society does not have sufficient sensitivity to the problem or because at a popular level there is a wrong idea.
Although talking about specific types of gambling addiction is somewhat complicated, it is possible to talk about types of gamblers and what the risks are of them suffering from the disorder, and in this article we are going to focus on it.
Pathological gambling, also known as gambling addiction, It is an impulse control disorder, causing those who suffer from it to feel an enormous desire to bet on games of chance, without being able to control himself. The bets, which can be very large, cause the person to get into financial problems, asking for loans that he can almost never pay back.
Gambling becomes an addictive behavior, similar to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol or high-calorie foods. Addiction causes pathological gamblers to lose control, completely losing the ability to end the behavior.
In the long run, people who are part of the affected person’s close environment realize the problem, and they are usually the ones who pressure him to seek help and stop losing money. Given this, the most common thing is that the player with gambling addiction denies that he has a problem, saying that it is just a bad streak and that, eventually, he will be able to earn what is necessary to pay what he owes.
As with all psychological disorders, There are as many types of gambling addiction as there are types of people, presenting symptoms closely related to the individual’s own personality characteristics. However, it is true that there are profiles of gamers who are more likely to suffer from this impulse control disorder compared to others.
Next, We will see all the types of gamblers that exist, what is their risk of suffering from gambling addiction and, in particular, what is the specific profile of those who are considered a pathological gambler academically speaking.
1. Professional player
This type of player is characterized by making the game something that is part of their life, as if it were a profession. In one way or another, they have developed effective strategies to achieve profits in gambling.
The professional player is a person who has a high tolerance for frustration, patience, intelligence and self-control. He acts very thoughtfully to ensure that his profits are not ruined.
Although gambling is something very common in their lives, this player profile does not usually have the characteristics of a gambler, given that people who suffer from an addiction usually act impulsively and not very rationally.
2. Casual Social Gamer
It is someone who dedicates time to a game of chance very occasionally, simply to entertain themselves while being with other people while enjoying the activity.
This type of person would correspond to someone who wants to spend the afternoon playing poker with friends from work, or play slot machines for a while while waiting for what they ordered at the bar to be brought to them.
It is played to pass time, relieve stress and socialize, not to have high profits.
The most notable characteristics of this player profile are that their self-esteem is not influenced by the outcome of the bets, they consider other aspects of life to be much more important and the wins and losses are usually moderate.
Unlike the previous player profile, The serious social gamer spends several hours playing the game not as entertainment, but rather as a coping mechanism for everyday problems and the stress they generate.
The serious social gambler invests a significant sum of money and a large part of his free time in gambling, which can cause problems at the family, social and work level.
This profile, although not considered pathological in itself, is susceptible to evolving into a true gambling addiction.
4. Player with escape-relief strategy
In most cases, Addictions emerge as an ineffective mechanism to deal with emotional problems or fill a sentimental void
Players with an escape-relief strategy use the game in a similar way to how serious social players do, but with the particularity that the game is the only mechanism they know to cope with depression, anxiety and stress.
This type of profile, which acts impulsively, is characterized by having a tendency to practically never win. This is because when they play they are in an emotional state that is too intense to be able to think rationally.
Their judgment and decision-making capacity is greatly impaired by the high emotionality they are experiencing, tending to bet high amounts without thinking about the possible consequences.
Losing a lot of money is something that, in the long run, contributes to an increase in negative emotions, especially stress and depression. So, this profile is the type that can evolve into a gambling addiction.
5. Conservative player
This profile is somewhat peculiar because, Although there is a risk that it will degenerate into a problematic situation, the truth is that in the case of the conservative player he will play more for the experience than to win money
Whether out of curiosity or because they simply want to feel the excitement that they can win something, these players enter the world of gambling simply to see what happens.
Actually, it is very rare for a person with this profile to end up being a textbook gambler.
6. Antisocial player
The antisocial player receives this name from the fact that he enters illegal terrain such as rigged bets, rigged dice, cockfights or any other event that involves a crime.
The antisocial player has the clear intention of winning, no matter what, a large amount of money, even if this means harming third parties by lying, cheating, stealing or hurting others.
Although their relationship with gambling does not have to be pathological in itself, the antisocial player may manifest personality traits and other vital aspects that require treatment in psychological therapy.
7. Compulsive gambler
Compulsive gamblers put aside their entire life and are controlled by gambling and the desire to make money It is the clearest profile of a person with gambling addiction, or, if this is not yet the case, they have an enormous risk of developing it.
Many of them will not want to admit that gambling has ended up controlling them, this being the first symptom that they are facing a true gambling addiction.
In addition to spending too much time playing, those who are aware of the problem may try to quit on their own, without success. They also set a money limit not to exceed, but they almost never respect it and end up exceeding it.
They let themselves be carried away by emotions and, whether faced with a loss or a win, the desire to continue playing increases.
Despite the economic problems of losing large amounts of money, in addition to family tensions and interference in work life, the behavior does not stop.
They constantly live in the gambler’s fallacy, a superstitious thought, believing that all the losses that have occurred increase the chances of winning in the next game or game.
