What Is Cybergambling And How Is It Treated In Therapy?
Currently there is an increase in cases related to gambling addiction, and this is largely due to the popularization of online platforms that are offered as “digital casinos.”
This has given rise to a form of gambling associated with new technologies. a phenomenon that affects increasingly younger people and that can cause serious damage both emotionally and at a behavioral and social level.
In this article we will see what this kind of psychological alterations framed within cybergambling or pathological gambling associated with online betting a type of addiction without substance that is no less dangerous, and the way in which going to therapy helps to overcome the disorder and turn the page.
Cybergambling affects the affected person in the same way as any other addictive disorder, since the same reward circuits are involved, which are stimulated every time the action towards which the person develops is carried out. dependence.
These brain circuits are responsible for generating a feeling of pleasure or well-being in the person who has said addiction. , as well as maintaining the addictive behavior in a sustained manner over time to obtain the desired sensation and avoid discomfort by not relapsing. In turn, what is known as tolerance occurs: the person needs to go deeper and deeper into the addiction to obtain the desired experience. In the case of gambling or cybergambling, this involves gambling more and more, which leads, in most cases, to getting into debt.
In the case of cybergaming disorders, addictive behavior occurs in various forms and It can be both sports betting and online slots and other digital games of chance.
That said, let’s see what the main characteristics of cybergambling are.
1. Obsessive thoughts
The essential characteristic of people with cybergambling disease, as in other addictions, are constant and recurring thoughts about doing that action again that generates well-being.
People with this addiction usually spend all day anticipating the moment when they will be able to bet, play or perform any type of action again, and in the same way, they experience a feeling of discomfort while they are not playing.
Furthermore, there comes a point where these types of thoughts keep them busy throughout the day and prevent them from properly carrying out any other activity or paid work, thus putting their social and professional life at risk.
2. Mood swings
People who have a case of cybergambling or classic gambling may feel irritable or restless when they are not playing or betting. This also happens when trying to reduce the frequency of betting, something that they generally do not end up achieving on their own.
Changes in the person’s personality and mood are another of the classic symptoms that indicate that we are facing a case of addiction and these They are magnified as the person sinks deeper into their alteration.
Bad mood, unpleasant or off-color responses, aggressiveness towards other people and even physical violence are frequent and very distinctive signs of this type of alteration based on addiction.
3. Diverse profiles
Although people usually tend to think that problem gambling affects more adult or middle-aged men, the truth is that The new forms of online gaming have led to the emergence of new profiles of addicted people, mainly adolescents. many of them minors.
The immediacy of new technologies and the possibility of betting at any time 24 hours a day is an element that favors the appearance of new addicted people almost daily.
4. Impact on social relationships
These sudden mood changes usually also affect the people around them, who tend to pay for the frustration and discomfort felt by the person who is going through an addiction situation.
It is common for a person with gambling addiction see their social relationships progressively affected, both in the area of friendships and at work, as well as family or couple relationships.
This situation ends up causing said person to isolate themselves from their social environment, as well as from their loved ones, even separating or divorcing their partner.
5. Affectation in the workplace
Similarly, with a situation of cybergambling There is a high probability that the person will end up losing their job. since during the day he can only focus on his addiction and the discomfort caused by not playing or betting.
As indicated, the relationship with coworkers is also affected, who can often be able to detect said addiction, in cases where it is already in very advanced stages.
6. Avoidance of daily problems
All of the aforementioned problems very negatively affect the emotional well-being of the person. a fact that pushes him to continue doing the activity to which he is addicted in order to avoid them.
In this way, a feedback dynamic is produced in which the worse the situation of the addicted person, the older their addictive behavior becomes and vice versa.
7. Altered perception of reality
It is common for the majority of people with cybergambling to see their perception of reality altered unconsciously and to feel able to control their addiction problem, when in reality this is not the case.
In other cases They consider that they are experts in how games of chance work or that they are able to detect when the machine is “hot.” or about to give the prize.
Related article: “17 curiosities about human perception”
8. Bet more and more
Addictions usually cause a situation of tolerance in the person, consisting of the person increasingly needing more doses of the substance to which they are addicted or a greater amount of reward to feel the same well-being.
In the case of gambling or cybergambling, exactly the same thing happens; that is to say, The affected person tends to bet more and more to continue feeling the same emotion as at the beginning.
You may be interested: “Loss aversion: what does this psychological phenomenon consist of?”
The recovery process after developing an addiction takes several months and involves going to mental health professionals specialized in addictive disorders as soon as possible.
In the case of cybergambling, support during the first hours and days without playing is critical, since in this first stage the discomfort increases quickly; However, in therapy the person is helped to manage anxiety and the rest of the unpleasant emotions and feelings associated with avoiding relapse.
In the second phase of treatment, mental health professionals help the person to confront dysfunctional beliefs that were eroding the person’s self-confidence and is also helped to detect cheating thoughts that precede relapse (the excuses that many patients give themselves without realizing it in order to be able to fall into addiction again without feeling very bad about it).
Furthermore, among other therapeutic processes, Guidelines and routines are offered to ensure that the person’s daily and social environment exposes them to fewer risks of playing games of chance again. In the case of cybergambling, this can involve using tricks to stop having easy access to certain websites or stimuli, and learning to segment goals into smaller sub-goals to know at all times whether progress is being made or not, as well as to motivate yourself better.
If necessary, You can also count on the support of psychotropic drugs to manage anxiety although in these cases it should always be done under medical supervision and following the guidelines of the team of mental health experts.
In the last stage of the intervention, follow-up sessions are carried out to resolve doubts, know the progress of the treatment effects, and detect risk situations that increase the probability of relapse, to act in time.
