Topic: Can loneliness make one addicted to gambling (Read 4102 times)

I believe it completely depends on how you view gambling, that's what will really determine your actions towards it. For some people, gambling is just like every other recreational activities, just like going for golfing, hiking, mountain climbing or any other thing you might find entertaining. That way, even if you run to gambling every single time you're bored, it really won't have any negative impact on you because at the end of the gambling session, you'll feel a lot more relaxed and relieved.

I think there is an enormous difference between being lonely because you consciously want and feel good by being alone, and by being lonely and feeling highly frustrated for that reason, what will lead you into fulfilling that emptiness inside with something else. That is when addictions are developed.

Some people go for alcohol, others go for illegal drugs, compulsive sex and some choose the gambling route! The addiction helps ceasing the negative thoughts the person feels about himself not having a friend, family or lover around. Although the effect is temporary and tends to be really noxious on long run.

That is why people should seek for solutions for their lives instead of dangerous palliatives such as gambling addiction. That is not the path for cure, neither for a rewarding life where the individual will feel self-realized at all.

Maybe because some people are soft minded people, we have introvert and they are very quiet by nature, they don't talk much and don't like to mingle with crowd, they love to stay alone and I know some of them that gamble and they have never been a subject of gambling addict person, they do their thing regularly and act like it's a normal routine to them.

However, I think that when an extrovert person becomes an introverted person or becomes less busy with outdoor activities, then there is going to be a problem because that's a new life he is not use to, that's a new life he doesn't understand and to keep him from thinking, they engage in other activities to keep them busy and because gambling is seen as a social activity, they engage in it for the sake of trying to be busy and in that process, if gambling is not managed, addiction becomes sticky.

I understand that loneliness can make someone fall into gambling activities, but this can happen or is more likely to happen when they have previously known or even tried gambling, because usually from my experience when I was still very active in gambling usually the desire to gamble always arises when I am lonely without having any activities or not knowing what to do at that time so the idea comes to mind to take advantage of that time by gambling.

But if you've known about gambling before then I think it's highly unlikely that you'll think about gambling when you're lonely, and you'll probably just dedicate your time to playing online games without any risk of loss or watching movies. So I think loneliness can indeed trigger someone to gamble but most likely only for those who have known about gambling or have even gambled before, and I will also admit that when someone already knows about gambling then it is possible for them to always spend their lonely time gambling indefinitely which ultimately leads them to addiction.

If your lone, that does not make you an addicted gamblers, because you're only going to get engaged in gambling directly and not unto addiction, provided that the gambler is able to know how to manage his time with gambling and emotions as well, it all demands us being able to maintain a coordinate kind of way in which we behave each time we are gambling, you cannot expect someone gambling because he have enough time to do so and then all you do is to call such an addicted gambler, we cannot be addicted in having fun, but the moment we begin to loose priority and focus through how we gamble and to make other balance in life, we may be regarded as being addicted and we can get involved in doing other things aside gambling alone to get us preoccupied.

love how you've turned gambling into the chill cousin of mountain climbing! It's all about knowing yourself. If you can hit the slots with the same zen you take to the golf course, then why not? Just remember, as long as you're not betting the house on a royal flush, it's all in good fun.
Your take is a breath of fresh air in the usually tense gambling chat rooms. Keep rolling those dice (responsibly)!

Honestly, I'm really trying my best to decode or understand what you're tryna say, but if im not mistaken, what you're saying is that, the fact some is lonely doesn't mean you should always run to gambling or see it as a safe haven to ease up the loneliness.

If that's so, then that could be true only to an extent. I believe it completely depends on how you view gambling, that's what will really determine your actions towards it. For some people, gambling is just like every other recreational activities, just like going for golfing, hiking, mountain climbing or any other thing you might find entertaining. That way, even if you run to gambling every single time you're bored, it really won't have any negative impact on you because at the end of the gambling session, you'll feel a lot more relaxed and relieved.

loneliness can indeed lead individuals to seek out activities like gambling as a form of distraction or to fill a void, but it’s not the sole cause of gambling addiction. People gamble for various reasons, and while loneliness might increase the appeal of gambling as a way to pass time or feel excitement, addiction typically involves a complex mix of factors including psychological, social, and biological elements.

Regarding your second question, not everyone who gambles does so for fun; some may start for excitement, others out of curiosity, and some might see it as a potential income source. However, stating that gambling isn’t fun but continuing to gamble can be a red flag. It suggests a possible loss of control, where the individual might not be gambling for enjoyment but feels compelled to continue.

As for the scenario of earning a significant income and choosing to gamble due to loneliness, it’s crucial to recognize this as a risky coping mechanism. While having the financial means might make it seem manageable, the root issue—loneliness and possibly underlying emotional distress—remains unaddressed. This behavior can escalate into a gambling problem, regardless of one’s financial situation.

Your concern for this person is understandable and justified. Loneliness can be a factor in developing gambling habits as individuals may turn to gambling to seek companionship or escape feelings of isolation. However, it’s often a combination of factors that lead to addiction. It’s important for your friend to seek professional help, not just for potential gambling addiction but also to address the feelings of loneliness and any underlying issues related to his wife leaving. Professional support can provide the tools and strategies needed to cope in healthier ways and work through the emotional pain he might be experiencing.

Being lonely doesnt mean that you would automatically be doing gambling because not all would really be a gambler on which means that they could really be able to ease out the boredom or loneliness that they had felt via other means like playing up some games or any hobbies that they are getting used to, and as i have said that not all would really be that a gambler on which means that they could be able to ease out that loneliness via other means. It is really just that that would really be depending on how they would really enjoying it out and as said that not all would really be gamblers.
If you are a gambler then your definitely this is your main option but if not then you would really be dealing up with things that you've been interesting into.
Just like we do all know that each person does have their own different approach into things.

Loneliness is a very bad thing for a start , I will rather say that loneliness can orchestrate you in doing many things , being idle for a long time brings you closer to an unimaginable decisions that you will not even know when you will venture into conclusion .

There is this saying that ‘an idle man is a devils workshop’ and I sincerely believe it to be true because when you are lonely you don’t think about anything but something that makes you happy which invariably gambling is one of the things that make people happy . There are vituallly different things that makes people happy when they are lonely depending of the nature of the individual , some people love playing Music when they are lonely , some think about sex when they are lonely while some see gambling as the only option To ease their loneliness .

Lastly , loneliness can actually make someone To be addicted To gambling because It is the only alternative Measure To keep yourself Busy when you are idle And which might become part of you in no distant time. However, i will never envouraje any adult To be lonely expecially being indoors all the time .

That true because every person who is in lonely condition will think about trying to do some activities that make them feel pleasure, entertain themselves and also relieve all the boredom resulting from the lonely condition they are experiencing.
It just that when there is no control over every action taken in gambling, it can become dangerous, the risks and some bad impacts may actually increase when this condition occurs.
Whoever and whatever their reasons for starting gambling should still be based on the right attitude and approach so that some of the risks and negative impacts can be truly minimized or avoided.
Basically everyone starts gambling for several reasons, each of which is based on each person condition, they may be starting to entertain themselves, have fun or those who are trying to make money will always be haunted by risk.
One thing that is quite worrying is gambling addiction, this can be much worse when the results received are disappointing, and each individual must be able to determine what is good for themselves when they start gambling.

You can easily get addicted to gambling as a result of loneliness and it will make you go closer to gambling because that is the only activity you are seen as for now, so you may not even have that mentality again that it is gambling as long as it’s fun to you you are going to gamble you seeing different people and maybe you seen how the game is the prediction just keep you busy so it’s can really make you to be addicted so loneliness can make you to be arguing gambling, I really agree with that because it is hundred percent possible for loneliness to affect your gambling might set

you cannot just dig gambling on your own when you are lonely , there must be
someone that will lure you though in our time now? there are lots of advertising all
over the internet so we can turn into gambler by any chance.
many people when Pandemic strikes turn into gambler, maybe by desperation
to earn money and have something to relieve their feelings from what is happening
outside their doorsteps.

When someone loneliness, not doing anything and only browsing the internet and visiting the gambling sites, he can attract to the gambling easily because he will curious with the insides of the gambling sites. It needs controls from himself to avoids attract to gambling so he doesn't takes too long staying on that gambling sites. He needs to search for the other activities and fills it to makes him busy and not thinks about gambling, especially if he familiar with the gambling sites. Loneliness can makes someone not doing many things because he will becomes lazy doing many things. That can be worst if he attracts to gambling and curious with gambling because that can makes him playing gambling and will used gambling as his main activity. That can makes him becomes addicted to gambling because he doesn't have the other activities that can makes him distract his minds about gambling.

It is true that loneliness and isolation might increase the risk of problem gambling. One argument is that when individuals are lonely, they may resort to gambling to fill a hole or feel more connected. However, it is crucial to understand that not everyone who is lonely develops a gambling addiction. And not everyone gambles because they are lonely. So, while loneliness may be a risk factor, it is not the sole one.
It's also crucial to recognize that gambling addiction is a multifaceted problem. It's more than just winning and losing money. Genetics, mental health, and environmental variables are all potential contributors to problem gambling.

IMO, maybe we can sort out the main cases like in this thread and like what you said in your post. not infrequently, when we feel lonely, we assume we have a lot of free time, are lazy about doing activities and so on. there is no problem, if someone decides to gamble and solve his loneliness. for me personally, there is nothing wrong with that. in fact, sometimes I do. Likewise with other gamblers, what I say can most likely be our shared experience. I mean, for gamblers. well, the problem is, like the case told in this thread. when someone is looking for an outlet for his loneliness, he chooses to gamble. Unfortunately, someone can be lulled and carried away by the atmosphere, which eventually becomes a habit to divert their feelings of loneliness, especially when they are in an unstable psychological condition. In this phase, a person needs moral support, so that he can overcome his loneliness and gamble only according to his portion.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with what you say, but we also have to look at the context. perhaps, someone just wants to spend a few dollars gambling. then, looking for other entertainment after feeling that the gambling session is no longer fun. the point is, try not to gamble when you are in an unstable condition, not try to find a diversion for the chaos that occurs in the problems you are facing, or so on. Well, one example of the impact is like the case OP described in this thread. but when we really need instant entertainment, especially when we are lonely, all of that is fine. the most important thing is to stay focused only on finding entertainment for the loneliness we experience at that time. and never forget, always remember that we have certain limits to end a gambling session if it is no longer entertaining, let alone fun.

A lonely person looking out for some hobby can begin by trekking around his town and seeing new faces. It helps in building stamina and relaxes the emotions. Staying alone without doing anything, is quite a luxury, but it affects the thoughts of the person. And if the person is a gambler, he'd have a hard time controlling himself from gambling. Since, he's actually in the search for what to do, hence gambling would be the only option in the presence of no other activity. So, loneliness in most senses like what Op explained in his thread could affect the gambler's thoughts, and only the long run even if he wasn't a gambler can begin to gamble. There, his troubles may erupt, and he'd be wondering over what his new lifestyle has become.

And without any experience of gambling wouldn't want to share his trouble with people around him, I mean he's lonely nobody to talk to in the first place. That's quite a tough situation to be in as human. Not having friends around us to communicate our troubles or problems to. Speaking out the problem to someone else almost starts to solve the problem. But in a case of no help, I think the person would need to look out for a place where he'd get proper treatment. As staying indoors won't solve any problem for the person. Instead, it'll increase the trouble for the gambler to a difficult stage. Other things like heartbreak leads to loneliness and then gambling addiction. Having a companion or being a relationship can help a gambler who is lonely to escape addiction. We must not sitback at home and watch gambling addiction win the fight. 

Hmm, so loneliness or boredom made the spark to start gambling? That could be true.
I mean, when there's really nothing to do we might think about entertaining ourselves and gambling could be one of the options to have a little fun. Like the grandmothers living in a rural area at the place of my wife. They sit around playing cards at noon after they do all the house chores. They have nothing else to do so they will play that game until almost evening or near dinner time because they will need to be back home to cook food for the family.
So yes, I agree that boredom could really make someone addicted to gambling because according to my wife, they have been doing that card gambling for years and they don't miss it. That became a bad habit and I was actually curious about where they are getting the money because it's not like they win in streaks, there could be a losing streak, and the question of if they can still afford it sticks in my mind.
There are times they will even lie to their family when they call, telling them that they ain't gambling or playing cards but just at home sitting. Well, I don't blame them. Living in rural places may be really boring.

That's very true friend, I agree with you that in any case the first thing that must be addressed is the root of the problem, as you said and you give good advice that if we want to avoid several actions that could possibly lead to dangerous activities then Obviously the main point that must be justified is to eliminate the feeling of loneliness within oneself. I understand that some people are unemployed and don't know what they should do to avoid feeling lonely, but with the alternative of looking for a new hobby, this can be  considered, even though we are unemployed and don't have a job, but as long as we can still move, I think there's no harm in Do something else instead of locking yourself in your room where in the end there is great potential for you to think about trying your luck at gambling. In my opinion, we will not have too much difficulty taking any preventative measures if we are aware from the start and can identify the dangerous impacts of something like  gambling..

As simple as loneliness could be called or viewed, it is so devastating if the person is not careful about handling it. We should always stop loneliness from the beginning especially if we know that it is causing us to do more than what we should do when it comes to engaging in our hobbies more often, this is a sign that things are getting wrong and we should make a change that will in turn actively change the narrative. In gambling, it might be the worst part, though many other things can cause gambling addiction apart from loneliness, and I must say that I know many people who are not physically lonely but are so addicted to gambling still, and are even wasting money on it because it shows clearly that they are not making money from gambling judging by their way of living.

For such people, they might lose but still have people around them who can keep them going even without slipping into a depression since they have people to talk to, and friends to drink with, and before they know it, they would have forgotten that they have lost, or almost forgotten it because, at times, it will not be easily let go. But for loneliness, it is devastating in loss, no one to talk to you or cheer you up, that makes it
even worse. This could lead to depression easily if care is not taken and if the person bets with the amount he can't afford to lose, maybe specifically with the money entrusted to him, or even worse. This is why some would even have some bad thoughts that I don't need to mention here which makes it worse than all causes of addictions combined because it is you alone, so you have to face the darkness all alone.