Topic: Recognizing Gambling Disorders, Symptoms of Severe Gambling Addiction - page 6. (Read 963 times)

Personally I have been a long time ago somewhat related to only one of these points,I have been in a situation when life had not a meaning for me unless I used to go to Caesar Palace(local casino,not the big one everyone thinks about) and gamble there.There were some fascinating slot machines there as I didn't use online gambling that much back then.I used to go there even in 2 AM in the morning as it was a 24 h casino.I was unemployed back then but luckily for me I found a job which didn't let me that much time to go there anymore as I was getting tired during my daily job.The desire was big to continue and I only thought about the casino but after some time of not being able to go,I recovered from this serious illness and life was beautiful again.

Risking it though seems like martyrdom in my opinion because you don't really have any bonds with them besides being a friend, I agree that you should risk it but there will come a time that you should set a boundary that you won't be doing this thing. Also the symptoms that you should worry about when someone is addicted is when they are harming others or themselves.

Risk it. I mean, it isn't that hard of a decision to make if you truly are a friend, decisions about friends were never something that you actually wanted to benefit you, but rather benefit others instead. To hell with relationships, if that means the man you want to help (or woman) can get well or be healthy, you could stand to be the villain of their lives for eternity. That's what friends truly are. Now you would only truly do 1 if your friend was an ass, and you don't really consider him as one even.

if he breaks the friendship due to that, then there's nothing you can do anymore tbh. That's just how it goes. Whether they listen or not isn't your fault anymore, it's their own so don't try to wallow into pity due to that.

Don't make it too complicated to do because there is always a good way to warn someone at the right time. Remember, never remind someone to change their bad habit that are considered bad in the general public such as gambling, stealing or other things that are against your religion and customs in public. It will only end up as an insult to him and you will never succeed and even you will have a new enemy who is none other than your friend.

You need to know that we all have mental disorders, it's just that we are on a different level with people who are called crazy because feeling of anxiety and restlessness are also symptom of a disturbed mental state. The level of gambling addiction experienced by your friend, it would not hurt you to suggest he go to a psychologist not to a psychiatrist who is identical with the disorder. That will give him some encouragement and motivation to make improvements to his mindset and gambling habit. However, before you do, make sure you are no longer a gambler.

Number 1 should not be an option. But, surely, there must be a way for you to get to initiate a discussion about your friend's gambling problems without necessarily risking your friendship. You are friends, after all. Of course, you don't just directly tell him/her that he/she needs to go to a psychiatrist and have himself/herself checked up. As a matter of fact, I guess the first option is to try distract him/her from gambling. You might want to schedule different fun and interesting activities to divert his/her attention from going deep into gambling addiction.

Some of us when depressed don't eat at all but yes I've seen documentaries about obesity as a result of their depression. This is when they are rejected by a boyfriend or got bullied.

Gambling addiction is a major problem that is why most state's governments ban gambling even online gambling. A father with gambling problems always has issues and its not good for all the family members.

This also applies to other activities that you do. Like if your favorite habit is to eat, when you're under stress, you eat. When you are annoyed and you feel uncomfortable, you'll find a way to eat and crave. That's sort of stress eating and that's the same in gambling. It is a stress reliever for the others and they gamble as much as they want and the release of dopamine in our body triggers it more for us to gamble no matter what the situation is as long as you're feeling pleasured by doing it or you're finding it as a way to solve the current problem that you're dealing with.

Exactly, people with gambling addiction cannot be stop that easily it's like trying to stop smoke addiction. All they need is plenty of time to stop that's why there are people who can help them to stop that and those are the psychiatrists. Let them help themselves first if they really want to stop playing gambling because I believe it always start with ourselves on how to change.

He will realize it sooner if he continues to persists that's the hard way but let's just give them a chance to prove their own if you see them trying. I think we all know what it feels like to have an addiction in some things, right?

Well, gambling addiction is a mental disorder. So, the psychiatrist is the most relevant person to come to. Nobody seeks for a psychiatric help If they're in a sane mind.
You can't risk your friendship by telling him how worse he have been gambling lately and that he certainly needs to limit himself, but not in a persistent way. Just tell him once or twice, that's it. You can change someone If they aren't interested in changing themselves first. So, If he doesn't want to lessen on your first and second try then the least thing you could do is to watch him gradually becoming broke. That's the only he'll realize how worse he is. Learn the hard way.

There's a limit for your everything and as a friend you should know your boundary because not all gambler are open to share their addiction to their friends. We cannot force them to stop that addiction, it's a good idea to ask them to go out with you away from gambling and maybe he can realize things that there's a better life outside gambling and he can feel that you are with him any time he needs you. There's so much bad stories about gambling addiction, I hope we don't end like that because that's too frustrating.

Everything should have a limit and everything on this world would really turn out to be bad if you do it excessively this is why we should really be careful on dealing up with things and should really be in moderation or else you would really be experiencing up problem that you might not have able to experience into your own entire life.

Its true that there are people who aren't really that open enough or being showy in terms of their own personal problems specially that most of gamblers do really deny that they had already been addicted.

You would really be messing up yourself if you do tolerate that addiction that inside of you.You should be careful and be watchful towards your actions.

You don't really have to risk friendship there. You could either just invite him to go to a more productive habit like going fishing, hunting, or biking or sort of like that but don't go over to personal stuff like his addiction. Friends know what other friend like doing besides the problematic stuff.

Unless he is the one who starts the conversation about going to a psychiatrist, people often times when having no money at all are irritable and makes him more irate when if advised going to a psychiatrist.

I think the reason why they say that gambling can be relaxing is due to that dopamine fix problem gamblers get when they spin a slot or spin the wheel at a roulette table. In this context, "relaxing" might be confused with "soothing" in the sense that the addict is scratching an itch. One thing I'd like to point out is that many of the symptoms from the OP are also common among gamers. The line between gambling and gaming has become incredibly blurred. https://www.nodepositdaily.com/features/differences-between-gambling-and-gaming/ has a cool piece on this phenomenon, but essentially the two are overlapping. It doesn't help that many games have paid loot boxes, which are nothing more than single reel slot machines.

I guess my point is that problem gambling symptoms will become extremely common among gamers as well. To me, that's a far larger issue, since the number of people playing video games far exceeds those who are gambling. Figuring out how to help such individuals should be a priority for all gambling regulators.

You would surely be giving out some advises and piece of words if the one who got addicted is neither your friend, loved ones or something you do know but if you do tend to say or showing off some concern into some random guy then i highly doubt that you wont really be saying a thing or wouldnt really care at all and would just let them on the things that theyve been doing and for sure i wouldnt really care into someone on telling and they might
scold you on and say that mind our own business since its their money to spend on and its up to their full rights on how they would gonna be spending it.

You can see most of these on the casinos, they are playing despite of being broke and usually they fake their smile just to tell people that they are ok but in reality, they are not. We can help them but it’s still up to them if they are going to listen to us or not, the only person that can help them is the professionals, and their family. If you see someone acting all those on the list, be kind to them.

This point made it seem like, gambling can actually be some form if stress relief, really! Can it? Can gambling really be a way of handling stress? Because what I see there is actually accumulating more stress. The stress that comes with each wrong prediction or anticipation of the game, each money you loose and all that. It actually sets your adrenaline off and other things thinks in.

Gambling addiction is bad and addiction doesn't really ends with gambling alone. Being addicted to anything at all is bad. It might surprise you to hear this but then, your being sucked in completely that you no longer see the need for any other thing or its importance. This isn't the way to go. Anything that is so static breaks. Flexibility is where you should be because, the would itself depends on the variation within it to survive. Don't be an addict!

I understand why the OP is very concerned because that person is like a family to him. Since he knows better that person, he should know when to bring that topic to his best friend without him offending. Some people get upset when someone is pointing out their bad habits even if he is a very close one. So as a best friend, you should know when to inject such discussion without him being upset and that you have good intentions of bringing that up.

You're in a very difficult position here, and the right thing to do would be to try and convince your friend to visit a psychiatrist. However, I don't know how bad things are with his addiction, but if it's severe there is a risk that he will be very mad, break the friendship, and won't even listen to your advice.
In such a case you need to come very carefully, don't make any straight approaches. I can share my experience of what I did when my friend was an addict (only not gambling, but alcohol), but the psychology is the same here.

First, you need to take his side, make him see that you're in the same team he is. SO, you'd have to start gambling, share your experience (only be cautious not to become addicted yourself!), gamble together.

Then you'd need to slowly start exposing some problems. E.g. say that you're facing financial troubles because of gambling (even if it's not true), can't stop thinking about it and then very gradually name all the problems that your friend is facing but as if they're yours. But don't make any hints or references that he might be having the same problems, that will ruin everything! He'll need to reflect that on himself and see that he's in trouble himself but through watching you.

So, the main psychology here is that the person often can't see when he is in trouble, but he can see it in others. But don't make it fast, or he'll suspect something, maybe make it weeks. Eventually, he will see the problem, and then and only then (if he doesn't think of that himself at that point) you can start talking about the psychiatrist.

That worked for my friend, and I gave that advice to other people that were in similar situations, it always works if you do it right.
I hope this will help!

It's better if I don't say anything to my relatives, let alone give advice about gambling, however this will be more sensitive to say, even if we talk to family, we will still become enemies because we have spoken about this openly even though the relative wants to remain private about gambling.
I have a friend since childhood and until now it is still the same, but he has been a gambling lover for a long time so I let him do whatever even though I have seen a lot of damage done, but I thought as long as you never borrow money from me just to gamble then I wouldn't give it any less.

also, the best way to give him a piece of advice is if he brings the topic first. usually, if you will raise the topic and tell him about his situation and how to address his, may end up him not talking to you. some people get offended even if you want to help their situation. let him realise first his situation and if he asks for your assistance, then you can very well offer any help for his situation. people know what situation they are in, and yes, they need to realise it on their own because the real change will only come from themselves and not from anyone around them.