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Help with a gambling addiction

Gambling addiction

Gambling addiction often begins as a fun pastime, but the urge to win can grow more and more and lead to gambling addiction. U-center offers help with gambling addiction in short and intensive treatment.

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What is a gambling addiction

Going to the casino once, playing poker online, betting money on a race: a gambling addiction often begins as a fun pastime. It's exciting and at first there is some winning. However, the urge to win more often and experience that euphoric feeling can increase more and more and eventually lead to an addiction. Someone who is addicted to gambling needs more and more to achieve that same euphoric feeling and secretly takes more and more risks.

A gambling addiction is characterized by a loss of control. When you are addicted to gambling, this behavior controls your life and you spend a lot of time and money on it. Often this comes at the expense of your daily life and has negative consequences on your work and private life. In that case, it may be a good idea to seek help for your gambling addiction. With treatment you can learn to deal with your gambling addiction and regain control of your life.

Symptoms:

– You think a lot about gambling and spend a lot of time thinking of ways to get money for gambling.

– You often try to regain lost money with gambling, increasing your debts.

– You don’t gamble together (anymore), but mostly alone.

– You gamble with larger and larger amounts to experience that same thrill. As a result, your debts get higher and higher.

– You cannot stop or reduce gambling and previous attempts to stop have failed.

– You gamble secretly and lie about how much time and money you invest in gambling.

– Your gambling behavior interferes with your relationships, work and daily routine.

When are you a gambling addict?

Characteristics of gambling addiction

It can sometimes be difficult to recognize a gambling addiction. Like substance addiction, gambling addiction starts very gradually.

Symptoms of gambling addiction

Not everyone who gambles once becomes a gambling addict. The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and statistical manual of Mental Disorders) describes gambling addiction as a "gambling disorder. It lists a number of symptoms of gambling addiction. A gambling addiction or gambling disorder can be recognized by a number of characteristics:

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Gambling addiction help

If you recognize yourself in the above characteristics, it may be a good idea to seek help. At U-center, you will start working on your gambling addiction with intensive treatment.

Getting rid of your gambling addiction by yourself can be difficult. Sometimes certain situations can cause you to feel the urge to gamble again. Like other addictions, gambling addiction is a disorder in which you yourself have lost control over your gambling behavior. Are you looking for help to stop gambling? U-center offers gambling addiction help through intensive treatment.

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Why is gambling addictive?

As with other addictions, some people are more susceptible to gambling addiction than others. The immediate reward in many gambling games can be addictive for some people. Whether you become addicted to gambling often depends on a combination of biological, psychological and sociological factors. For example, gambling addiction often occurs in combination with mental illness or substance addiction. Suppressing negative feelings can also be a trigger for a gambling problem. Also a gambling addiction often does not occur alone, but often comes in combination with other mental problems. In treatment, U-center therefore offers help with your gambling addiction and underlying problems.

Consequences of gambling addiction

A gambling addiction often results in financial worries. The tendency to gamble to win back the loss increases and can lead to ever-increasing money problems. Debts mount up and you see no way out.

In addition to financial problems, a gambling addiction often has negative effects on your relationships and work. People with a gambling addiction often do not dare to be honest about the debts incurred through gambling. This often causes isolation and loneliness resulting in depressive feelings. U-center treats your gambling addiction and underlying symptoms simultaneously so that you can regain control of your life.

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gambling addiction

This page has been professionally reviewed for medical truth

U-center has subject matter experts check information on the website for medical truth. So you can be sure of reliable information.

Last updated on 26-09-2023

Page reviewed by:
doctor
Hans Zander
Addiction Physician
Addiction treatment physician at U-center.