As a regular bettor, I know that we love to get something for nothing. Winning money or a bet at lotto or an online casino will definitely give you a high. Most people who have gambled before will bet at least once or twice a year, while the majority of the people will place their bets once in their lifetime.
For other people, betting and gambling become a part of their day to day activities. They will bet on anything and everything, hoping that they will hit that massive jackpot or land a huge payout.
Gambling and betting isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s one of the oldest forms of entertainment activities, which has evolved with each civilization. There is, as a matter of fact, a poem titled Gambler’s Lament that was composed during the pre-Vedic times.
However, very few people realize that compulsive gambling – medically referred to as Ludomania – is an addiction just as with alcoholism or abuse of other drugs. It’s a disease that affects a very large number of people, mostly males between the age of 30 and 60. Since the global population is always on the rise, the number of people suffering from Ludomania is unsurprisingly large – and consists of people from every stratum of society.
Ludomania is a very difficult disease to diagnose. Those who are affected will rarely complain as they will hardly even realize that they have this problem. You will never see any extreme symptoms or signs. It’s normally a concerned friend, relative or family member who will mention the compulsion, but in passing.
The addict will always be preoccupied with thoughts of betting or gambling at all times. If one cannot place a bet on cards or other games, you’ll see them gamble on trivia, for example, the number of people who will pass by wearing red clothes in the next 30 minutes. One of the main symptoms of a Ludomania is that despite experiencing financial losses, he/she will not stop gambling.
A player suffering from Ludomania has a brain with less norepinephrine and serotonin than the expected amounts. The result is, such players usually experience a sense of lethargy and depression. These chemicals – norepinephrine and serotonin – are mostly secreted under conditions of thrill or stress. Once a player places a bet, these chemicals are released to the brain, setting in a feeling of euphoria and invincibility, similar to the high gained from injecting heroin.
Once the bio-chemical pathways have been established well, the speed at which metabolism occurs will keep increasing. The gambler will start increasing the stakes of his bet at shorter intervals so as to experience the same high and gradually, one becomes an addict.
There’s no single player who has a perfect record. As the losses increase, this already addicted player borrows more money from people and sharks, pawns jewelry and tries to get money from all sources just to satisfy Ludomania. The result is a loss of jobs, breakage of families and worst case scenario breakage of all social relationships.
People will start avoiding you at all times due to your gambling nature. At such a point, depression might kick in and drive you to drugs or other drugs. Eventually, financial constraints and social pressure might drive one into thinking of committing suicide. It has been reported that 17% – 24% of people suffering from Ludomania tend to have suicidal tendencies.
Indications suggest that all pay casinos with PayPal and other forms of payment methods are meant to promote responsible gambling in all aspects. They have to put different measures in place, including reality checks, just to ensure that you gamble and play responsibly.
Counsellors, psychiatrists, and psychologists are all needed to help you combat this problem. You need to see them frequently so that they can help you reinforce the skills you need to stop betting and gambling.
You can as well use different types of medicines to treat this addiction. Different types of medicines might be required, depending on the severity of the problem. Mood stabilizers and antidepressant might have to be combined with narcotic antagonists.
The urge to stop betting and gambling has to come from within. Such a player has to come to the realization that the odds are highly stacked against him that the chances of winning are very thin. You might also want to avoid friends, surroundings, and situations that might tempt you to gamble.
Meditation and yoga also provide you with the mental strength that you need to overcome this temptation. Doing regular aerobic activities for 30 minutes a day will ensure that endorphins, which provide and elevate a natural healthy ‘high’, which can play the role of an antidote to the desire to continue gambling.