Understanding the Underlying Motivations For Gambling
Gambling is the betting of something of value, including money or property, on an uncertain event that may be determined by chance or accident. It also includes activities that use knowledge and skill to improve the chances of winning, such as playing card games, horse racing, and sports. Gambling can be legal or illegal. People gamble for many reasons, including as a way to relieve boredom or unpleasant emotions, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. They may also gamble to win money, which they often hope will solve financial problems or provide material wealth and status. For some people, gambling can become an addiction that negatively affects their life and the lives of those around them.
Despite the fact that it’s difficult to change one’s addictive behaviors, there are ways to help someone overcome their gambling problem. Some people find that they can stop gambling by taking steps to limit their access to money, enlisting family and friends to help them monitor their spending, and using other strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are also support groups for those with gambling problems that can help them control their behavior and cope with their emotional distress.
It’s important to understand the underlying motivations for gambling behavior when trying to help a loved one overcome their addiction. Often, people who gamble for coping reasons – to relieve boredom, to forget their worries, to socialize – are not aware that they have a problem and do not realise that they are in danger of becoming addicted. They may have a false sense of confidence and a desire to succeed, which can cause them to believe that they are not in danger and that the more they gamble, the better their odds of winning.
There are also a number of psychological factors that can contribute to the development of a gambling disorder, including predispositions to impulsivity and difficulty judging long-term consequences, which can be caused by a number of things, such as genetic or biological vulnerabilities, childhood experiences, poverty and lack of education, or exposure to media and advertising. People who have a mental illness, such as depression or bipolar disorder, are also at higher risk of developing a gambling problem.
Understanding the underlying motivations for gambling can help us to understand why it’s so hard for some people to control their gambling, even with professional assistance. It can be helpful to know that the brain changes that occur during gambling are similar to those that happen with drug use, and that pathological gambling is now classified as an addictive disorder in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). If you suspect your loved one has a gambling problem, encourage them to seek professional treatment. They can contact a gambling helpline or self-help groups for families such as Gam-Anon. They can also try to postpone gambling until a better time. Research shows that this can help reduce or eliminate their urges to gamble.