What is gaming addiction

Ludomania is gambling addiction, a pathological craving for gambling. This means that a person with ludomania is constantly involved in gambling activities. Gambling dominates their life, pushing aside friendships and family ties, professional activities, and any other areas.

Since in such cases, gambling addiction develops into a dependence, the disorder is classified as a disease, as even the World Health Organization considers it.

Main signs of gambling addiction

Unlike alcoholism, gambling addiction may not manifest itself externally from a physiological point of view. There are no speech impairments or exacerbations of chronic diseases in a person with ludomania. For a long time, they may hide the truth from their family. However, there are signs of ludomania, upon the appearance of which immediate action is required:

  1. Loss of interest in all past hobbies except gambling.
  2. Constant presence in front of a computer or smartphone screen (bets can also be placed through a mobile application).
  3. Irritability, aggressiveness, unwillingness to discuss the current situation.
  4. Strong excitement and causeless optimism if the gambler wins. However, if they start losing money, the fun is replaced by a depressive phase.
  5. Increased emotionality.
  6. Insomnia and sleep disturbances.
  7. Tension if the person with ludomania cannot return to their favorite activity. The urge to gamble becomes irresistible, and the ability to resist decreases. Any reason can provoke a relapse – a movie featuring betting, a conversation about gambling.

Other signs of ludomania are also observed. Sooner or later, gamblers start borrowing money, including from microfinance organizations. Growing expenses are one of the signs of gambling addiction. After some time, the gambler cannot repay the debt. And this leads to unpleasant consequences – collectors start calling, exerting psychological pressure on the gambler's family. Relatives often find out about the problem only at this stage. Although it is necessary to start fighting it much earlier.

In severe cases, symptoms of ludomania such as alcohol abuse, panic attacks, and provoking conflicts with others are observed.

Causes of Gambling Addiction

A gambler is a person who lives exclusively for gambling. This is a disease that is caused, among other things, by environmental factors in which the player grew up. The causes of ludomania are:

  1. Features of the social environment, including attitudes received in the family. This does not mean that parents approved of gambling. But they could instill the belief that money is the solution to all problems, including those arising in relationships with people. It is difficult to overcome this attitude even for an adult.
  2. Participation in gambling by friends and acquaintances.
  3. Lack of family, a permanent partner.
  4. Envy of wealthier acquaintances.
  5. Lack of vivid emotions and impressions in everyday life.
  6. Depression.

In an adult, a pathological addiction to gambling may have roots in the past if, in childhood, parents encouraged games with material winnings, even if symbolic – cards, dominoes, Monopoly. The causes of gambling addiction may also lie in the presence of chemical addiction.

By placing bets with the last money, the gambler does not think about the harm he is doing to himself and his family. He anticipates the upcoming game, all memories of previous losses are pushed out of his memory – such are the peculiarities of the gambler's psychology.

Types of Gambling Addiction

There are various types of pathological gambling addiction. They are classified depending on what the gambler's interest is focused on.

Computer Gaming Addiction

Computer gaming addiction is a propensity for games on smartphones, consoles, and computers. The variety of games and plots stimulates the gamer to devote more and more time to new releases. The development of esports, where players who win tournaments receive astronomical sums, serves as an additional motivation.

Casino Gambling Addiction

Casino gambling addiction is a classic form of ludomania. This includes card games, roulette, and various types of slot machines. The accessibility of virtual casinos, online advertising, and the ability to spin the reels for free using bonuses all contribute to addiction.

Commercial Games and Sports Betting

Addiction to commercial games includes sports betting at bookmakers, participation in lotteries, and quizzes. The danger of such bets is even higher than playing on regular slot machines. In parimutuel betting and sports betting, there is an opportunity for prediction. If a person understands horse racing or a specific sport, they can make successful predictions, which will be followed by a winning streak – and a dopamine reward, the release of the happiness hormone. Overcoming such an addiction is difficult but necessary, because sooner or later the streak of luck will end, and the consequences of ludomania will have to be dealt with for a long time.

Stages of Gambling Addiction

One cannot contract gambling addiction as suddenly and quickly as an infectious disease. It is a rather lengthy process.

There are three stages of gambling addiction:

  1. The Winning Stage. At the very beginning, the player gets involved by chance. Frequent wins contribute to the development of addiction – this is psychology. The player imagines the next big wins and begins to gradually increase the size of their bets. Unwarranted optimism arises, which ultimately misleads the gambler.
  • Stage of Losses. If at the first stage the gambler could play for company, now he plays alone. All the person's thoughts are focused only on the game, especially if a losing streak has begun. At this stage, the gambler can no longer stop, but he does not admit the existence of the problem. He hides his losses and growing expenses from friends and relatives. Debts grow, the person becomes irritable and unsociable. Independent struggle, even if it has begun, yields no results.
  • Stage of Disappointment. The person spends all their time playing. They practically do not communicate with family and friends, lose their professional and personal reputation. As debts grow, anxiety may increase, sometimes real panic appears. Depending on the specific situation, depression may occur, caused by a feeling of hopelessness. But sometimes the gambler has suicidal thoughts.

    • Consequences of Ludomania

    Ludomania is a disease, treatment must be mandatory. The player not only stops communicating with relatives and friends, but also loses touch with the outside world. Ludomania is dangerous because a person can easily sacrifice loved ones. They will have to pay off his debts, hide from collectors. And for the gambler himself, this can end in prolonged depression and suicide. Other dependencies may develop in parallel – alcohol, drug addiction.

    Methods of treating gambling addiction

    The relatives of the gambler are interested in how to get rid of gambling addiction. But first, the player must want it themselves. If a wife brings her husband, and he is not ready for therapy, nothing will work.

    It is possible to recover from gambling addiction, but therapy must be comprehensive. It includes:

    1. Methods of psychological correction. They provide for both group and individual therapy. This group also includes coding methods, including through hypnosis.
    2. Social adaptation, when the player learns to rebuild connections with other people, finds a job, and seeks ways of self-realization not related to the game.
    3. Medication therapy. It plays a supportive role – relieves anxiety, normalizes sleep, and improves brain blood circulation.
    4. Maintaining the effect – this is relapse prevention.

    Is it possible to recover on your own

    It is possible to cure a gambling addict, but a professional psychologist should be involved. In severe stages, ludomania begins to change the player's personality; they cannot cope on their own, lacking the willpower. The help of relatives will be important, but only as a supplement to the treatment course, not its basis. Conversations, admonitions, and threats towards the player usually do not help; working with a psychologist is necessary.

    Rehabilitation Courses

    Our clinic offers ludomania treatment in %%city_name%%. To get rid of gambling addiction, a rehabilitation course is prescribed, which includes various methods – depending on the patient's condition.

    12 Steps

    This program was developed in America for Alcoholics Anonymous. However, it is also suitable for gambling addicts. A psychologist will explain in more detail how to get rid of ludomania using this program. But one must start with acknowledging the problem.

    The next steps include admitting one's powerlessness, consciously giving up gambling, objectively analyzing one's actions, reconciling with oneself, and then with others, etc. The eleventh step is socialization, and the twelfth is helping other people.

    Gestalt Therapy

    To help a gambling addict overcome addiction, a whole set of methods is used – based on these methods, special experiments are conducted, during which the patient develops self-awareness, learns to control themselves, manage their feelings, notice the emergence of unwanted thoughts in time, and suppress them.

    Gestalt therapy provides an opportunity to develop self-awareness in a patient through special experiments. The person learns to observe themselves, control the emergence of unwanted thoughts, and tune into positivity.

    Art Therapy

    Art therapy is not just about treating ludomania. The essence of the method is to remove internal negativity through creative activities and normalize the functioning of the central nervous system. That is, art therapy helps to cope with depression and get rid of anxiety. For this, it is not necessary to be good at drawing or playing a musical instrument; there are many interesting creative techniques, and a gamer can find a suitable option.

    Individual and Group Psychological Training

    Gambling addiction can be treated using psychological methods. Various approaches are used:

    • Behavioral psychotherapy, in which the elimination of addiction is achieved by changing behavior. Undesirable behaviors are eliminated and replaced with useful ones.
    • Psychoanalysis, in which a psychologist identifies the factors contributing to the development of addiction and then helps to get rid of them.
    • Psychodrama is a role-playing game aimed at exploring a person's inner world and correcting it, which helps to rationally perceive reality and build relationships with others.

     

    Therapeutic Community Method

    This treatment method consists of the gambling addict living in a community where other people have the same addiction problems as them. At the same time, they do not have access to games, and their lives are organized and structured in such a way as to exclude all factors that provoke addiction. The other members of the community monitor whether the person adheres to this rule.

    Mentorship System

    This is one of the components of the 12-step program, but it can also work in conjunction with other methods. A mentor who has already overcome addiction is assigned to a gambling addict who is starting treatment. The person has the opportunity to contact the mentor at any time for advice and support. Many people perceive such a mentor better than a psychologist.

    Spiritual Practices

    Yoga is most often used, as it is not just a philosophical system that helps to find humility and spiritual strength, but a path to mental and physical health. Morning yoga sessions contribute to the release of endorphins – the hormone of joy, which gambling addicts often lack. That's why they place bets. Yoga sessions provide endorphins and make the social rehabilitation process more effective.

    Self-Analysis

    The essence of this method is to teach the patient to take responsibility for their decisions and to seek all possible ways out of the situation. The patient should recall in detail, preferably in writing, everything that happened to them during the day and understand the emotions that arose in them. They should learn to identify events that caused psychological stress and look for ways out of the situation. This information is presented at a group session. Other group members give advice on each specific case. This results in collaborative error correction, helping to form a rational approach.

    Work Therapy

    Work therapy can help a gambling addict get rid of addiction. Physical labor allows for a concrete result, and the patient experiences a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Joint work is practiced, which helps to improve or restore communication skills.

    Coding

    It is impossible to completely cure a gambling addict of their addiction through coding alone. However, it can help overcome the addiction by creating a foundation for further therapy. Coding is performed using hypnosis. During such sessions, an attitude of refusal to gamble is instilled. Before the session, the patient undergoes a mandatory examination. Contraindications for coding include mental disorders and diseases of the central nervous system.

    How to Prevent and Avoid Gambling Addiction

    This is a family's responsibility. The majority of gambling addicts are in the age group of 18 to 30 years. The first signs of addiction appear in former teenagers to whom parents pay less attention. Influenced by their surroundings, gambling addicts consider slots, casinos, or sports betting acceptable entertainment. Therefore, it is important for loved ones to intervene in time and prevent gambling addiction from progressing to a new stage.

    Prevention of Gambling Addiction

    Factors that provoke relapse must be eliminated – ensure that the former gambler does not return to their old company, install protective software on smartphones and computers. Free time should be spent in a way that bright emotions and endorphins compensate for what the gambler received from betting – sports, picnics in the fresh air, joint creative activities, etc.

    The clinic also assists patients during the post-rehabilitation period. If there are suspicions that a person might relapse, a specialist should be contacted immediately.

    Conclusion

    It is impossible to get rid of gambling addiction on your own; the help of experienced psychologists will be needed. However, it is possible to recover from ludomania. To do this, it is necessary to contact a center in a timely manner, where a psychologist can select an individual treatment program taking into account the patient's characteristics. Comprehensive treatment will help wean teenagers off computer games, and adults – off betting at bookmakers and slot machines. The main thing is that the person recognizes the presence of addiction and wants to get rid of this habit themselves.

    What is gaming addiction | Miory District Executive Committee