Gambling

Posted under Gambling

Study Conducted on Risky Behaviors Associated With Gambling Addictions

A recent article in Medical News Today shows that University of Alberta researchers of psychology have come across an interesting discovery in the decision-making process of people while engaged in gambling. They found that people faced with risky choices responded differently when they relied on their past experiences rather than simply focusing on the odds of just winning or losing.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Group at Highest Risk for Addictive Gambling is College-Aged Students, Says Experts

Turn for a moment from the image of senior citizens feeding gambling addictions at casinos across the country, or the middle-aged crowd gathered around slot machines. Replace that image with 20-something college students, staying up late playing card gambling games in their apartments or engaging in online gambling, and you’ll have a picture of the people at highest risk for gambling addictions, says recent research. Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Confirming Your Suspicions: How to Know For Sure if Your Spouse Has a Gambling Problem

You’ve known for some time now that something is wrong, but you just can’t seem to find the courage to confront your spouse on the issue. What you do know is that he or she has been distant lately, and that, along with a few other signs, means that there’s a problem that needs dealing with. Sure, it could be anything. And you probably want to dismiss what you’re feeling, that gnawing suspicion that your spouse just might have a gambling problem.
How do you know for sure if it’s gambling? Here’s how to get a handle on the issue and confirm your suspicions.
Step Back and Try to Remain Objective
Before we go into the signs that experts say indicate an existing or growing problem with gambling, it’s important that you approach the situation with some sense of objectivity. This will no doubt be quite difficult to do. You’re caught up in what’s going on, since you and your spouse live together. It would be unrealistic to think that you wouldn’t be affected by the type of behavior and negative consequences that come from problem gambling.
Still, you have to maintain impartiality if you’re going to be able to look at the situation and recognize the common signs. Otherwise, you’ll be falling into the trap of denial and dismissing what are to others obvious red flags. In any case, even though it’s tough to do, you really need to step back and try to remain objective.
What is Problem Gambling?
In order to look at what may be going on with your spouse relative to problem gambling, it’s necessary to define what problem gambling is. Problem gambling, compulsive or pathological gambling, are terms that are used to describe a behavior disorder that has a tendency to become progressively worse over time – unless it is treated. There are specific diagnostic criteria for assessing problem gambling as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association. For the purpose of this article, we will be concentrating on the terms problem gambling and problem gambler. There terms are meant to describe an individual whose gambling causes emotional, financial, psychological, marital, legal, or other difficulties for themselves and for those who live with and care about them.
It is important to make this distinction here, because most experts generally view problem gambling as somewhat less serious than either compulsive or pathological gambling. But that doesn’t mean that problem gambling isn’t cause for worry. Problem gambling may lead to compulsive and then pathological gambling.
And, since problem gambling doesn’t exist in a vacuum, other addictive behaviors are commonly seen in a problem gambler. These may be a contributing factor or could arise out of the gambling behavior and include problems with drug abuse, alcohol, and/or addictive sex. Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Compulsive Gambling is Serious Problem for Teens; Parents Urged to Intervene

A new kind of addictive problem is emerging among teens, and it’s far beyond the basic video game fad. Compulsive gambling is believed to affect around one-fifth of teens, including addictions to poker and Internet gaming, with consequences including serious financial problems, high levels of stress, missed school and other risky behavior that can put their lives in danger.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Study Identifies Three Types of Gambling Addiction

Pathological gambling is becoming more common in the United States; about two million adults suffer from pathological gambling, and another four to six million meet the criteria for problem gambling, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Gambling Addictions Increase with Proximity of Casinos

The environment in which we live plays a huge role in shaping our future and influencing the decisions we make in life. In the case of a gambling addiction, the situation is no different. Studies show that the closer, or more available a casino is, the greater the risk will be for developing a gambling addiction. Of course, those with addictive personalities will be particularly vulnerable. It’s like telling a kid there is a candy store around the corner, but he’s not allowed to go in. When left with no supervision, he simply won’t be able to help himself.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Experts Call Compulsive Gambling a Brain Disease

Compulsive gambling is becoming a huge problem. Compulsive or pathological gambling is considered an impulse-driven, mental health disorder impacting millions of Americans. It currently affects 2-5 percent of the population. And, according to MedicineNet.com, the average financial debt that gambling addicts accrue is somewhere between $40,000 and $70,000.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

California Develops Treatment Program for Problem Gamblers

According to a recent Daily Bulletin report, the UCLA Gambling Studies Program and the California Office of Problem Gambling have partnered for a new treatment program for problem gamblers.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Pathological Gambling

Pathological gambling is a mental health disorder that is being increasingly examined. Understanding the various factors that contribute to a gambling addiction may help in developing treatment programs for helping individuals struggling to overcome pathological gambling behaviors. Recently, researchers have been working to discover whether a specific set of symptoms may be present within gambling addiction.

Continue Reading

Posted under Gambling

Compulsive Gambling Reaching Epic Proportions for Women

Gambling is no longer just a man’s sport. While gambling in general has boomed in part because of the popularity of online gambling, the increasing number of women gamblers is drawing attention. In a show aired by cable network A&E in 2009, the popularity growth of women involved in compulsive gambling was examined. Whereas women only represented three percent of compulsive gamblers just 10 years ago, today that number has climbed to more than 46%.

Continue Reading

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »