What is compulsive gambling?
It is a behavioral problem that has become a mental illness. The gambling becomes chronic and progressive. There are increases in frequency, amount wagered and overall time spent gambling and thinking about gambling. As gambling increases so do the losses and the gambler “chases” these losses in a desperate effort to recoup this money. The gambling begins to affect all aspects of a person’s life. Debts can lead to financial ruin and guilt can lead to poor communication creating a chaotic family life. Poor work or grades, physical and mental health problems and criminal acts ultimately lead to legal charges, treatment, or even death. Like many illnesses, there is no evidence to date that it can be “cured”, but it can be controlled for a lifetime.
Moderate gambling, like moderate alcohol use, is an accepted part of our culture and causes no problems. As with alcohol use, however, gambling to excess is a common weakness that may lead to serious security problems. Compulsive gambling, or pathological gambling as most psychiatrists prefer to call it, is an inability to stop gambling even when one recognizes that gambling is causing serious financial, family, work, or other problems. Compulsive gambling parallels alcohol and drug addiction in many ways. Compulsive gamblers lose control over their behavior and commonly lie and cheat in order to continue their gambling. They frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cut down or quit. Compulsive gambling does not involve use of a psychoactive substance, but the “action” which compulsive gamblers crave is an aroused, euphoric state comparable to the “high” sought by drug users. This aroused state is accompanied by changes in brain chemistry similar to those caused by alcohol or drugs. There ma
