DiseaseIllness

While most people enjoy casino gambling
sports betting
lottery and bingo playing for the fun and excitement it provides
others may experience gambling as an addictive and distractive habit. Statistics show that while 85 percent of the adult population in the US enjoys some type of gambling every year
between 2 and 3 percent of will develop a gambling problem and 1 percent of them are diagnosed as pathological gamblers.

Where can you draw the line between harmless gambling to problem gambling? How can you tell if you or your friend are compulsive gamblers? Here you can find answers to these questions and other questions regarding problem gambling and gambling addiction.

What is the Meaning of Problem Gambling?
Problem gambling or compulsive gambling is defined as an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the destructive effect of gambling on the gamblers life and despite feelings of guilt and remorse. Problem gambling tends to have a negative effect on the gamblers financial state
relationships and daily life. Severe cases of problem gambling can be defined as pathological gambling.

Am I a Compulsive Gambler?
1
Do you gamble until your last penny runs out?
2
Do you gamble to win back your former losses or debts?
3
Did you ever had to borrow money to continue gamble?
4
Did your gambling habit ever made you lie to your friends or family?
5
Did you ever skip work or other obligation to gamble?
6
Do you tend to gamble to forget about your personal problems or to celebrate happy occasions?
7
Does gambling have a negative affect on your daily life or relationships?

If you have answered yes on at least one of the questions listed above
then you have a problem.

Can Anyone Become a Compulsive Gambler?
Theoretically
yes. Any gambler can develop gambling problem regardless to the type of gambling he is occupied with
the amount of money and time he is spending on gambling. Researches show that slot machines that can be found in bars and convenient stores are the most addictive type of gambling activity
while lottery draws and bingo games are located on the other end of the scale. Gambling addiction is an emotional problem; its symptoms
causes and treatments are similar to any other form of addiction.

How Can I treat Gambling Addiction?
1
Group Therapy:
Gamblers Anonymous offers a 12 step self help program similar to the one offered to alcohol addicts in Alcoholics Anonymous. Group therapy also offers gambling addicts advice and support from professional counselors and other gambling addicts in different phases of their recovery process. Gambler Anonymous centers are available in more than 1
200
locations statewide.

2
Individual Therapy:
Cognitive or behavior therapy can help gambling addicts to identify their unaware thinking and acting patterns
which led them to gamble compulsively
and to replace them with controllable and healthier ways of thinking.

3
Psychiatric Medication:
It has recently been proven that antidepressant medications from the family of SSRIs
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be affective in treatment of gambling addicts.

ADD is often accompanied by a coexisting condition. On the other hand
often ADD and these other conditions have similar symptoms and
therefore
are easily misdiagnosed. Of course
this creates a plethora of problems as these disorders
when separate
must be treated differently. A misdiagnosis will lead to ineffective treatment. As coexisting conditions
these are especially of concern
because they increase the severity of many of the symptoms of ADD
as well as the negative impact on those that suffer them.

One such condition is Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder. Children with this disorder tend to be very aggressive and defiant. They usually lose their tempers very easily and challenge authority figures. This is the most easily diagnosable behaviors
as teachers and parents become aware of this conduct quickly and seek treatment almost immediately. This particular disorder is common in children that are the hyperactive/impulsive type of ADD and occurs in 35% of children with ADD. This coexisting condition makes it much more likely that these sufferers will get in legal trouble as they age due to their authoritative defiance.

Many children that have ADD also suffer from mood disorders and/or depression. The complication associated with this coexisting condition is the increased likelihood of suicide common during teen years. 18% of ADD children also suffer from some type of mood disorder
and is it more likely to occur within the inattentive type of ADD. This is often not as easily diagnosed as compared to other conditions. Children with mood disorders as a coexisting condition must be treated with different medication than typical ADD treatment; therefore
such therapy may be more difficult.

Also a concern is anxiety disorders among ADD sufferers
which constitutes roughly 25% of those with ADD. Traits common of Anxiety Disorders are fear
panic
and worry
which may necessitate medication and/or counseling. As with mood disorders
combined treatment make therapy more complex and arduous.

Learning Disabilities are also conditions common with children that have ADD. While ADD
in itself
is not a learning disability
it can make it extremely difficult for children to perform well in school. If coupled with a learning disability
it makes it considerably more challenging for children to grasp academic concepts and utilize such knowledge.

For the most part
coexisting conditions make treatment more difficult and the side effects of both disorders more severe. The typical signs and symptoms of ADD are difficult enough to deal with
but with more intense severity
it often makes side effects deadly or incredibly negatively life altering.