Problem Gambler Complusive Gambler. Residential treatment center for gambling and addictions. Visit www.nongambler.com or www.non-drinker.com

Gambling isn’t a problem when you consistently win… right?

Can anyone out there please help me? I have a very close friend who has an on-line gambling addiction with jackpot joy. I have tryed closeing the account but he reopened it, I’ve tryed putting a password on his pc so that he can’t get into it. But nothing seem’s to have stoped he so far. So i really need some HELP in how to deal with this. PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME.
Since posting this question, i have finaly got my friend to addmit that he has problem and needs help. You are so right he does need me, but i’m worried that i can’t give him the help he needs.

Endless hours spent at the casino, chasing bad money with good money, losing more and more, as you become more and more desperate. It can’t happen to you right? You only play the occasional game of poker, or throw a few dollars into a slot machine occasionally. There can be a fine line between social gambling and compulsive gambling, and nobody who becomes a compulsive gambler, ever thinks that is will happen to them.

Millions of people gamble every year. Whether it’s at the slots in Las Vegas, or betting on the horses at the local track, gambling is common place. In fact, more and more casinos are popping up all over the countryside every day making it easier and more acceptable for gambling to become part of your social life.

For most people gambling will always be a harmless pastime that is participated in only recreationally. But for a few, the occasional gambling experience will turn into a downward spiral that will lead to a dangerous addiction. It is estimated that 3% of Americans will at some time experience a very serious problem with gambling that could eventually lead to desperation involving crime, suicide and broken families.

The risks and dangers of compulsive gambling are real and very damaging. Gambling addicts suffer from a very high risk of broken families because the divorce rate doubles for gambling addicts. Those with children may risk losing their children to ex husbands and wives or even social services if they are unable to care properly for them.

Desperate for more money to spend at the casino in search of the next high, gambling addicts are more likely to lose their jobs as they are unable to properly function during the day, making excuses to leave and go to the casino. Or perhaps they take the risk and steal from their job?

Drowning in debt, gambling addicts will often sell everything they have in order to get more money to cover their habit. Compulsive gamblers often lose their house as they cannot keep up with mortgage payments or regular bill payments of any kind.

Compulsive gambling is dangerous, and it has real and very dangerous consequences for its addicts just like any other addiction. It is important to treat compulsive gambling like the dangerous addiction that it really is.

Do you think you have a gambling problem? Perhaps you know someone who might be suffering from this debilitating addiction? Compulsive gambling is a problem that can affect anyone, regardless of their income, age, sex, race or social status. Some people believe that people who gamble too much are always of a certain income level, or race, and that is just not true!

Nobody sets out to become a compulsive gambler. No one thinks that it can ever happen to them. After that first trip to the casino, race track, or video lottery terminal, nobody thinks that they will become addicted to it and risk everything they have in order to feed their addiction.

The following story, illustrates just how easy, and how innocently compulsive gambling can begin:

Susan had it all; a caring husband, two school aged children, a nice house in a good neighborhood, a great job and loving friends. Despite everything that Susan had, she put it all on the line after her first social visit to a local casino. It started innocently, with a girl’s night out that ended up at the casino, Susan’s first time. She put ten dollars on her lucky number 21 on the roulette table, and as she watched the wheel spin, her excitement built, until… the wheel stopped on her lucky number 21!

After an evening of fun, and gambling with her girlfriends, Susan left the casino with $500 in her pocket and a feeling of exhilaration! A week later as her wedding anniversary approached, she hit the casino again to have a repeat performance of the week before in order to buy her husband a nice present. This time, luck was not with her, and Susan walked out disheartened, scared and with $2000 less than when she walked in.

It started very simply, as it often does, but Susan soon found her self in a cycle of compulsive gambling that would ultimately jeopardize the life that she had worked so hard to build.

It’s an all too common story; perhaps you recognize parts of your own story in Susan’s tale? The simple, almost innocent introduction to gambling? The strong desire to repeat the winning performance, and feel the high again? There is a unique story for everyone who becomes addicted to gambling, but throughout all the stories, there are a few common threads that ring true.

Compulsive gambling is a serious addiction that can affect anyone, from any walk of life. But it does not have to be a life sentence. You can escape the grips of gambling and walk away, resuming your life, free from the addiction. You do not have to live your life in this iron grip, there is another way.

Before you can escape the grips of compulsive gambling, you need to understand it. So many people think that a gambling problem is about the money, that the addict is money hungry or greedy. It’s so much more than that, and in my self-help guide I’ll open your eyes to what your gambling problem is really all about and how you can escape it.

Most people think that people suffering from gambling problems have an addiction to money. Maybe they are just greedy right? Wrong, compulsive gambling has very little to do with money as most people think. Compulsive gambling is about a feeling that gambling produces for the individual.

Just like any other addiction, a compulsive gambler feels a ‘rush’ or ‘high’ when they have a win. The high that they feel creates a rush of good feelings in their brain that makes them feel great! They feel on top of the world, and life could not be any better. But that high does not last; the feeling only lasts as long as the win, maybe a few seconds, maybe a few days. Either way, the addict will crash again, and feel lower than before, leading them to seek out the next win. This is often called chasing the win.

The addict craves the feeling that is produced when they win, the rush of endorphins that makes them feel great. However, this is not a real feeling; gambling cannot create feel good endorphins in the brain. It can only mimic the feeling, which will lead the individual into a cycle of gambling addiction that will only worsen over time.

Of course, the compulsive gambler enjoys the wins because of the monetary benefit as well .However, the money will not last long, typically a gambling addict is drowning in debt and often has to resort to borrowing or stealing, and often selling possessions to pay the bills or find the next bit of money to gamble with.

Like any addiction, gamblers need their ‘fix’ they need to feel good and to create that feeling. And often they will need to resort to measures that they never would have in order to find the means to that end. 65% of compulsive gamblers will spend time in jail for committing a crime. Why? Because like other addicts, gamblers become desperate to feed their addiction and often resort to illegal activities to accomplish this.

Compulsive gambling needs to be treated like other addictions. Cocaine, alcohol, heroin, are all the same as compulsive gambling. All of these addicts need help to break free from their addictions, they cannot just walk away and quit. Addiction lies much deeper than that.

I’d like to draw your attention to something that’s often swept under the capet by those in the gambling industry – gambling addiction.

Chances are you have heard about it before. Yet the issue is more serious than you may think. People from all backgrounds and with all types of financial situations may find themselves involved in it. You will find that it isn’t just adults that suffer from gambling addictions either. Many teenagers are invovled in such activities with their friends.
 

Gambling addiction is nothing to fool around with. It deceives your brain into becoming “hooked” and you’ll find yourself in a destructive downward spiral in no time. It has the power to rob you not only of your hard-earned money, but also of your dignity and peace of mind. It slowly takes away the joy from your relationships and family life. This disastruous habit pattern can and will affect your whole life if you allow it to. Before you know what happened it can take complete control.
 

The problem is, compulsive gambling is a hidden addiction and more often than not the sufferer doesn’t realize the extent to which his or her life is being affected. If you’ve been suffering from it, you may remember times when you’ve tried to deceive yourself and other people about the real extent of your gambling problem.

There are may signs of gambling addition that you may find in yourself or someone else.How much time do you spend thinking about gambling? Have you ever missed being at work or school because you are gambling? Do you continue to spend more and more money gambling in the hopes of that one big win to get it all back? Do you hide your gambling actvities from others?
 

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you need to take a very serious look at how gambling is affecting you. It is possible you have an addiction that you need treatment for. There has certainly been an increase in the number of people with gambling addictions now that you can engage in playing various games for money at online casinos. It is much easier to hide your addiction from others this way as you don’t have to leave your home to engage in it.
 

There is plenty of treatment out there for people who do suffer from a gambling addiction. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you don’t have a problem. Get a grip on it now before it gets worse. You don’t want it to destroy your relationships as well as your finances. You can take a very simple test at www.yourlifebeyondgambling.com/test/. Do yourself a favor and answer each of the questions listed very honestly so you get accurate results.

if you are a responsible gambler, then hats off to you! It means you have a strong personality, self control and healthy financial habits.
 

On the other hand, if you suspect you might have a problem – or if someone you care about has one – then I urge you to seek assistance. There are several ways in which you can conquer your addiction to gambling.
 

Most people choose to attend 12-step groups (like Gamblers Anonymous) mainly because they’re free to join and they encourage a very friendly atmosphere. However, they have a very low success rate of about 9%, which is the same percentage of people who are able to overcome a gambling addition on their own. 91% of people who need help with this type of addiction are still suffering from it.
 

Other people choose psychotherapy. This is very effective option but you need to understand that it costs a great deal of money. It is also going to take a long time to see behavioral changes in yourself. If you can afford this type of treatment though you will have a better chance of overcoming your gambling addiction than by trying to do it alone or by joining Gamblers Anonymous.
 

Avoid using medication to help your gambling addiction. They are sometimes prescribed, but in very extreme cases. However, they aren’t really effective as they don’t get to the core of the problem. There is no medication out there that you can take that will simple remove your urge to gamble.
 

A very good alternative is the one I would like to recommend to you now. A woman by the name of Jocelyn Edwards has recently developed a solid, step-by-step guide that has saved many lives so far.
 

It is based on years of experience, reseach, and case studies done on those who have successfully ended their gambling addiction. It literally takes you by the hand and walks you through a process. You will be able to apply the methods to your own life and see how it feesl to be free from your addiction. If you or someone you care about still gambles uncontrollably do yourself (or them) the greatest favor and visit this site for help

You do not automatically become a compulsive gambler the first time you start gambling, the change happens over time. For some, it happens faster than others, but typically there are three stages that you will travel through before you become a compulsive gambler.

1. Winning

The first stage is the winning stage, this is where you are just discovering gambling and how it feels to gamble and WIN!! The feelings produced by winning are great. You feel wonderful! You are happy, and everything is right with the world. You are making money and feeling great at the same time, what could be better? This stage sometimes lasts a day or two, or sometimes it will last longer depending on your luck. During this stage, you might start feeling confidant about gambling, and you may think that you have the system beat, and therefore may place larger and larger bets.

2. Losing

The second stage of gambling is when reality hits and you begin losing your bets. This is where you will feel the ‘high’ of gambling less and less, until you rarely experience it at all. Typically, you will start to gamble alone, and may begin hiding your gambling habits from friends and family. As you lose more and more money, you may begin borrowing or stealing money to pay for your habit.

3. Desperation

The third stage of gambling is the most serious. During the desperation stage, you increase the amount of time and money that you spend gambling until you are in serious trouble. During this stage, you will start to experience serious debt problems, your family life may begin to suffer leading to divorce or separation. You may lose your job and find yourself in a dangerous cycle without much hope to escape. It is in this phase that some compulsive gamblers will resort to desperate measures to fix their problems including illegal acts or even attempting suicide.

The progression through these stages of gambling will vary depending on the personality type of the individual and the type of gambling that they engage in. It has been found that people, who play instant gratification games such as the slot machines, video slots or video poker, including online gambling, will experience these three stages faster than other gamblers.
 

Do you think you have a gambling problem? Perhaps you know someone who might be suffering from this debilitating addiction? Compulsive gambling is a problem that can affect anyone, regardless of their income, age, sex, race or social status. Some people believe that people who gamble too much are always of a certain income level, or race, and that is just not true!

Nobody sets out to become a compulsive gambler. No one thinks that it can ever happen to them. After that first trip to the casino, race track, or video lottery terminal, nobody thinks that they will become addicted to it and risk everything they have in order to feed their addiction.

The following story, illustrates just how easy, and how innocently compulsive gambling can begin:

Susan had it all; a caring husband, two school aged children, a nice house in a good neighborhood, a great job and loving friends. Despite everything that Susan had, she put it all on the line after her first social visit to a local casino. It started innocently, with a girl’s night out that ended up at the casino, Susan’s first time. She put ten dollars on her lucky number 21 on the roulette table, and as she watched the wheel spin, her excitement built, until… the wheel stopped on her lucky number 21!

After an evening of fun, and gambling with her girlfriends, Susan left the casino with $500 in her pocket and a feeling of exhilaration! A week later as her wedding anniversary approached, she hit the casino again to have a repeat performance of the week before in order to buy her husband a nice present. This time, luck was not with her, and Susan walked out disheartened, scared and with $2000 less than when she walked in.

It started very simply, as it often does, but Susan soon found her self in a cycle of compulsive gambling that would ultimately jeopardize the life that she had worked so hard to build.

It’s an all too common story; perhaps you recognize parts of your own story in Susan’s tale? The simple, almost innocent introduction to gambling? The strong desire to repeat the winning performance, and feel the high again? There is a unique story for everyone who becomes addicted to gambling, but throughout all the stories, there are a few common threads that ring true.

Compulsive gambling is a serious addiction that can affect anyone, from any walk of life. But it does not have to be a life sentence. You can escape the grips of gambling and walk away, resuming your life, free from the addiction. You do not have to live your life in this iron grip, there is another way.

Before you can escape the grips of compulsive gambling, you need to understand it. So many people think that a gambling problem is about the money, that the addict is money hungry or greedy. It’s so much more than that, and in my self-help guide I’ll open your eyes to what your gambling problem is really all about and how you can escape it.

Typically, someone who is suffering from a gambling addiction will show some signs of depression most of the time. This person is continually looking to recreate the high that they felt the first time they hit it big gambling. Each time, it becomes harder and harder to recreate that high feeling which provided great emotions. They may experience moments of great joy while in the casino, however once they stop betting or lose the high of winning; their mood drops to level lower than when they began.

Compulsive gamblers often suffer from a high level of anxiety. They spend a great deal of time worrying about money, or when they will next gamble. They also suffer anxiety from the lies told to cover the truth and the extent of their problem. Often, compulsive gamblers are so busy holding their lives together that their dominant feelings are worry and anxiety. This guide will show you how to take full control of your emotions in Section 3.

Compulsive gamblers frequently lie. They constantly seek new ways to get more money to gamble, or simply to pay off gambling debts. They also frequently lie to co-workers, family and friends about their activities and expenditure. As they try to rationalize, it is easy to identify their lies, however, and they tend to become very defensive. Oftentimes, they will also get very angry when confronted. People who develop a habit of lying are also known for becoming very creative and fairly consistent as they gain experience. This guide includes a section on achieving honesty. I encourage you to read it thoroughly, especially if you recognized similarities of yourself in the last few statements.

If you are suffering from a gambling addiction then you may find yourself missing work or school in order to pursue your habit. You may also miss out on social occasions or family responsibilities in order to gamble. Often they are activities that you once enjoyed, however, now they are simply a memory cast aside as you make time for your addiction. The good news is that, once you decide to quit, you will be able to take care of the most important parts of your life again.

A compulsive gambler almost always suffers from money problems. They may find themselves in serious debt and unable to make rent or mortgage payments. Often they will borrow money from friends or family just to make ends meet, and more worryingly, to make further bets. This guide includes some advice on developing financial intelligence in the upcoming pages.

A compulsive gambler often suffers from low self-esteem. Indeed, he or she may believe themselves to be worthless and a failure. However, the paradox of this situation is that they begin to feel much better about themselves once they begin to gamble again. Often they feel like gambling is all they have. This is a very dangerous belief system because in order to get the “feel-good” emotions, they will do whatever it takes to gamble. It becomes their only pathway to such strong emotions. Understanding this concept is crucially important for everyone and if you are suffering from low self-esteem, I advise you to read the chapter dedicated to it.

Compulsive gamblers often have very misguided views on how betting games work and what their chances of winning are. In fact, they often feel like they are due a big win, or are owed a win. They erroneously believe that the laws of probability do not apply to them and seem convinced that it’s just a matter of time before they claim a big win.

So, the question is, are you able to identify yourself as having any of the traits mentioned above? The hardest part of the recovery process is admitting that you are a compulsive gambler and being totally honest with yourself. Of course you didn’t plan to get addicted to gambling! It just happened, but as soon as you recognize the problem, you can start to correct it. Let’s make one thing clear, you do not have to suffer from this debilitating addiction for the rest of your life, there is hope!