The Hidden Mental Toll of Online Gambling and How to Escape it
Gaming and gambling are most likely not a new word to any of us, neither are addiction to either of these. But how many know that there are services providing game addiction therapy and how many seek, find, and receive gambling or gaming addiction treatment or online gambling addiction treatment?
We have discussed in detail about the many symptoms and some possible causes of gaming addiction that warrants gaming addiction treatment in India. Given the rising accessibility and use of mobile phones and internet even for little kids, this topic stays as relevant as ever.
In the modern world, behavioural addictions are becoming more and more common and it is often hard to get them receive treatment, as it is often with addictions, these people would rather admit a crime than admit to have an addiction. As widespread online gambling addiction has spread among many groups of people, very less are seeking online gambling addiction treatment.
Online Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction, or compulsive gambling, also referred to as gambling disorder is the uncontrollable urge to continue gambling despite the negative impact it has on all aspects of your life. This urge becomes a pattern of repetitive losses that stops at nothing, and can be very destructive.
While addiction to online gaming and game addiction therapy are slowly gaining traction, the seriousness of online gambling is yet to receive the caution it deserves. Gambling is not just playing poker or taking lotteries. It has reached another height over the internet. There are pits waiting to trap susceptible people into gambling and deep addiction everywhere in the internet- poker, casino games, sports betting, etc. It’s high time people become aware of this online danger that is not just harmful to the individual but also their loved ones and encourage them to seek online gambling treatment.
Similar to gaming addiction treatment, online gambling treatment also has some specific symptoms it focuses on. Some of them are; preoccupation with gambling, need for increased risks, inability to control, irritability when not able to gamble, lying, recurrent financial troubles, and impairment in most functioning areas of life including work and academics.
Online Gambling and the Toll it Takes
It’s common for people who have behavioural addictions like gaming, gambling, social media, etc to think, “It is not like I am taking drugs or alcohol. It’s just this. What can this do utmost?” or so along these lines. Yes, it might not be the same as drugs, nicotine, or alcohol. The physical impacts, especially in case of online gambling addiction.
But the psychological effects of online gambling addiction can be really bad and distressing, which would require online gambling treatment from expert mental health professionals. Some of the major consequences of online gambling addiction include:
- Financial issues, even bankruptcy
- Relationship problems
- Domestic violence
- Poor performance at work/academics
- Deteriorating health
- Sleep problems
- Legal issues
In addition to these negative life outcomes, the combination of the addiction together can lead to one really bad state with regards to mental health leading to and not limited to;
- Increased stress
- Social isolation
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Suicidal thoughts
Treatment of these addictions are often challenging because of the presence of such external environmental/situational issues as well which were the outcomes of the addictions in the first place.
Ways to Escape and Stay Away
Like we’ve said before, treatment is challenging. The biggest challenge being the reluctance of people to admit that they have an addiction problem. Forcing a person into therapy is seldom fruitful, because, obviously, until they are ready to put in the effort and welcome the changes, they’ll be resisting any attempts at help. Just like for game addiction therapy, acknowledgement of the problem is important to avail the appropriate treatment.
There are many methods therapists use to help you get over the addiction and prevent relapse, mainly through;
- Medication – Medication is generally used for the associated symptoms like depression, insomnia, anxiety, etc that often comes with online gambling addiction.
- Therapy – Psychotherapies, mainly behavioural therapies are used for treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, family therapy, group therapy, etc also have been found helpful.
- Self-help groups – There are groups or collectives of people going through or successfully overcoming the same condition which can be quite guiding for some people.
Remember, online gambling addiction treatment does not end simply at stopping the addiction once. Relapse prevention is just as crucial. Be mindful and proactive to contact your support system and your therapist at the earliest symptoms or chances of relapse.
Why CoachForMind?
- Experienced Psychologists: We are a team of licensed RCI-registered clinical psychologists. Our team is well-experienced in various forms of therapy such as CBT, DBT, Narrative Therapy, and other therapeutic techniques used in gaming addiction treatment.
- Personalized Approach: We are dedicated to treating our clients in the best-suited way, carefully curated as per the client’s needs, and adhering to one-on-one, client-centered therapy.
- Scientific Techniques: Our treatment plans and therapeutic methods are based on highly researched scientific findings such as CBT, DBT, and Narrative Therapy among many other therapeutic techniques used in online gambling addiction treatment.
- Quality service: We at CoachForMind ensure quality services in our treatment regime and therapeutic approaches. Our clients hold most value to us, so we ground our techniques in empathy while maintaining professionalism.
For more information, please visit our website or contact us directly at coachformind@gmail.com
