I think I may have a problem - how can I tell?
Life Works - the leading specialist in the treatment of gambling addiction.
Symptoms of Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction symptoms are largely focused around gambling behaviours that can be described as driven, compulsive and hidden. Additionally, gambling addiction is associated with risk-taking behaviour and individuals who are addicted to gambling often become increasingly driven to put themselves in dangerous situations. The following is a list of the most common symptoms of gambling addiction.
If you are aready to start your gambling addiction treatment, please call Life Works at 0800 081 0700 or fill out our contact form.
Symptoms of Gambling Addiction
- You often gamble for longer than you had planned. Once you've started to gamble, you feel compelled to keep betting / playing until you've spent your last pound.
- You are struggling to control your gambling. You consistently break promises to yourself to stop gambling.
- You often gamble to escape your troubles or worries. You feel more 'alive' when you are gambling.
- If you lose, you feel you must come back as soon as you can to win back your losses.
- Your life revolves around gambling. Your time is spent gambling, or planning how and where you can place your next bet or play your next game.
- You are suffering financial consequences because you are regularly losing money gambling at casinos, in betting shops or online. Funds needed for other purposes are diverted to gambling / placing bets - and other important financial matters are ignored or put off.
- You have borrowed or stolen money, or sold possessions to finance your gambling.
- Your gambling has caused you to lose sleep.
- Your need to gamble is often stronger after experiencing conflict, frustration or disappointment.
- You are concealing your gambling from your family and friends. You have lied to those close to you because you know they won't understand – or because you want your next big win to be a surprise for them.
- You are doing less of the things that were important to you, for example, seeing friends or family, going out or enjoying hobbies.
- You are increasingly preoccupied and withdrawn from those you care about.
Symptomatic denial
Denial is common and symptomatic of compulsive gambling, so you may deny that you have a problem both to yourself and to others, through:
- Minimising the impact of your gambling on your health, relationships and finances.
- Concealing your gambling addiction from your loved ones.
- Placing the blame for your compulsive gambling on other people or situations in your life, such as “I go to casinos or place bets because my life is so stressful”.
Get help
It doesn’t take much at all to get started at Life Works. The first step is simple, either send us an enquiry using this contact form or make a quick phone call to 0800 081 0700 where you will speak to one of our experienced and compassionate counsellors.
