We all bet. That’s why you’re reading this, right? You have an interest in gambling. You probably think it’s a harmless interest, that you only occasionally place a bet, and that it’s certainly well under your control. You’re probably right. But would you know if your gambling habits were becoming dangerously close to addiction? Many people wouldn’t.

“Gambling can be defined as playing a game of chance for stakes. Gambling occurs in many forms, most commonly pari-mutuels (horse and dog tracks, off-track-betting parlors, Jai Alai), lotteries, casinos (slot machines, table games), bookmaking (sports books and horse books), card rooms, bingo and the stock market.

“Pathological gambling is a progressive disease that devastates not only the gambler but everyone with whom he or she has a significant relationship. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association accepted pathological gambling as a ‘disorder of impulse control.’ It is an illness that is chronic and progressive, but it can be diagnosed and treated.” www.addictionrecov.org

There are three distinct phases involved in the gambling addiction progression. The first phase os the winning phase. This results after a win or two. The optimism experienced is usually ‘over the top’ in terms of reality, and evert bigger bets get placed.

The second phase is the losing phase. Trying to regain the win they hope for , or want to re-experience, they place evert greater bets and end up chasing their losses. They hide the facts from family and friends and become increasingly desperate.

The third phase is the desperation phase. Gambling starts to occupy their every moment. The gambler will consider, and even practice, illegal acts to finance the addiction. Hopelessness sets in and thoughts of suicide may even creep in. This is a critical time for the gambler.

But for most of us, gambling IS harmless fun. Most of us can control our habit. We win some and lose some, and we stay philosophical about whatever the outcome may be. We remain in control at all times, and that is the healthy way to enjoy betting. You can learn a lot more about safe betting at UK Betting Central.

Any kind of addiction can ruin lives. We all know of alcholism and of how the families of alcoholics go through a kind of living hell, all because of one person’s addiction. It isn’t much fun for anyone.

Gambling can become addictive too. The person addicted no longer simply enjoys a bet. They need to bet. They want to win, but the bettiong is more that simply about winning. It’s an obsession, something they can’t stop doing.

Like alcoholics, Addicted gamblers spend money – lots and lots of money. Usually it’s money they can’t afford to be spending. And all too often it’s money that deprives the family of food and clothes.

About four to six percent of the people who regularly gamble become addicted to it. It is considered by many in the medical profession to be, like alcoholism, an illnes. Pathological, or compulsve, gamblers devastate their lives, and all too often the lives of those around them too.

Of course, there is a difference between the casaul gambler and the compulsive gambler. the casaul gambler is just that – one who can take it or leave it. They enjoy the occasional bet, maybe even many bets, but they can walk away whether they win or lose.

The compulsive gambler doesn’t start off instantly like that. He or she gradually becomes drawn in, more and more. They become preoccupied with gambling, mentioning it whenever they can and trying to find more money to gamble with. The loss of control over their gambling is fairly rapid in most cases.

But gambling can and should be fun. Punters should never chase the money. They should always only bet with money they can afford to lose. And when they can afford to lose no more it is time to stop. If you can do that easily, then take a look at this site and have fun. If you can’t, then please seek advice from an expert.

Sports’ betting is apparently one of the gambling addictions that are hard to control. While we all know that a lot of people are indeed hooked up to the betting as to final scores and odds given, even the official of the game seem to be hooked on to it, becoming an uncontrollable gambling addiction that has stirred up a lot of controversy as of late.

The popularity of the National Basketball Association is apparently evident. It aims to put a professional note, especially in the area of associating gambling to the game everyone loves to watch. But once you see the referees participating and showing such gambling addiction, chances are they will be placed into hot water. The NBA season is opening in a couple of days and apparently, NBA commissioner David Stern has reportedly bent a little which is drawing various criticisms from both directions.

David Stern just gambled his legacy as the patriarch of the NBA on a bunch of men who couldn’t resist the allure of a croupier.

His boys-will-be-boys shrug over forbidden casino visits by half the league’s referees would be disturbing enough on its own. But the commissioner’s justifications for full amnesty suggest that this longtime ace is losing his fastball.- Source: SFGate.com

For people who get to experience the art of gambling, it would only be natural to fall into the same old illness of gamblers called gambling addiction. The best description to sum it all up is knowing when to stop and knowing when to play again.

Surely, when you gamble, you will not always be on a winning streak. Any gambler will always run into a wall at times and believing that the only way you can retrieve lost bets is through continuous playing is something that is surely a clear sign of poor gambling habits. Hence, this is one aspect of gambling addiction today where people fall prey into.

Some would say that they know how to control their gambling addiction. But as far as history would recall, a lot have declared this and failed. That is how hard gambling addiction hits people; both in the pockets and also their sanity. I guess it is safe to say if you don’t know how to overpower the power of gambling addiction, it would be safe to stay away from it.

Parkinson’s disease patients are more likely to become gambling addicts, revealed by researchers in British Medical Journal.

It is estimated that 3.5% of people with Parkinson’s disease are pathological gamblers. That figure rises to 7.2% if they are taking drugs known as dopamine agonists. By comparison, in the general population only 1% of people become pathological gamblers.

Since researchers aren’t sure why there is a larger percentage of pathological gambling problems among Parkinson’s disease patients, and particularly among users of dopamine agonist, it’s a problem that can’t be readily cured. While we wouldn’t wish either Parkinson’s disease or gambling addiction on anyone, there is some relief for the addiction, even if you don’t have Parkinson’s disease.

If you suspect that you may have a problem with gambling seek help immediately. Gambling is a healthy form of entertainment but it can cause some people to end up millions of dollars in debt when their addiction takes over their mental faculties. We encourage you to seek help through Gamblers Anonymous or one of the other several reputable gambling addiction treatment centers, either online or off line. If you don’t know you have a problem you can’t solve it.

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