Effects Of Gambling On Marriage
Excessive alcohol use, which is more than two drinks per day for men and one drink for women, can have damaging effects on a marriage. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than half of adults in the United States drink alcohol and 5 percent of the total population drink heavily. The divorce rate among families in the grip of compulsive gambling is high. The tension between spouses is palpable. As the gambler loses more and more, feelings of fear and shame increase. He becomes angry to cover up his fear and shame.
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Approximately 10 million people in the United States live with a gambling addiction problem. A gambling addiction occurs when a person continues to gamble despite negative effects that may impact their finances, relationships, or well-being. Gambling addiction involves compulsions to seek out gambling, betting, and wagering, and the end result can be devastating for the gambler as well as his or her family.1People who struggle with a gambling or shopping problem often hide their issues out of shame and a desire for secrecy.
This often delays recovery and treatment and allows a gambling addiction to lead to other serious effects, including loss of jobs, failed relationships, and severe debt. Problem gambling is often associated with mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Gambling problems don’t just affect mental health. People who have struggled with gambling benefit greatly from treatment and often also need family counseling and financial coaching to fully recover.
Christine’s Story
“You have to do the work in all areas of your recovery, including your finances. I chose to not do all the work necessary for a well-rounded recovery. Even though I was no longer actively gambling, my financial and legal troubles told me I still needed to work with a gambling addiction specialist. After my troubles occurred, I worked with a specialist for a year while I went through the legal mess I created.
“Now that I have reached eight and a half years in recovery from gambling addiction and alcohol abuse, I know it is my job, my duty, to be of recovery service to others. Life today is good!”
— Read Christine C.’s story and more at www.HeroesInRecovery.com
The Cost of Problem Gambling in Your Community
Studies have shown that more than $6 billion has been lost each year to gambling addictions. This problem is far-reaching and can cause both individuals and companies to panic and act in ways they would not normally act.1
Gambling addictions also place a severe hardship on prison systems, public assistance programs, and legal systems. There are many consequences of gambling addictions that result in community economic costs.
Some community gambling addiction dangers include:
Side Effects Of Gambling
- Increased rates of unemployment
- Bankruptcy
- Fraud and check forgery
- Forced home sales
- Increased alcohol and drug abuse
- Poor mental and physical health of individuals and families
How Gambling Impacts the Individual and Family
While the addicted person will definitely suffer during a gambling addiction, that person’s family will also face challenges. The stress that the problem gambler experiences may cause irritable behavior, secrecy, and arguments. Calls from creditors and bill collectors erode relationships. Financial strains impact all family members, and strained relationships make the experience difficult for even extended family members, friends, and colleagues.
The children of gambling addicts also suffer in many ways, including:
- Emotional neglect and abandonment (and even physical abandonment) when one parent is consumed in an addiction.
- Stressed and irritable parents may lash out at children angrily, and even if they do not, these children can sense their parents’ tension.
- Children of people with gambling addiction are at higher risk of experiencing their own addictions later in life.
If You Can’t Stop Gambling, Your Life Will Be Forever Changed
The effects of a gambling addiction are often quite clear. A large number of people who engage in compulsive gambling will use credit cards and debit cards to pay casinos or internet gambling organizations. If you engage in problem gambling, you will most likely incur debt, damage your relationships, and lose sight of your goals in life.
There are many ways that an untreated gambling addiction can change your life.
- Family problems are very common. Almost all compulsive gamblers around the world have issues at home with their family because of their addiction.
- Financial devastation is unavoidable. People with a gambling addiction will go to extreme measures to get money to gamble. Many people eventually resort to stealing, taking out large loans, or other desperate means that are out-of-character.
- Job loss is very high among gambling addicts. Gambling addiction may lead you to miss work, or come to work distracted. Gambling addictions will interfere with work relations, promotions, and employment.
No matter how bad a gambling addiction has become, it is possible to turn things around. Call us for help today at 269-280-4673.
Despite the high level of uncertainty, gambling is very much evident and a lot of people still take an active part in it. From the young to the old, no one is left out of the adventure of gambling. People often get to spend all that they have with the hope of hitting the jackpot on a lucky day.
Present Trend
Gambling has taken an amusing trend with the availability of online sports betting. People can now predict the outcomes of various sports matches on their mobile phones with the hope of earning more than they have invested. Gambling is a very addictive act and can be quite difficult to control or stop. Many gamblers often need the assistance of a therapist to break the gambling addiction.
To make it more fascinating, popular faces and brands are used as ambassadors and sponsors to get more people to be interested in it and while gambling is likely to pay, it is also likely to not pay. But for the zeal to just play and win a massive amount compared to the amount of bet placed, a lot of people join this risky adventure knowing that winning is by chance.
Winning is by chance
No one has accurate details about the certainty of an uncertain issue and so no gambler knows the precise result of a game but they make an assumption that can either be true or false. They make their bets based on their expected earnings then gladly and anxiously await the result of the game or the number on the die.
It might not even yield a positive result the first time, so another trial is imminent and this continues until a slight victory is recorded but a lot of resources will be dumped for a slight victory and only in few instances do winnings come big.
So, what happens when there is no win? Let’s take a look at the dangers of gambling.
Associated Dangers
As much as there can be positive sides to gambling, it is necessary to be aware of the dangers that are associated with gambling.
- Loss of money: This is the major danger of gambling, it is as simple as if you don’t win a bet or gamble; your money is gone. Even with this consciousness, a lot of people are not bothered but it is expedient that this danger is considered before gambling as there will be no refund.
- Addiction: This is one of the very grave dangers of gambling as a trial can convince a person and then trap the person into not letting go, till it gets to the point of a daily routine and a lifetime activity. “A person who is a compulsive gambler can recover with treatment, but it’s hard sometimes for a person struggling with compulsive gambling to realize they need help,” says Natalia S. David, PsyD. Apart from the fact that a person can spend all of his or her money before the day ends on gambling, it has health problems attached too. It can affect the person psychologically and this will result in the person having to receive treatment.
Causes And Effects Of Gambling
- Debts: Gambling can also make a person go deep down into an ocean of debts as there will be a need to get money to gamble even when there isn’t enough again and there will be a need to borrow from others to pay debts because the gamble or bet did not pay. “Sometimes problem gamblers spend the money that should go to food or rent or heat on their habit and spend more time on gambling than with the kids and spouse who need them.” says Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D., a licensed psychologist and marriage and family counselor.
- Family woes: When there’s a need to spend money on something important, the husband or wife that gambles will impede that and it will result in arguments that can break up a home. The children can also be on the receiving end of the issue as they can be left in the car while their parents gamble at a casino and these will make the child feel forgotten as they won’t have enough time with their parents anymore. “Because gambling is known to trigger these addiction pathways, it is often considered to be a behavioral addiction – or behavior that can become compulsive over time, causing a lot of harm to people’s lives.” Hailey Shafir, LPCS, LCAS, CCS-I adds.
- Depression: A lot of things are associated with getting depressed; it could be as a result of losing self-esteem after a losing streak or the feeling of not having enough time to spend with family and attend events because more time will be spent gambling than with the social world. There’s this anxiety that grips gamblers and it’s always there, so when there’s a poor result; there’s a great form of depression.
Effects Of Gambling Addiction
It is always hard to stop gambling when a very long period has been placed on it. Though some people still get to win and they win big but others are not lucky and it results in terrible things. So, before you take a step towards gambling, take time to also know the dangers because it comes with side effects and you might have been drenched in its guilt before you even realize your existence.