Addictions are quite well heard of these days and an addiction to gambling is one of them. But what exactly is it? Problem gambling also know as ludomania is by definition an urge to gamble despite the harmful and negative consequences or a desire to stop. Why do People get addicted to gambling? People can easily become addicted to gambling from the psychology of playing the game. It is usually split into 4 different areas: the high of thinking you can control chance, the excitement of maybe winning the jackpot, addicted to winning, and becoming addicted to the idea that your luck will change. Playing poker or any gambling game is a game of risk taking, and within any form of risk taking this gives people a high, especially if it pays off. Risk adds excitement, takes you away from everyday life, gives you something to focus on even if it is only for a short period of time. With risk you never know the outcome which is good and bad because there is nothing to stop you from playing just one more game, there is nothing in concrete to say that the next game you won't win, you always have the idea in your head that your luck will change and if you play one extra game, just one last time, you could win and all of it would have been worth it. But the problem with tomorrow is that it never comes its always tomorrow, the same is true for 'one more game'. How Do I know If I have Problems with Gambling? The biggest problems with addiction is that it is a downward spiral. The game becomes a place where you can get away from the stress and anxiety everyday normal life can bring, but if you hit a losing streak you become more and more depressed and so you play more and more to escape the feelings of depression and to escape dealing with your responsibilities, and so it is a vicious circle. How do you know if you have a problem or not? If you feel the majority of these statements describe you then it is advised to seek help and advice with gambling: Do you lose time from work due to gambling? Is gambling affecting your reputation? Do you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or to otherwise solve financial difficulties? Are you reluctant to use gambling money for normal expenditures? Do you ever gamble to escape worry or trouble? Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling? Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling? If you would like to talk to someone about your gambling problems to seek advice or help, call GamCare on 0845 6000 133. Here you can speak to a trained advisor for counseling support, information and advice, go to http://www.gamcare.org.uk/ to read more. Gambling Responsibly Gambling, whether it is online poker, casino poker, or other casino or online games, is something not to be taken lightly. Gambling can be a great past time but only if it is treated with the respect that it deserves. More and more often you hear about how gambling gets the better of people and once you are on the downward spiral it is hard to get out of it and a lot of money can be lost. But its not just about losing great sums of money, although this can have massive effects on your life, some even lose their homes; you also risk losing the people around you. Gambling can become an addiction and with any addiction it can change a person, change their personality and change their behaviour which ultimately effects the relationships around them, Tips on How to Gamble Responsibly If you get to the point where you feel gambling is running your life and the game is playing you rather than the other way round here are some quick tips that will help you take a step back and take control: Only play with money you can afford to lose - never play with money you don't have spare in the mindset to win more, because if you lose that money then you are going deeper and deeper into debt. Never ever borrow money to gamble, this has danger written all over it. Manage how much time you spend on gambling - the amount of time you gamble should equal that to other leisure activities you are interested in as well. Balance your gambling time with everything else so not immerse yourself in one area; keep a balanced outlook by participating in a few different activities. Make gambling a social event, go to casinos with friends and make a night of it rather than doing it alone. Always set yourself a limit before you begin a game of poker, or a night in the casino. This gives you a cutting off point so you are in control of the amount of money you are spending, but you can still gamble freely within those boundaries.

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