Pathological Gambling

We have all heard about pathological gambling and how dangerous it can be, and there may be some among us who doubt the authenticity or the truth behind all the chatter about pathological gambling. There is no room for such doubt regarding pathological gambling; it is real and can have disastrous consequences.

In this article we will take a brief look at Pathological Gambling and the different aspects related to it. Let us start at the beginning, by looking at the dictionary meaning of the term pathological gambling. You can define it as an urge to continue to gamble that makes your gambling activity and other associated behavior highly irrational.

There are those who believe pathological gambling to be like a disease, a disorder where a person is not able to control his impulses totally when it comes to gambling. Such a person would gamble even when he is losing, has run out of money, and is having an incredible losing streak.

Symptoms of Pathological Gambling
If you are used to the world of online gambling, you will not find it very difficult to locate a person afflicted by pathological gambling, as they stand out in a crowd by the way they play.

There are a number of symptoms that you can keep an eye out for when it comes to pathological gambling. You can consider a person to be a pathological gambler if you find any five of the symptoms mentioned below in this article.

One of the first things you will notice about a person suffering from pathological gambling is the steady increase in betting amounts as the game progresses at Online Casinos that accept U.S. players. Basically, the person experiences an adrenalin rush at wager time, and constantly keeps pushing the wager amount higher to experience greater thrills. You will also find the person to be totally into gambling; their lives and conversations will give you an idea of how central a role online gambling plays in his life.

The third symptom you will see in a pathological gambler is that the person uses gambling as a means of taking his mind off the other problems or worries he may be experiencing. Such a person will also come back the next day after a heavy losing streak hoping to win big and recoup his losses. A victim of Pathological Gambling will also refrain from disclosing the truth, or speak only partial truths, to hi family, friends, and also doctor to prevent them from knowing just how badly he has succumbed to this malaise.

Additional Symptoms of Pathological Gambling
There are more symptoms associated with pathological gambling apart from the five listed above. These include ‘withdrawal symptoms,’ similar to the symptoms you see in people addicted to different substances; only the intensity of the symptoms may vary. Withdrawal symptoms include nervousness, restlessness, and higher levels of irritability. A pathological gambler may very well engage in illegal activities to fund his gambling, and also be willing to jeopardize his family to satisfy his gambling urges.

However, you must remember that for a person to be called a pathological gambler, he has to exhibit the associated symptoms on a regular basis. You cannot usually label a person a pathological gambler based on the evidence gathered from a single episode.