GAMBLING ADDICTION: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND CHARACTERISTICS - ARTE - 2024

The gambling addiction is dependence on gambling in which there is prize money; People with this psychopathology start to engage in gambling activities impulsively, uncontrollably and excessively, without being able to control their own behavior.

In fact, they require the performance of these behaviors to experience gratification. Likewise, when they do not gamble they can develop a series of annoying and unpleasant symptoms as a consequence of their addiction.

Gambling addiction shares many characteristics with drug addictions. Although these first ones do not report physical damage directly, they can end up being highly harmful both for the physical state and especially for the psychological state of the person.

Because gambling is an increasingly present phenomenon in society, and cases of gambling addiction are constantly growing, the literature and data about this disorder are quite abundant today.

Characteristics of gambling addiction

Gambling addiction is included within the known gambling addictions or pathological gambling. These are the most characteristic of non-toxic addictions and carry a series of highly serious consequences.

Gambling addiction can lead a person to lose large amounts of money, leading to financial ruin, both himself and his family and / or friends.

When gambling addiction develops, the entire life of the individual revolves around gambling. Generating a tragic spiral from which it is very difficult to get out.

Focusing on the aspects of gambling, various studies have confirmed that these activities have a series of characteristics that distinguish them from other types of recreational activities and that, to some extent, explain their addictive potential. The main ones are:

The bets are random

The result is not directly dependent on the player's strategies or skills. The bets are not controllable although the player may perceive that they are, a fact that can lead to misuse of them.

It is based on the laws of probability

Bets are not only controllable events, they are also often unpredictable.

It is played for money

This aspect is especially important in the addiction to gambling since the success or failure in these entails the gain or loss of money. Money is one of the main external reinforcers that people have, so it can lead to excess motivation and uncontrolled use.

They have a collection purpose

Most bookmakers turn out businesses that have the main objective of making money. In this sense, the widespread success of the people who participate in the bets is practically impossible.

How does a person become addicted to gambling?

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This would be the process:

Initial effects

In the first moments, the individual executes the addictive behavior to achieve a desired goal. These elements do not have to constitute pleasant aspects, since in the case of substance use the first experiences can be aversive.

Habituation and reinforcement

Later, two learning processes appear: habituation and reinforcement. The first habituates the body to stimuli and the second motivates an increase in its gratification. These aspects appear both in gambling addiction and in substance addiction.

Control by external and internal keys

When the addictive behavior is repeated in similar circumstances, the person associates a series of stimuli with the performance of the activity. This fact motivates a higher frequency of addiction behaviors.

Tolerance and withdrawal

Tolerance and abstinence appear in all types of addiction. Tolerance makes the gratification of the addictive element less and less. Abstinence, on the other hand, motivates the appearance of discomfort when the addictive behavior is not carried out.

Adaptive behavior reduction

Addictions produce a marked reduction in other adaptive behaviors. Addictive processes involve a high expenditure of both psychological resources and time, a fact that motivates a change in the normal functioning of the individual.

Consequences

Finally, as an effect of the previous point, addictions usually affect the people around the addicted individual. Deteriorating the quality of their relationships both in the family environment and in the social or work environment.

Similarities and differences with substance addictions

The addictive mechanisms of gambling addiction are highly similar to those developed in drug addictions. In this sense, despite the fact that in this case there is no substance consumed, the addictive potential of gambling can be very high.

However, addiction to gambling also presents a number of differences with respect to addictions to substances. To specifically determine the characteristics of this type of addiction, the similarities and differences with drug addictions are discussed below.

-Similarities

Gambling addiction involves psychological processes similar to drug addiction. From this point of view, it is concluded that both alterations constitute similar problems. The main similarities between both disorders are:

Similar sequence

Both substance addictions and gambling addiction show a similar pattern of behavior. It is characterized by:

1. Impulse to repeat maladaptive or harmful behavior.
2. Tension build-up until the desired behavior is completed.
3. Quick but temporary relief from stress.
4. Gradual return to impulse after performing the desired behavior.

Consolidation process

Addictions produce firmly established, stereotyped patterns of behavior resistant to change and extinction. For this reason, both addiction to gambling and drug addiction contain learning and conditioning processes.

These processes determine the basis of behaviors and are the elements responsible for maintaining the addictive habit in a consistent and stable way.

-Differences

Although addiction to gambling and drug addiction share important elements, they also present a number of differences. The most important differentiating aspects are:

1. In gambling addiction there is no chemical responsible for the addiction. Gambling addiction differs from drug addiction mainly because there is no substance that has harmful effects on the body.
2. Likewise, drug addictions are characterized by frequent multiple drug addiction. That is, the fact of being addicted to one substance causes a greater risk of developing addiction to another. These aspects are rarely seen in gambling addiction.

Psychological variables involved in gambling addiction

Gambling results in playful activities, which tend to generate hedonically pleasant sensations. In some cases, the betting activity produces intrinsic motivations in which the main reward is the execution of the bet.

However, bets have a high capacity to generate extrinsic reinforcements (win money), which can be much more intense than intrinsic ones.

In this way, the appearance of uncontrollable gratification, such as the profit of money through chance, is one of the main factors that motivates the appearance of addiction.

In this sense, the main variables that increase addiction to gambling are:

Accessibility

Today making bets is a highly simple task. In fact, this activity can be carried out without leaving home and with the simple use of a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone.

Accessibility is one of the main variables that favor the onset of any addiction, and therefore also in addiction to gambling.

Low cost

To start gambling, it is usually not necessary to invest large amounts of money. In fact, in most bookmakers it is worth entering between 10 or 20 euros to start playing.

This fact further facilitates the use of betting platforms and the initiation of betting behavior. In this sense, people do not have to make any effort to start developing a behavior that can become addictive.

Immediate reward

The bets have the characteristic of being able to provide gratification quickly and immediately. In fact, the person who gambles can win money minutes after doing it, a fact that implies the presence of a powerful and immediate gratification.

Partial reinforcement

Obviously, no matter how lucky you are, you don't always win when betting. In this sense, the addict's behavior is governed by positive reinforcement (earning money) and negative reinforcement (losing money).

Thus, gambling motivates highly uncontrollable behavior. That is, the player does not know how many times he will have to bet to receive a reward, so he will do it continuously in search of something that he cannot predict when it will happen.

Control illusion

Gambling can easily generate the illusion of control and other cognitive biases. The individual bets on what she believes will happen, so she can develop a type of thinking governed by her ability to predict based on her previous knowledge.

For example, a person who knows a lot about soccer and knows the news of each team, can develop control thoughts when betting on games.

However, these elements will never predict the final result, since there will always be a part of chance that the subject omits due to their beliefs.

Diagnostic criteria

At present, gambling addiction disorder is not covered in diagnostic manuals. However, there is research that postulates the most important criteria for the detection of this psychopathology. The most important are:

• Worry about gambling.
• Need to bet increasing amounts of money to get the desired pleasure.
• Failure in attempts to stop gambling.
• Restlessness or irritability when trying to interrupt the bet.
• Bet as a strategy to reduce dysphoria.
• Bet as a strategy to compensate the losses of the bet itself.
• Relatives and therapist are misled about the degree of involvement in gambling.
• Illegal acts are committed to finance gambling.
• They risk and lose personal relationships, professional and educational opportunities because of gambling.
• Others are expected to ease the financial situation caused by the losses.

Causes of addiction

Research indicates that there is no single cause of gambling addiction. Rather, there are a number of factors that may participate in its development. The elements that can motivate the appearance of addiction to gambling are:

Culture of play

Depending on the acceptance and social normalization that is connoted about gambling in the context of the individual, this will have more or less probabilities of developing addiction.

In general, in regions where gambling is accepted, there is a greater risk that its inhabitants will develop this type of behavioral addiction.

Materialistic values

Materialism plays an important role in the development of gambling addiction. People who place a high value on these items are more vulnerable to addiction.

In these cases, the reward produced by the bets is perceived with greater intensity and as more important in the life of the subject.

Vicarious learning

The visualization of people gambling and, above all, receiving a reward for performing these behaviors, directly conditions the perception of gambling.

In this sense, advertising increases the risk of developing addiction since it provides stimuli that indicate the gratification of gambling.

References

1. Carballo, JL, Secades, R., Fernández, JR, García, O. and Sobell, C. (2004). Recovery from pathological gambling problems with and without treatment. Health and drugs, 4, 61-78.
2. Chóliz, M. (2006b). Gambling addiction: biases and heuristics involved in gambling: Revista española de Drogodependencias, 31, 173-184.
3. Ferster, CB and Skinner, BF (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey.
4. Pierce, WD and Epling, WF (1995). Behavior Analysis and Learnig. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
5. Weiner, B. (1986): An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.