Gambling evokes a wide range of human emotions and behaviors that can cause harm to individuals and society. It can affect relationships, physical and mental health, work performance, social life and community well-being. It can be difficult to control and a vicious cycle of excessive gambling can result in personal ruin, isolation and even suicide. It is vital to seek help and support for those affected by gambling problems.
Often the reason people gamble is to try and get a ‘high’ from it. It’s a very addictive thing to do and studies have shown that it can affect your brain in the same way as taking drugs. It’s important to remember that a high is not guaranteed.
When you lose a game, you can feel low for a while and it’s important to avoid the temptation to gamble again straight away to get that feeling back. This will just increase your losses and make you feel worse in the long run.
It can also be very damaging to your relationships with family and friends. If you’re missing out on events, lying or avoiding people to spend time gambling then it can cause tension and resentment. This can be especially hard if they don’t understand how serious your gambling problem is and think that it’s just normal for you to gamble. Then they may start to doubt how much you really care about them.
