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The aim of Web4Health is to give good and useful free medical advice, help and self help in the areas of mental health, psychology, personality disorders, relationships, stress, anxiety, depression, emotional abuse, substance abuse, sexual abuse, types of mental illness, etc.

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Gambling Compulsions: Why Keep on Gambling, Why not Stopping?

Written by: Wendy Moelker, Psychologist in charge, tutor, Emergis center for mental health care, Goes, the Netherlands.

First version: 22 Jul 2008. Latest revision: 22 Jul 2008.

Question:

Why do people keep on gambling against their better judgment? Why can they not stop gambling?

Answer:

On the one hand, because they believe in game systems, luck and other thoughts in favor of the player, which makes them keep on trying to win. This is called "magical thinking". They stick to false beliefs: The conviction that success depends on something. The person is convinced that the chance of winning is bigger than normal, based on arguments that cannot be proven, such as:

The belief in game systems to win.
The belief in feeling when one is lucky (no good crying over spilt milk).
The belief that luck is on the right side (the last player has lost everything, so the machine must pay out now).
The belief in balance (after five times red, it is now black's turn).
The intensely experienced effect of luck and bad luck.
The belief that losses can be won back.

On the other hand, gambling becomes more and more a way (that doesn't work) to deal with problems. Gambling can also cause these problems.

Certain drugs can cause gambling addiction, for example this can be a side effect of certain medicines against "restless legs" and "Parkinson's disease" and of alcohol and certain narcotics, for example amphetamines.

More Information

When does gambling become an addiction? The development of gambling problems: how does a gambling problem arise? When someone around you gambles too much Treatment of gambling addictions RET: Rational Emotive Therapy for a gambling addiction Preventing gambling problems? Articles about compulsive gambling Articles about shopping and gambling addiction

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