Be careful with poker and slot machines! If you have been to a casino several times and were lucky enough to win, let it stay on this. Do not attach importance to yourself that you are lucky and that "seduce" you, because from fun to addiction to games of chance is a thin line.
On social networks, we face many groups to support young people addicted to gambling. On several occasions, I had the opportunity to read confessions of young students, adolescents who went too far and "stuck" in deep gambling debts with huge interest rates. In that group of unfortunate players there are also people who have lost their homes, their families, even ended up on the street as homeless.
Experts also recommend that you be self-analytical about whether you are entering the waters of gambling or still in a safe zone, which they call a fun play area.
What is the difference between a fun game and a gambling addiction? How can you tell if you are becoming a pathologist?
Here are some signs that point to this:
Preoccupation with gambling, you are constantly thinking about how to find money and sit at a slot machine or roulette
Difficulty controlling gambling behavior, you just can not stay calm if even one day you do not turn the wheel of fortune
-Lying about the extent of involvement with gambling, (pathological gamblers usually hide from their families ones that they visit casinos and betting shops, often manipulate them and avoid retaliation, bite at home or at work)
-Financial problems due to gambling. Usually, the gamblers' families find out that they only gamble when they get into huge debts that the player is unable to repay.
-Health problems, the most common are depression, anxiety, mood swings, uncontrolled euphoria, and there are cases when due to large losses many gamblers get heart attacks, as a result of the stress they experience when they lose the machines.
If you recognize some of these signs, then the "red alarm" is on to ask for help. Professionals, psychologists and psychiatrists who run gambling addiction programs usually say that this is one of the most difficult addictions and that it takes time and a lot of perseverance to achieve results. But beware, they also advise that people who have been gamblers and gone through the resocialization program may fall into the trap of pathological gambling again. That is why they advise that it is necessary to be vigilant, to keep control of the situation, so as not to fall into the temptation of re-indulging in gambling.
Lastly, be careful, the line between fun and addiction is very thin. If you choose between winning and losing, choose the former because gambling, in the end, is always a loser!