WHAT REALLY CAUSES ADDICTION?

     The word “addiction” is derived from a Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.” Anyone who has struggled to overcome an addiction—or has tried to help someone else to do so—understands why. Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

     Most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues. People compulsively use drugs, gamble, or shop nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these psychologically based addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. Treating this kind of addiction requires an understanding of how it works psychologically.

What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem.

     It is not enough to “just say no”. Instead, you can protect (and heal) yourself from addiction by saying “yes” to other things. Cultivate diverse interests that provide meaning to your life. Understand that your problems usually are transient, and perhaps most importantly, acknowledge that life is not always supposed to be pleasurable.

SOURCE: https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction
SOURCE: https://www.ted.com/talks

COULD YOUR CHILD BE A COMPULSIVE GAMBLER?

    Parents (and educators) will list drugs, alcohol, bullying, sex, and grades among their concerns for their children. The list is incomplete if it does not include gambling. Could your child have a gambling problem or the beginnings of one? We know that many children are introduced to gambling at a young age, often innocently, since the adults in their lives have no knowledge of the potential consequences. Gambling may be part of their parents’ social lives or vacations, or perhaps members of the family gamble on sports, play poker, buy lottery tickets or “scratch offs”, go to racetracks or casinos, or gamble on the internet. Children receive the message that gambling is great fun and if you are lucky or good at it, you can make lots of money gambling. Even if there are none of these activities in the home, our children receive this message through a variety of media. Even seemingly harmless internet games introduce children to the “fun”, “challenging”, and “winning” experiences of gambling. Gambling is easily accessible on computers, tablets, and mobile phones in formats that many adults are not even familiar with. Some children may be unaffected by all of this. It is very difficult to know in advance which ones may be affected. When the invisible line is crossed from social gambling to problem or addictive (compulsive) gambling, it is a life altering change for the gambler and loved ones. Compulsive gambling is not just about the money won or lost, but also about the drastic changes in behavior and the growing unmanageability of everyday life. Our experience with our own compulsive gamblers has taught us that compulsive gambling can begin at any age. Many of our gamblers, men and women, began gambling in childhood. Based on our experience and the numbers of parents of teens and young adults joining our meetings, we believe that gambling has a place among the list of parents’ concerns.

     Finally, research indicates that children growing up in families affected by problem gambling were more likely to develop gambling problems themselves than children raised in non problem gambling families even after controlling for other factors. Some young people have told me that they first started gambling because they simply wanted to understand what was in gambling for their mother or their father, who were absent from their lives in many different ways.

     It’s not difficult for children and teenagers to gamble, either. Many states permit children under 18 to gamble. Internet gambling and sports betting are easy for young people to do, and they’re all over the Web, being the most tech-savvy generation so far. According to research reported by the National Council on Problem Gambling, “a vast majority of kids have gambled before their18th birthday.”

 What are the signs that your child may have a problem with gambling?

 1.  Are you concerned about the amount of time your child spends on the computer, on mobile

      devices, watching sports, playing cards, etc., or how often these activities distract from family

      activities, sleep?

 2.  Are you uncomfortable with your child’s friends or their activities together?

 3.  Are you aware of bets your child is making with friends or classmates?

 4.  Has your child lost interest in activities he or she once enjoyed?

 5.  Have your child’s grades slipped or does your child miss school or classes?

 6.  Does your child work but never seem to have money?

 7.  Does your child have more money or unexplained money, or does your child spend money

      beyond  his/her apparent means?

 8.  Have you experienced money or items missing from your home? Do you suspect your child might

      be stealing?

 9.  Has your child asked to borrow large amounts of money?

10. Do you find yourself rescuing your child from financial crises resulting from gambling?

11. Does your child have an intense reaction during sporting events when one team is either losing or

      winning?

12. Does your child promise to never gamble again – and then gamble?

13. Have you noticed changes in your child’s personality, including mood swings?

14. Has your child become secretive? 15. Does your child lie about money or about gambling

      acitivities?

SOURCE:http://www.gam-anon.org/index.php/about-gam-anon/could-your-child-be-a-compulsive-gambler

 

DO YOU HAVE A GAMBLING ADDICTION OR GAMBLING PROBLEM ?

Take this test to find out.

 Gambling Addiction Test

			1. Do you lose time from school or work due to gambling? 2. Is gambling making your home life unhappy? 3. Is gambling affecting your reputation? 4. Do you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or solve financial difficulties? 5. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? 6. Does gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency? 7. After losing, do you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your loses? 8. After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more? 9. Do you often gamble until your last pound/euro is gone? 10. Do you ever borrow to finance your gambling? 11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling? 12. Are you reluctant to use gambling money for normal expenditure? 13. Does gambling make you careless of the welfare of you family? 14. Do you gamble longer than you planned? 15. Do you ever gamble to escape worry or trouble? 16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing an illegal act to finance gambling? 17. Does gambling cause you difficulty in sleeping ? 18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create an urge within you to gamble? 19. Do you have an urge to celebrate any good fortune with a few hours gambling? 20. Have you ever considered self - destruction as a result of your gambling?
			If you answered YES to more than 7 questions, you may have a gambling addiction or gambling problem.
			SOURCE :http://www.gamblersanonymous.ie/twenty_questions/twentyQuestions.html