Gambling Addiction’s Effect on Family Essay

Gambling is a distraction for most people, something to look forward to on a vacation or the occasional trip to the racetrack. However, there ar others who bungholet control their interest in gambling. Instead of doing it on an occasional basis, it becomes an everyday activity and a cruel addiction. Individuals who become addicted to gambling often get overwhelmed by the activity and allow it to become the dominant thing in their lives at the set down of themselves and their family.AddictionAddicted risk takers get into trouble when they start chasing their losses. A gambler may go to the casino or go online to gamble with a obstinate amount of money. According to the Ameri deal Academy of Family Physicians, the increased access to gambling throughout the United States the problem of pathlological gambling is likely to increase in the future.Sponsored tie inPedialyte For ChildrenWhen it Comes to Rehydration, Other Household Beverages Cant Compare. www.Pedialyte.comFunctionThe ga mbler doesnt want to lose, but when those losses occur, he doesnt want others to know to the highest degree it. He wants to hide his losses because he doesnt want to disappoint others and he doesnt want to face the consequences of what is happening. So when an addicted gambler is losing, he is hurting his family by losing money that cannot afford to be lost and he is hurting is family even more by lying to them. According to a traverse by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, there are 2.5 one thousand million pathological gamblers in the United States and another 3 million problem gamblers.ImpactIn many cases, the addicted gamblers family doesnt find out about the problem until many months or age have gone by. The gambler may manipulate the familys money for a while to make it look like all the funds are in tact. However, after a given period, that wont be possible because the money will be gone. The gamblers spouse or significant other may discover the shortfall in a routine examination of the accounts or the gambler may admit the problem when the ill-doing becomes overwhelming. Either way, trust has been destroyed in the relationship.TreatmentPreventing a gambler from gambling is difficult, but if family members know about the problem and really want to help, they can practice tough love in order to prevent the gambler from doing more damage to himself and to the family. A support group like Gamblers Anonymous can also help. GA, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, uses 12 steps to increase self-awareness and identify character defects that can help the individual arrest his gambling problem. However, the compulsive gambler cannot be cured.IdentificationThe American Academy of Family Physicians has identified some of the behaviors associated with pathological gambling, which can help family members identify if a family member has a gambling problem. These behaviors allow in preoccupation with gambling repeated failed effort s to control gambling gambles to escape problems lies to family members, therapists and others to conceal gambling losses and relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate pecuniary situations.