Karlov Boris
Often, only once at the very bottom, a person begins to look for information about
gambling addiction and how to get rid of it. In my article (s) the minimum
information which should be possessed by anyone who faced this evil,
including a list of recommendations and literature on getting out of gambling addiction.
The article “Gambling Mania for First Grade” in 2020 was published by the Editus publishing house.
LUDOMANIA FOR THE FIRST CLASS
Chapter 1. Gambling mania – “what is it.”
Gambling addiction is a disease. F63.0 Pathological craving for gambling according to ICD-10 (international classification of diseases of the 10th revision). The essence of the disorder consists in frequent repeated episodes of gambling that dominate the patient’s life to the detriment of social, professional, material and family values and obligations. Most of the players have family problems, many commit offenses, according to statistics, gamers have a high suicidal risk. According to the World Health Organization, 13 to 40% of pathological players attempt suicide, 32-70% have suicidal thoughts.
There is no moderate, controlled, responsible game. This is the propaganda of the bookmakers. The physiology of homo sapiens is arranged in such a way that the areas of the brain responsible for self-control and long-term planning reduce activity under stress (play is the strongest stress), transferring operational control to animal instincts that dominate in avid gamblers. All, without exception, players miss the very moment when the fun turns into addiction. The player and his relatives only then understand the degree of addiction when the player stops playing for a long time.
Gambling addiction is destructive to physical health. The game is at the junction of the biological and social nature of a person, which creates a significant amount of confusion. There is a daily hormonal storm inside each player. Under the influence of stress, cortisol is released into the bloodstream, players experience dopamine release and burnout of receptors responsible for the release of this hormone. Dopamine begins to be released only for the game and only when the stakes increase. Many players “relieve stress” with an increased amount of cigarettes and alcohol.
Gambling addiction has close relatives. Gambling addiction has similar mental and hormonal mechanisms of addiction with compulsive shopping, long sitting on dating sites, addiction to computer games, participation in pyramid schemes, avid collecting, any regular multiple choice problems.
What to do to recover. As with any addiction, never play again. The first step is to block all game cards, remove all access to sites, put the phone number of gaming offices in the black list, so as not to be tempted by promotions that return the player to the game.
Chapter 2. Gambling Mania – “They don’t play clean here.”
The office is always in the black. The bookmaker takes the difference between winning and losing bets. The player does not play with the office, but with other terpily. In electronic slot machines, the percentage of return return is programmed. As you can imagine, less than 100%. Winning, the player sits down for many years on the desire to repeat the win (dopamine physiology), while losing on the desire to win back, which can be greatly aggravated by the forthcoming payments on the accumulated loans. One thing is required of the player – to play.
The odds are not equal. Most of the games are broadcast in the evening, when there is a statistically greater chance of human error after a hard day’s work. The canon of bookmakers and casinos is the absence of windows and clocks. To make the player lose his sense of time. The cash is accepted by the cashier. Then the players play a certain combination of symbols on the screen or a few circles of plastic. Psychologically, it’s much easier to gamble on the annual wage. Every detail in the office, from the design of the chairs to the free water and pencils on hand, is thought out to the smallest detail by experienced professionals. The offices are lenient towards alcohol consumption. The profit of the offices is also the work of a large staff of marketers, analysts, psychologists, electronic computers with numerical control (CNC).
The office does not have a goal for you to win, but it has a goal to ignite your passion. Any experienced angler lures crucians in order to then hook them by the gills and gobble them up. The offices generously send out freebets (conditionally free bets) in order for the player to get involved or return to the game. They give the opportunity to win not a lot, but often. What is the main theory in animal training. From pussies to crabs. See Karen Pryor, “Don’t growl at a sleeping dog.” The main thing is to awaken animal reflexes and instincts, to lure. The player will do the rest himself.
Your chances of winning do not increase depending on the amount of time you play. Most players attribute the first failures to lack of experience, not the right strategy. This false belief is reinforced by the fact that sometimes beginners also win. And ten years later everything is decided only by chance. And as V. Vysotsky said – “those who throw the steering wheel and oars, those are not easy to bring, it is so usual.” The player, relying on chance, inevitably loses faith in himself and his strength. Hence the huge percentage of suicide.
Multiple choice is the source of human error. Providing a huge number of options to choose from, the office is not concerned with increasing your chances of winning. The need for frequent multiple choice, as is well known to psychologists (an avid gambler is not limited to one bet per day), leads to a loss of self-control resource. Next, the player puts under the influence of animal instincts.
Chapter 3. Gambling Mania – “I am a gambling addict and that means.”
The game becomes a habit. Any action, including tying shoelaces, becomes a habit and automatism if repeated many times. There is a consolidation at the level of neutron bonds. With each repetition, it is more and more stable. In the age of mobile technology, most players play from their phone, which allows them to play almost around the clock. Further, the player begins to experience irritation and anxiety when there is no opportunity to play.
Money depreciates and ceases to bring joy. Money is the equivalent of social energy, activity. Remuneration for labor. Getting into debt, the player knows that even the winnings will leave his pockets empty for many years. And loses motivation. Having won a monthly salary for one rate, the motivation to earn the same amount over a long period is lost. Play money – a priori money with bad energy (loss of another player). Over time, the player also loses the ability to spend money on something other than playing.
The game begins to occupy a central, then the only place in life. Sooner or later, all the time and thoughts of the gambler become preoccupied with the game. First, to the detriment of work and personal relationships, sports, past hobbies. In extreme stages and to the detriment of biological needs. The player begins to eat Doshirak, stops shaving, loses peace and sleep.
Most players hide the game from their loved ones. The player unwittingly works for the system, loudly announcing winnings and keeping silent about the numerous losses in the circle of other players. The family usually finds out about the player’s debts when the entire family stash has already been thrown into the game and the entire credit limit has been selected. At the same time, the player often wants to “soften the news” and the real situation is worse.
On a long distance, losing is extremely natural. Sooner or later, the player starts to lose. And the costs of the game and / or debts are increasing.
Dopamine. Thinking about the anticipation of winning leads to an immediate release of the hormone dopamine. The rate of release of dopamine into the blood at the sight of the opportunity to set a rate of 412 km / h. 5 times higher than the speed of the fastest train “Saspan”. Under the influence of dopamine, the player breaks his oath not to play, spends unthinkable amounts, cannot stop and walk away with a win. The natural biochemistry of a person is properly stimulated by the offices with promotions, free bets, and most importantly – round-the-clock sports broadcasts. A temporary excess of dopamine naturally reduces self-criticism. Over time, a new dose of dopamine (gaming emotions), rather than money, becomes the main motive for the game.
Chapter 4. Ludomania – “What to do, how to be.”
Never play. There is no other way. If you keep playing, you put out the fire with kerosene.
Is it possible to help another person get out of addiction? Only if he made a firm decision never to play again in his life. Otherwise, you need to think only about yourself and your children. Very objective statistics from addicts convinces of the futility of any such attempts. Often the only way out is to maximize the distance, file for divorce.
Gamblers Anonymous groups, psychologist, faith, forum. Your own victory is always with you. If others are involved, they can be blamed for lack of success. Nevertheless, some are helped by going to the temple, some participate in face-to-face and online groups of anonymous gamblers, some turn to psychologists. There is information that all these methods of support helped someone. On the Internet, there are whole battles between adherents and opponents of one method or another. In the case of psychologists, it is worth knowing that in Russia there are many psychologists of a wide profile, but few specialists who have specialized in gambling addiction for decades.
Strength of will. This is a limited mental resource that is quickly expended without proper regular glucose feeding to the brain, to fight obsessive thoughts, “poker face” to restrain natural emotions, is lost with lack of sleep or alcohol intoxication, family and work troubles. Only it is not enough to avoid game breakdowns. But. Sports and a healthy lifestyle, described in the next paragraph, increase the resources of self-control.
Where to get additional mental resources to fight the game. In addition to the above methods of support, the resumption of regular sports activities (regular endorphins), setting the regime, regular sleep, abstinence from alcohol (otherwise, goodbye to self-control), a course of sedation, walks in nature, restoring relationships with loved ones and children make a significant contribution to victory. The player has to learn to invest in himself again, a skill that he loses during the game. Separately, you can partially restore the impaired production of natural hormones (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphin) and a positive emotional background by taking a course according to the book by Loretta Breuning “Hormones of happiness”.
Free time is your enemy. As one friend of mine said – “In place of one demon, ten others come.” You can’t stop playing and fill your free time with nothing. The game will return to this place and take friends with it. Leaving the game, you must already have a clear plan for half a year – a year than your time is now occupied 24/7.
Chapter 5. Gambling Mania – “Why you shouldn’t return to the game.”
Debt is not the problem, the game is the problem. Prioritize correctly. Otherwise, the excess or lack of debt will surely return you to the game. Read Top 10 Casino Losses – $ 260 million a day, $ 169 million. The losers did not have problems with wealth. At the heart of the game for an avid gambler is not money, but a dopamine addiction that turns you into a zombie driven by lower animal instincts. Make it your motto – “There is money, there is no money, you want money – none of this is a reason to return to the game. Better go to the gym and study there until you are exhausted ”(a participant in the forum of gamblers – People’s Commissar Yezhov). And debts can be further managed with a cool head – loans can be restructured, asked for a grace period, filed for bankruptcy.
All world religions have a negative attitude towards gambling. The profits of a true believer should not depend on chance (Islam). The waves will not leave the sea. And anger and sorrow will not leave the lover of money. (Venerable John Climacus). “For the root of all evil is the love of money, which, having surrendered, some have deviated from the faith and have subjected themselves to many sorrows.” (Paul to Timothy 6:10) “Truly alcohol, gambling is an abomination from the works of Satan. Avoid this! Perhaps you will succeed. Truly, Satan wants to sow enmity and hatred between you through alcohol and gambling and to turn you away from the mention of Allah. Shouldn’t you stop doing these nasty and vile deeds ?! ” (Quran, 5:90, 91). Every day, when you are not playing, an evil devil is crying somewhere. In Libya, the game is prosecuted under the same law as magic and witchcraft.
Gambling is already banned in a large part of the planet. Completely banned in many countries – United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Cambodia, North Korea, Qatar, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Thailand, Singapore. Also, in many countries with the maximum population (USA, China, India, Japan), you can play only in special gambling zones, in 39 countries of the world access to online casinos is limited. In Russia, by the way, the offices are owned either by oligarchs (Mamut, Kerimov) or Cyprus offshore companies, registered deputies of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or citizens of Macedonia. Think to whom you are giving your money and for the good of which country.
Boredom. As they say – “everything was fine, and then we decided to check it out.” This banal reason can return to the game, if you wanted to “tin”. Remember the recommendation that all your time should be filled. And the release of dopamine also brings such simple joys in life as creativity, collecting and traveling.
Outside the game, I get. Strong family relationships, self-confidence and self-confidence, the skill of victory and self-management, a healthy psyche and peace of mind.
The article and topic are fully disclosed by a list of recommended literature:
1 “Will and Self-Control” Irina Yakutenko
2 “Dependent Brain” Jadson Brewer
3 “The biology of desire. Addiction is not a disease “Mark Lewis
4 “The Easy Way to Quit Gambling” by Allen Carr
5 “The player’s path, a bet at a cost to life” Shapkin Yuri
6 Classification of ICD 63 (Pathological attraction to gambling) according to ICD-10
7 “The subconscious mind can do everything!” Kehoe
8 “Willpower. How to develop and strengthen “McGonigal Kelly
9 “Gennady Shichko and his method” Ivan Drozdov
10 “The most reliable and true method of getting rid of any bad habit. Method
Shichko »Vadim Lapsichev
11 “Alcoholism” Melnikov
12 “Hormones of happiness. How to train your brain to produce serotonin, dopamine, endorphin, and
oxytocin “Loretta Breuning
13 “Halls of Mind” Andrey Kurpatov
14 “The Power of Habit” Charles Duhigg
10 “Upward spiral. How neurophysiology helps to cope with negativity and
depression – step by step ”Alex Korb.
13 “Buddha, the brain and the neurophysiology of happiness” by Yonge Minyur Rinpoche
14 https://gormonal.ru/dofamin/motivaciya (details about dopamine)
15 Videos of Ludoman Vulkanych on the YouTube channel
In 2020, a book by Alexander Ustinovich was published under my editorship
“Gambling mania. Freedom from gambling addiction”. Recommend.
