Gambling has been around for a very long time. For example, humanity began to play dice even before our era, and the first card game – tarok – was first mentioned in documents of the 14th century. Australia is considered one of the leading countries in the modern gambling industry. Gambling was brought here by European settlers in the early 19th century. Today the country ranks first in the world in terms of population involvement in gambling (over 80%) and is consistently in the lead in terms of amounts lost in casinos.
As statistics shows, excessive gambling causes problems for more than 500 thousand Australian adults and annually drives about 400 people to suicide! Falling into an addiction similar to a drug one, players first lose their own money, then go into debt, as a result of which their life, career and relationships with loved ones suffer. Even knowing that he is sick, the gambling addict is no longer able to cope with the problem himself and needs help.
In this article we will tell you about the causes of gambling addiction and how to overcome pokie addiction and stop playing for money.
A couple of decades ago, gambling addiction was not so widespread. Players gathered in classic casinos and gaming clubs, whose activities were strictly regulated, and not everyone was allowed to access them. Of course, there were underground establishments, but their number was scanty on a global scale.
Technology changed everything. The gambling industry has gradually migrated to the Internet and became widespread. Traditional games – craps, poker, roulette, fruit slots that were previously available only in land-based establishments, can now be played from the comfort of your home, having only a computer with Internet access and a credit card at hand, and the abundance of game varieties dazzles …
According to current data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, the number of players playing in land-based casinos and online pokies resources is about the same, with the only difference that online players are most often men with higher education and above-average income.
By the way, it is possible to spend huge sums playing not only in online gambling games, but also in ordinary ones. For example, it is popular to upgrade a character’s skills or buy additional features that make the gameplay more comfortable. A striking example of this is the game World of Tanks, in which some players manage to spend hundreds of dollars a month on purchases and spend all their free time in battles.
The growing number of games and their availability is predictably increasing the growth in the number of gambling addicts, especially among teenagers. Indeed, immersion into virtual reality affects a fragile psyche no less detrimental than real drugs. As a result, studies, physical health suffer; problems arise with motivation, communication, etc. Sooner or later, young gamers begin to feel the need for money and switch from regular games to gambling, plunging into a quagmire of even bigger problems.
Fortunately, it is possible to get rid of gambling addiction, but, as in the case of any other disease, the patient himself must want to recover. Desire multiplied by 7 steps will give a positive result.
The game of pokies itself can go no further than harmless entertainment if you control the excitement. To achieve this you need:
If you find yourself breaking these rules more and more often, it’s time to move on to the second step.
Starting to play pokies, many consider it not as a way to have fun and relax, but as a way to earn money. As practice shows, this approach quickly brings disappointment, because you are unlikely to find a gambler who managed to get rich on pokies. The sooner you realize that you have made a mistake, the more chances you have not to get involved in gambling fanatically. But if this has already happened, admit that there is a problem; otherwise you will gradually destroy your psyche and life.
During the game, the hormone of joy and pleasure – dopamine is produced. This is why addiction occurs. Here, the rule can help – fight fire with fire. To put it simple, find a new source of dopamine for yourself. It can be sports, love relationships, hobbies, etc. The new hobby will help to drive out addiction to pokies easily and painlessly.
Setting new life goals, on the way to achieving which gambling will be an obstacle, is another step towards getting rid of the addiction, albeit quite difficult. Not everyone is able to set a goal and go towards it persistently, no matter what may prevent you from this. Here friends and relatives will come to the rescue. They will stimulate you to action. The incentives may vary, but they are necessarily positive and outweigh the desire to play.
Don’t let yourself get bored. Boredom is the main cause of addiction. Idleness can provoke a breakdown. Load yourself to the maximum. Look for new things to do. Raise your professional level, gain new knowledge, master new skills. Do everything so that you don’t have free time on pokies.
Another way of how to stop gambling on pokies is to evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of your hobby. Make a list of both. Try to be as objective as possible. Surely, the column of minuses will turn out to be larger, and such clarity will help to make a choice in favor of refusing to play.
And finally, if none of the above methods works, you can always resort to the methods of suppressing the subconscious desire to gamble – hypnosis, suggestion, as well as restricting access to gambling. In the first case, professional psychological assistance will be provided by a psychotherapist, and in the second, you will need to add yourself to the casino blacklist if such an opportunity exists in your country. After being included in such a list, all licensed online casinos and land-based establishments simply will not allow you to play. However, it is worth understanding that unlicensed sites will gladly do this in order to get your money, and this is a great reason not to contact them.
Gambling addiction is not a sentence if you want to get rid of it and are not afraid to admit it. If you cannot overcome the addiction yourself, do not hesitate to ask for help, then the healing process will be easier and faster.
Written by: Nika Goddard
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You can find me: Facebook and LinkedIn
Publication date: 29.09.2024
