Gambling involves putting something of value on an outcome based on chance, a process called risk taking. Many people do this in some form as part of their entertainment activities and a small group develop gambling disorders that can be life threatening. These people experience serious and damaging effects to their physical and mental health, relationships and work or study performance, often leaving them in debt and homeless.<\/p>\n
Researchers have examined the nature of the addiction to gambling using various theories including sensation-seeking and novelty-seeking. Zuckerman\u2019s theory of sensation-seeking suggests that individuals engage in gambling behaviors for the positive arousal they experience during periods of uncertainty and Cloninger\u2019s theory of novelty-seeking argues that gambling is more likely when the subject has a desire to enjoy new, complex or varied stimuli.<\/p>\n
Research also indicates that some individuals have a genetic predisposition to thrill-seeking behaviours and impulsivity, with an underactive brain reward system. Combined with social and environmental factors, these can make gambling addictive.<\/p>\n
Gambling is often a way to self-soothe unpleasant feelings, unwind or socialize and it\u2019s important to learn how to do these things in healthier ways. Spend time with family and friends who don\u2019t gamble, try exercising or participating in other recreational activities, or join a peer support group like Gamblers Anonymous – a 12-step recovery program based on Alcoholics Anonymous \u2013 where you can find a \u2018sponsor\u2019, someone who has successfully remained free of gambling and who can offer guidance and encouragement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gambling involves putting something of value on an outcome based on chance, a process called risk taking. Many people do <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n