If you’re an adult who has a compulsive gambling problem, it’s important to seek
help. The consequences of untreated gambling addiction can be severe e wallet online casino Malaysia. You can
lose money, experience debt and even be evicted from your home. Your health,
family relationships and career can also be affected. Gambling addiction treatment
can help you regain control of your life and heal broken relationships. In most cases,
mental health professionals recommend a combination of psychotherapy and
medication. According to Mayo Clinic, therapy usually comes first before medications
are introduced, but sometimes it is necessary to begin with an assessment to
determine whether or not a mental health disorder might be contributing to your
addiction.
Many people engage in social gambling, such as playing the lottery or using a casino
card, without developing an addiction jdl8888. However, when an individual engages in
pathological gambling, they can become hooked on the “high” they feel from taking
risks. In addition, they often spend more than they can afford to win and become
obsessed with trying to recoup their losses. In addition to the high, compulsive
gamblers can suffer from a variety of problems, including depression, anxiety and
even suicidal thoughts.
Addiction-based treatments for gambling include behavioral and cognitive therapies,
both of which are based on evidence-based practices. Behavior therapy uses
techniques such as conditioned response reduction and stimulus control to reduce
the urge to gamble. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach that
attempts to change a person’s thinking and emotions by teaching them new skills.
Relapse prevention and recovery training are also an important part of gambling
addiction treatment. This teaches clients to recognize the specific situations that
increase their risk of gambling. They are then able to develop and practice healthy
coping skills in these situations. Various studies have found that these strategies are
associated with clinically favorable outcomes, such as decreased time and amount
of money spent on gambling.
Family or joint therapy is another component of gambling addiction treatment. This
is because the effects of gambling on the gambler’s family can be profound. Family
members often harbor resentment against the gambler because of financial and
personal damage caused by the addiction. In addition, the gambler’s compulsion to
gamble is frequently hidden from the family.
Some of the most effective approaches to gambling addiction treatment are based
on those used in alcohol abuse programs. They are adapted to include an emphasis
on Gamblers Anonymous and other 12-step meetings, a budget and plan for
financial restitution, a relapse prevention plan, continuing counseling with a
professional counselor and other components. However, not all of these multimodal
approaches have been evaluated for long-term effectiveness. Hudac and colleagues
assessed 26 pathological gamblers four years after treatment and found that only 8
were still abstinent. However, many of these individuals reported significantly less
gambling than in the period prior to treatment.