Just a Reminder.... If You Feel These, You Might Already Be Addicted

[Perfectbaby]

All these things you mentioned above doesn't affects me neither do I even think of anything, just that I don't focused on gambling and whenever I gamble I tries as much as possible to make sure that I didn't sleep with that memories, most times what I think is my work and how to be more productive at my work place.
I gambles whenever I have spare time and not when I am busy, gambling is also for fun and not for do or die affair where you would start thinking about it everyday, in facts those who often have all these characters are those who only rely on gambling to make a living or an earns meet.

[Davidvictorson]

I just want to throw this out there for discussion. Most of us here enjoy a bit of gambling, whether it’s sports betting, casinos, or just small plays for fun.
But sometimes, it’s hard to notice when it starts to go over the line. Try to think about it for a second…

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

If a few of these sound familiar, maybe it’s time to take a step back. gambling should be fun, not something that stresses you out or empties your wallet.

You're correct. These are signs of gambling addiction especially when it is frequent that should not be overlooked.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Since I don't experience this but already know what to look out for, I think that prevention is better than cure. So I try to put myself in situations where I will have be thinking constantly about gambling or experiencing withdrawal symptoms when I don't gamble. You have to build up the self control first by using a budget and sticking to it, bankroll management and all of those other strategies out there. They really help. [/list]

[Agbamoni]

These are little but important signs most gamblers dont pay attention to.
Yes, these signs can literally show that one is addicted to gambling. The worst thing that could happen is if they are not aware for a long time. Addiction will sink deep into them becoming difficult for them to get over with.
I know I have been addicted, but one getting out of it was not extremely difficult to me, because I wasn't so deep into it.

[Obim34]

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

Both setting limits and self control are applicable, since i don't belong into any of the categories as listed that makes me not to be an addict, even if i never needed the list to know i am not. I have educated myself to an extent when i can differentiate addiction to when I'm enjoying the game, little interest to win something but not desperate to keep rolling my funds.

Most times i go less than what i can afford to bankroll, my excitement level in gambling is adequate and safe to me, i don't rely on gambling as a source of earning which reduces desperation and allows me to manage my funds.

[7juju]

Glad to know that I am not addicted yet to gambling at the moment, how did I know, because I just passed your gambling addiction test. Of all the points you have highlighted above I am not suffering from any of it, not to talk of two or more. It's good to have this addiction check well spelt out so we gamblers can have it at the tip of our fingers so that we can always appraise ourselves once in a while to know if we are getting addicted or not. Op you have done well.

[Stepstowealth]

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

There is one also, when you start giving excuses for losses you make while gambling, or start justifying your gambling habit, it is also an indication that you are getting addicted, and that you should be cautious.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?

The consciousness of when addiction is creeping in will ensure you stop it and don't let it progress into maturity. If you can carry around this consciousness, addiction will be difficult for you.

Glad to know that I am not addicted yet to gambling at the moment,

Not yet addicted does not mean you cannot get addicted. If you become reckless with gambling just because you were able to pass these few sets of questions to prove that you're not an addict you may in some few weeks become an addict yourself even without your knowledge. I think you should arm yourself with consciousness so that you do not sleep slowly into addiction without your knowledge.[/list]

[Samlucky O]

The major problems i have with gambling lately is that i am greedy and easily carried away, because at some point i always have the need to risk high amount thinking that my analysis will be the winning and seeing that odds are in my favor.

Of course that is the problem Gamblers face, and not only you. Greediness is the major factor that affects gamblers. They always feel that increasing the amount on each bet will increase  their chances of winning big. The odd are always right in front of you until money is placed as bet, then you will realize that not all that glitters are gold. The funny part is that you will keep on following this pattern for long trying to prove the house wrong that you must win them, and on the process you will understand that you don't need to threaten the house. Addiction is real and a person might not know it initially till he find out by himself

I know this is as a result of my history of gambling addiction, at that time i mostly play away my weekly earnings since i get paid into my casinos account, once i see high bankroll i become tempted to gamble more, so i need to work on my limits control.

To be on a safer side on this, If signature money is sent directly to your wallet, you have to send %80 to your local bank and use %20 for gambling. Doing this will help you not lose almost all your weekly fund in your wallet.

[junder]

I just want to throw this out there for discussion. Most of us here enjoy a bit of gambling, whether it’s sports betting, casinos, or just small plays for fun.
But sometimes, it’s hard to notice when it starts to go over the line. Try to think about it for a second…

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

If a few of these sound familiar, maybe it’s time to take a step back. gambling should be fun, not something that stresses you out or empties your wallet.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

I think that for people who have gambled, especially after winning, they will be drawn to gamble again and again. This can lead to addiction. Yes, there are many signs of addiction, and your points are all valid. I've experienced feelings of uncertainty when I'm not gambling, and I've also thought about gambling even when I'm not gambling. I've felt both of these things since I've been involved with gambling for quite some time. But at the time, I didn't realize I was addicted. It was only when I lost a large amount of money in just one night that I realized I was addicted.[/list]

[Odohu]

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

If a few of these sound familiar, maybe it’s time to take a step back. gambling should be fun, not something that stresses you out or empties your wallet.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

At some point I have felt some of these, not intense but a bit of it but I have grown past them. I think most gamblers pass through these stages before getting to maturity and gambling the right way, I don't want to call it full addiction but just the process of growth in gambling because addiction is way more serious than these and can lead to manifesting some really bad characters. At this stage, all I focus is how to make good use of winning opportunities and ensuring I don't gambling with what will get me depressed if I lose it. [/list]

[aioc]

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

[/list]

I had these three when I was a newbie gambler, and it's hard to keep yourself in check because the bets and the amount of money you want to win are constantly on your mind. When something keeps playing in your head, it becomes a part of your system.
And it's too hard to let it go. You have to lose a lot and confront your losses before realizing you need to act, and you need to do it fast. I'm just glad I got it over in a short period of time, or I would have kept losing more money.

[rbynxx]

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

Feels like I'm not addicted yet then. I think only a mad guy would pretend he's winning even when he's not, that's clearly more worrying than being addicted to gambling, you're probably have metal issue to deal with. I think to keep it under control is to not overplay it, keep some goals in mind or how much you need to gamble per day/week. In that case you'll be able to deal with addiction.

[Fredomago]

I just want to throw this out there for discussion. Most of us here enjoy a bit of gambling, whether it’s sports betting, casinos, or just small plays for fun.
But sometimes, it’s hard to notice when it starts to go over the line. Try to think about it for a second…

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

If a few of these sound familiar, maybe it’s time to take a step back. gambling should be fun, not something that stresses you out or empties your wallet.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

Seeing the list, glad that I can still control as I only gamble to kill some time and use spare amount that I have, might be the reason why I don't feel the needs of keep playing back, though there are gamblers who still in denial even they have those signs they are not willing to accept it and still pretending that they are still good controlling both their time and their finances while placing their bets, it's better to have that limitation and not to exceed to make sure that you are not falling to addiction and still capable to control your emotion.[/list]

[Strongkored]

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?

For me, the way to stay in control is to be busy doing many positive things such as taking courses to develop myself, or if possible taking on multiple jobs so that there is little time left each day, and slowly gambling will no longer control us even though we can still gamble but only occasionally, and it works fine so far.

[dimonstration]

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?

For me, the way to stay in control is to be busy doing many positive things such as taking courses to develop myself, or if possible taking on multiple jobs so that there is little time left each day, and slowly gambling will no longer control us even though we can still gamble but only occasionally, and it works fine so far.

This will work because I’m doing it right now. I’m always busy on my work during weekdays then have some personal physical project during my day off.

I only have small window for gambling right now because I choose to become busy and save some money for the upcoming Christmas since I plan to have a vacation out of the country.

Being busy and less free time will make you not interested to gamble more especially if you are physically exhausted.

[robelneo]

You will deny these feelings or thoughts because you are too preoccupied with gambling, even if someone points this out to you, you will deny and justify it, and make it appear that you are ok and still doing good.

You will only realize it when you are at your lowest, or when someone very close to you insist that you are addicted to gambling and you need to do something, when you are already clean and sober you will only realize all that you did experienced all that you point out.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

As a gambler, it is important that in other to gamble responsibly, there are certain things you ought to do and ought not to do, which involves a detailed disciple on what must guide your gambling activities. Because without setting a limit on how much to spend while gambling, setting a principle not to chase loses when you are constantly losing, I doubt it will be possible for an individual not to go astray or neither get addicted while gambling. Hence, setting rules and principles on what to do and what action to take at different scenario is important for responsible gambling.

[Iamgoat]

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

If a few of these sound familiar, maybe it’s time to take a step back. gambling should be fun, not something that stresses you out or empties your wallet.

I remember times when my gambling friend will lose his money and still try to convince himself to keep gambling hoping luck will come his way all the time but the truth is, such lucks rarely comes. Why I'm scared of gambling addiction is when you are in it, you don't really know how deep you have gone in it and it is not even the money which is involved in it but it is the mental space it takes from the gambler. You begin to think about odds when you wake up first thing in the morning or any other time, you keep sliding up and down to check odds when you still pretending you are not and once you realize you are losing, it almost eats the better part of you and you feel you cannot do anything about it.

Have you felt any of these lately?

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

So I’m curious ... how do you manage to keep it under control?
Do you set limits for yourself, or just try to trust your self-control?[/list]

Would be nice to hear how others deal with it.

Feels like I'm not addicted yet then. I think only a mad guy would pretend he's winning even when he's not, that's clearly more worrying than being addicted to gambling, you're probably have metal issue to deal with. I think to keep it under control is to not overplay it, keep some goals in mind or how much you need to gamble per day/week. In that case you'll be able to deal with addiction.

The thing is, once the person involved start lying about winning or start pretending about things are when in real sense they are not, then the person should just accept the fact they have gone beyond gambling and now facing more of psychological issues which will require more holistic approach to get resolved.

[Z_MBFM]

• You think about gambling even when you’re not playing.

• You hide your losses or pretend you’re still up.

• You keep playing even when you already lost your budget.

• You get irritated or anxious when you can’t gamble.

• You need to bet higher amounts just to feel excited again.

You are absolutely correct, a compulsive gambler has all these characteristics. To be honest, I was a compulsive gambler myself and lost a lot of money there. I still gamble behind my wife's back. I have not been able to repay the amount of money I borrowed from friends after losing money while gambling. So far, the amount of that debt is $3k which is constantly hurting me. And I keep blaming myself for my past gambling experiences. I don't know what happened to me then. I used to feel all the characteristics you mentioned at that time. And suddenly I would jump into gambling.[/list]

[bangjoe]

From all that, I believe that when someone experiences addiction, it is;

• Have high curiosity
• Always dissatisfied with the results, whether winning or losing
• Emotional whether winning or losing such as over reaction (annoyed and overly happy)
• Greedy

I always say that boundaries are the main point and are a tool for self-management, but sometimes you can't do that when your emotions are provoked, but that's not the main reason why things must remain, one must learn to control oneself to become better, and in the end there will be a time when you can follow the boundaries that you have set for yourself in the future.

[rakebit]

Good reminder. Many players don’t notice addiction early because they think they can control it. Tracking time and money spent can really help stay aware. It’s better to take breaks and play only for fun, not to recover losses. Do you think self-limits work well for most players?