Gambling Depression Reddit

4/12/2022admin

New research has discovered that gambling alters the brain, resulting in leaving punters more prone to mental issues such as anxiety and depression.

5 Causes of Emotional Distance in Couples. Your partner craves alone time. Many couples, especially those with young children, get little or no time to themselves. R/gaming: A subreddit for (almost) anything related to games - video games, board games, card games, etc. (but not sports). Grades Were Fine, Depression Was Not. Games were a piece of my heart and soul, but my school life remained intact. My grades were great, I talked to people (although being shy) and had a minimal social life outside academic walls. When I got transferred to another school at 14 years old I met a new friend named Depression. We held hands for 6.

The UKGC says over 2 million UK citizens are problem gamblers or at risk.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania said they found connections between problem gamblers and increased grey matter in parts of the brain linked to the mental conditions.

Their claims, published in the journal Neuron, suggests that the same brain mechanisms that cause affective disorders also play a role in the ability to tolerate economic risk.

The report indicates that the discovery could lead to new gambling addiction treatments through psychological techniques or drugs.

Gambling has long been connected with mental health issues such as depression and has been blamed for many people getting into spiralling debt issues and family difficulties. Study lead author Professor Joseph Kable, believes the findings may be able to enhance the understanding of a person’s susceptibility to economic risk through increased tolerance, and suggests that it will lead to much better advice and counselling for such individuals.

The team looked at how three factors in the brain reinforce each other to impact on a person’s aversion to risk: the structural and functional connections and the volume of amygdala grey matter.

In order to assess an individual’s risk tolerance, the scientists recruited 108 healthy young adults for an experiment where the subjects were asked questions about their comfort with financial choices of differing risk and reward levels.

The idea of using these brain markers and pairing them with some questionnaire or other assessments may help determine a better, more well-rounded sense of your tolerance for risk. – Professor Joseph Kable, Study Lead Author, University of Pennsylvania

He continued: “We assessed how willing individuals were of accepting the risk of getting nothing for the chance of getting a higher amount of money.”

More than two million people in the UK are considered problem gamblers or at risk of becoming addicted, according to a report published last year by industry watchdog the UK Gambling Commission.

Over 80 percent of American adults gamble on a yearly basis, and three to five gamblers out of every hundred struggles with a gambling problem (source). Gambling addictions are traumatic, painful, and soul-destroying – not only for those experiencing them, but also their families and friends. Here Ashley shares her gambling story.

This post is part of My Sweet Home Life’s Overcomers series – where we look at women whose lives haven’t turned out quite how they expected.

We feature women who have struggled with abuse, addictions, unexpected loss, and challenging circumstances.

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Each of these women have come through their experiences with lessons learned – lessons that can help us all as we navigate this crazy thing called life.

Today we share Ashley’s story of overcoming gambling addiction.

Related: Overcoming heroin addiction: My story.

Trigger warning: Suicidal ideation.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

Hi! My name is Ashley Marie. I am thirty-seven years old.

I live in a small town in Arkansas, where I have lived my whole life.

I have three living kids that are my world, one angel baby, and a step-son. I am newly married to the love of my life.

Currently I am waiting to get accepted in to the LPN program while taking basics for RN at my local college.

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I am new to the blogging world, though I have always had a passion for writing. My blog is mostly personal, but I am trying to narrow down my niche to provide more value to my reader and support my family.

I would love for you to check out my blog at Her Heart Out Loud.

HOW DOES YOUR STORY BEGIN?

My first marriage was neither good nor easy. I suffered from a ton of abuse of all forms and was constantly put down.

But I stayed in there by being focused on my kids. Doing things for them and with them made me happy. I did not believe in divorce and I swore I would never put my kids through all that came with the end of a marriage.

However, in 2015 it became almost unbearable.

He started dragging my kids into our fights and would be cruel to them.

As a result, they wanted to be at home less and less. They started spending most of their time with family and friends, which I could understand as I for sure did not want to be there!

I started looking for ways to not be home as well.

What started out as a simple girl’s night out turned into a big problem.

WHEN DID YOUR GAMBLING PROBLEM BEGIN?

I can remember how it all started. From time to time, that day still haunts me.

I went to the casino with a friend. I took forty dollars with me and played until it was gone.

After then, I went and sat in the dining area and read a book until she was ready to go.

However, she ended up winning a nice sum of money.

I remember thinking how that would be nice. I could sure use the money! So a few days later, after my now ex-husband and I had been fighting all day, I decided I had had enough and I was going to go back to the casino and try to win.

I took one-hundred dollars and away I went.

I honestly can’t tell you if I won that day or not. What I do remember is that I forgot all my troubles while I was there. I didn’t stress about things at home and for me that was huge.

At this point gambling became my escape.

If my kids weren’t home, I was at the casino.

Then it came to the point I was at the casino no matter if they were home or not.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD A PROBLEM?

Six months in I started thinking maybe I had a problem, but still tried to convince myself that I was in control.

I got paid on Friday, left work, and went straight to the casino. I lost my whole pay check that day in a matter of about thirty minutes.

I cried all the way home.

Then I called the 1-800 number on the back of my casino rewards card (if you feel you have a problem they offer advice, put you on a list and are suppose to kick you out when they see you – but they don’t).

This same thing happened for the next several weeks.

All too soon I was broke, all my bills were due and my kids needed things. Still all I could think about was ways to get money to go to the casino.

I called an agency about trying to get counseling, but my insurance would not cover it. I did not have the money to get the help I truly needed.

A friend of mine was a counselor. I talked to her a little, but because she was my friend, I found myself not being completely honest. She could not help me when I was lying to her and not doing what she told me to do.

I found myself lying to loved ones so they would let me borrow money.

Once I was borrowed out, I started asking strangers for money. I was amazed at how many people at the casino gave it to me.

One guy was going to give me money to sleep with him.

Thank God, I never did anything like that.

WHEN DID YOU REACH BOTTOM?

Because of gambling I lost my car and a ton of friends and family, had my utilities turned off, and destroyed my relationship with my kids.

I often found myself googling ways to kill myself. I believe the search was “how to quickly and painlessly end your life.”

I wanted to die; I felt I deserved to die, but I was too big of a chicken to do it. I just couldn’t pull the trigger or swallow the pills.

I kept thinking how bad it would hurt and that my kids had been through enough. They didn’t deserve to live without a mom. Their dad was terrible – who would take care of them if I was gone?

A year in my sister and mom started trying to help me.

I can remember yelling at them, tell them to mind their own business and just ignore them all together. But thankfully my mom, sister and kids never gave up on me.

In 2016 my marriage ended very badly.

Related: Starting over after divorce: My story.

I knew that if I didn’t get help I was going to lose my kids.

I turned to the few people I had left in my life and the journey began.

It was the most challenging thing I have ever done, and took much longer than I ever would have imagined.

In January 2018, I met the man of my dreams. Telling him about my addiction was hard but I knew he had to know if he was going to be in my life.

Then in February, I told myself it was going to be the last time I went to the casino. However, I had said that before, so I didn’t even believe myself.

My mom took over my bills: I set my check up to go direct deposit and gave her the only card I had.

My sister would come by my work and home to make sure I was there. Both her and mom called me several times a day at random times.

Once, I snuck over to the casino and I didn’t answer the calls when they came through so they knew where I was. They called the casino to see if I was there, and then headed over to get me.

Thanks to my mom, my sister, and my new husband, I am where I am today.

I have the best support group ever. Are there times I still want to go? Yes! People talk about it in front of me or invite me to go with them and it is hard to say no but I must.

I cannot let my loved ones down.

I can’t let myself down.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO THINKS THEY, OR A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER, MAY HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM?

My advice to anyone facing addiction would be turn to the people you know will never turn their back on you.

You need to get help at the first sign of a problem.

The longer you wait the harder it is to stop.

Look at your kids! Look in the mirror! Is this the life you want; is this the life they deserve?

Dig deep and find the willpower inside of you to take control of your life.

To the loved ones of the addict, don’t give up on them. Ever!

They will be mean to you and they will push you away. The addiction will make them do and say horrible things.

Don’t turn your back on them.

If my family would have turned their back on me I would either be broke, still battling addiction, or dead.

Concluding my story of overcoming gambling addiction

Addiction can happen to anyone.

Judgement is not the answer; helping each other is.