The Four Phases Of Compulsive Gambling – A Comprehensive Study

By Author: mick bressnan
Total Articles: 19
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Gambling and its associated problems are not new to the world. Gambling is as old as Methuselah if not older and has been found in the ruins of Babylon which dates back to 3000 BC. Lotteries have been around from the middle ages in Europe and the first lottery to get its blessings from the government dates back to 1566 by the then monarch Queen Elizabeth I of England. You will find the problems of gambling in the Hindu text of Mahabharata and Dostoevsky a Russian novelist in 1866 was trying to pay back his gambling debts by writing a novel Gambler. Legislations are being passed all over the world for legalizing gambling giving scant thought to the woes of the common man who in desperation are trapped in the vortex of gambling trying to get rich quick. There has been little thought put towards the prevention or the treatment which compulsive gamblers face.
A tornado is a storm that spirals upwards taking with it all the possessions that a man has worked hard to get all throughout are life. Gambling is a reverse spiral which sucks down all the wealth that a man possesses and there are four phases in which this happens.
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...  1st Phase – Winning or the Introductory Phase: Winning maybe secondary to a compulsive gambler but the euphoria that it brings when winning small or big eggs the person on to wager more. The person thinks that he or she can get free of the monetary problem or dependence on others in this stage. They have an emotional escape, their self esteem gets a boost, there is a new found independence, the excitement of living on the edge and making “new friends” is the fillip that the pathological gambler starts with.
 2nd Phase – Losing Phase: Here the compulsive gambler starts losing and the vicious circle of winning little, losing big starts. The self esteem is lowered and more time is spent on thinking on how to gamble. It becomes such an obsession that the money for bills and other necessities go to the gambling table. The lying and cheating starts. The bragging is still on but becomes subdued. All the skills that people gain to cope with life are lost and the person wants to immerse themselves and escape these everyday problems. Become irresponsible towards family and friends and also becomes remorseful after every loss but can’t help stopping as they want to win all back in the next game. Goes missing from the workplace for days on end and when confronted about gambling becomes angry.
 3rd Phase – Desperation Phase: In this stage the person goes more into himself and becomes more disconnected from his family and friends. Seeks bailouts from them and end up losing their respect, friendship and probably tailspins into a divorce. In desperation the person gets into illegal activity such as embezzling, giving out bad cheques, indulges in credit card or insurance fraud. Gets addicted to other substances such as alcohol or drugs. Becomes lonely, dejected, and has constant thoughts of suicide.
 4th Phase – Hopelessness Phase: Here the person feels that they have touched rock bottom and has nowhere to turn. There is a possibility of jail time. The person would have an emotional and nervous breakdown. Financial ruin is no longer staring into their face but is already at their doorstep. Here it is said that almost all contemplate suicide and twenty percent of them attempt it.
This is not only to scare you but make you aware of what possibly could happen to a person who may start out with gambling only for recreation and end up in a cell or dead.

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