Drink, Drugs, Over Eating… and Gambling. The Misery’s Always The Same. But so is The Cause 

Over the past few months we have all seen the advertisements on TV about Gambling Addiction. Just in case you haven’t caught or don’t know yet if you have I’ll just remind you of the most infamous one.

It’s the one which is a sort of cheap(ish) knock-off of the first Rocky film that basically consists of the training scenes before eventually going into a freeze frame then having a voice over warning about the dangers of addiction to gambling 

Yet before we go on endlessly about the dangers of addiction itself what I have always said, and will always stand by is, what causes it. First and foremost and let’s be absolutely honest with ourselves for a minute now, no-one and I mean no-one in their right mind wakes up one day and decides that they ate going to ear constantly, drink themselves into oblivion or take no end of harmful substances 

For example, here’s a few reasons; mental health, bereavement, peer pressure or just an attempt to escape reality, normally one that we’re desperate to get away from.

Another one, and I suppose that you could argue in that there’s possibly some kind of irony in it.. the ever infamous money woes.

According to some recorded statistics around 0.5% of people are known to have experienced gambling addiction in one way or another. That is roughly around 246,000 individuals that suffer from gambling addiction. Around 3.8%, (2.2 Million) are said to be at risk.

In some ways you could easily argue that it’s down to the individual’s own choice when it comes to the issue, others could just as easily argue that it’s down to companies advertising gambling itself. I say it’s probably half and half. However, let’s not kid ourselves when it comes to this. For all any of us know addiction itself is an age old issue that has always been with us in one or another. 

You can easily argue has to why this has only just only come to our attention within the last few months but the sad truth is it’s been there for decades so it’s hardly a new thing. Look back through the years that cases like this have appeared in the public eye therefore you can’t say that it’s now a phenomenon either 

Going back some years now, around my pre-teen teenage years, I remember seeing billboards advertising smoking and gambling. I was fully aware of the potential long-term dangers of smoking. It was only when I was in my later teens when the cigarette advertising boards were still around I began to wonder why they were still here there and everywhere when everyone knew the risks. Yes, I do view smoking as an addiction and why not, some of the behavioural traits for addiction is there.

Here’s why I think this. During my school and college years there were people who I knew who smoked and whenever they were didn’t have any cigarettes and were desperate for one and were unable to get any they’d become bad tempered. After a further few minutes they’d go around pleading for a cigarette, becoming more irritable if they weren’t able to get one off anyone. It was basically like this need for a fix. And I do remember on a couple of occasions being asked if I could buy them some. 

Well seeing as I’m strictly a Non-Smoker you can guess what my answer was.

(the opposite of yes)

So you can take from that what you will. But one of the big questions I ask myself is this; if the companies who know that there are people with addictions to gambling, even  those at risk, then why the hell do they still continue to promote themselves? I know that they all carry warnings saying to gamble responsibly or to not do it when you’re in certain situations but this is where the hypocrisy can just as easily be argued.

In other words you are warned about the potential problems of addiction and further temptation. It’s a bit like putting an object in front of you, warning you about the potential risks yet leaving it in front of you and hoping that you will succumb to some form of temptation. Sitting, waiting and not caring if you fall deeper and deeper to the point where you genuinely feel as though you’ve hit rock bottom.

You are completely enticed, hook line and sinker.

So yes, we have all looked at addicts and had negative thoughts about them, even myself, sneered at them blaming them for their own stupidity for getting hooked in the first place. 

But before we criticise them for where they’re going let’s look at how they got there and hopefully change the psychological trajectory