Among all the euphoric behaviors that may lead to an addictive pattern, gambling is the only behavior recognized as a behavioral addiction in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is because some of the less common behaviors have not been thoroughly scientifically studied. However, some behaviors can trigger the same brain chemicals released by addictive substances, such as dopamine, which causes a euphoric experience that sometimes leads to addiction.
Gambling addiction has become widespread, particularly in the United States, where a large survey showed that about 0.5% of people have suffered from gambling addiction at some point in their lives. More concerning is that “problem gambling” — a milder form — may affect four times as many people.
Behavioral addiction is not as common as substance use disorders, and this may be due to the fact that behaviors do not affect a person’s condition with the same strength or intensity as substances do. However, this does not mean that behavioral addiction is not harmful, as gambling can cause financial problems, and eating addiction can cause health issues. Each type of addiction harms the individual who engages in excessive behaviors or substance use, so it’s important to know when a person’s behavior or use exceeds the normal.
You can refer to the following list to determine whether gambling is a problem for you. If you have experienced four of the nine behaviors listed below within a year, you may have a gambling addiction:
- Gambling occupies your thoughts and attention.
- You increase the amount of money when gambling to achieve the desired excitement.
- Repeated attempts to quit.
- Feeling irritable, angry, or upset when trying to quit.
- Using gambling as an escape from current problems or bad moods.
- Tendency to return to gambling after a loss in an attempt to win.
- Tendency to lie to people around you to hide the gambling problem.
- Loss of a job opportunity, relationship, educational, or professional opportunity due to gambling.
- Tendency to rely on others to get money to fix the financial problems caused by gambling.
