Gambling Addiction And Alcoholism Are Related Problems
A significant percentage of the population has addiction problems. Alcoholism and gambling addictions are among the most frequent forms of addiction. Contrary to what people might think, these two addictions are very much related to each other. Often, coincidences determine whether somebody becomes a gambler or an alcoholic. The root causes for an addiction lie in childhood and youth experiences – often traumatic experiences. Drugs are regarded as the solution to solve the problem and to ease the pain. For example, if somebody is constantly beaten up at home, he might find getting drunk an adequate escape from his despair idr168.
However, it could also have been playing poker with some friends if that would have helped him forget about his problems for a while. Alternatively, watching adult movies on the internet could have become an addiction. It is important to understand that the drug alcohol or gambling or adult movies serve a role in providing peace of mind, relaxation and happiness. Alcoholics didn’t become alcoholics because they liked the taste of whiskey so much. Gambling addicts aren’t gambling because they think they could win a lot of money. Love addicts don’t cheat on their partners because they think that they aren’t good enough for them. In reality, the drug is “consumed” to kill the pain of previous experiences.
Somebody who is an alcoholic today could have become a gambler or a workaholic if circumstances would have been different. Getting drunk in front of his friends might have taught the 16-year-old that alcohol is a great way to gain social respect. However, if his friends would have spent the nights playing poker, gambling might have become the problem for this person. His friends gamble for fun, he gambles to forget his problems and gain social acceptance.
If that person had to stay at home all the time, maybe watching adult content would have been his only chance to escape reality. Therefore, considerable parts of any addiction therapy are similar, no matter whether it is a treatment against gambling, against alcohol, against shopping or other forms of addiction. Patients need to find the underlying reasons for their addiction and they must identify the triggers for craving. Cognitive behavioral therapy can play an important role in overcoming an addiction.