If you think gambling addiction is only affecting male, think again! There are lots of women that happily have fun by going to a casino or playing games online but there are others that are really addicted to it and need support.
Similarly to other types of addictions, it makes ways in our emotions as we only remember the good times. ‘For women that might not be actively working or that are going through a phase in their life that might be rather ‘flat’, gambling could become an issue as it gives that adrenaline boost they are so much in need in their day to day life.’ said Ethan Rowe a casino expert from a popular UK Casino Bonus comparison site.
‘Admittedly, this could also be positive as having fun gambling could give just that spark that everyone needs in their routine. But, and there is a but it shouldn’t go out of control. It should just be seen as an entertaining activity that has defined limits: you can only spend money you can lose without that creating any problems for yourself and your family’.
We all been there: when we have a night out at the casino we tend only to remember the neon, the buzz, the jackpots, the music and the excitement when we press that big slots buttons. Online casinos have been able to successfully replicate those feelings with the help of the improvements made by the technology in recent years. Now to experience those ‘casino feelings’ you won’t need to drive hours from your home or plan a night out with friends: you merely need to switch on your computer or your mobile device.
This has posed lots of women in big trouble as it has made gambling a lot more accessible then it was before. In the past, it was mostly confined to men that had the opportunity to stay out more, had an income etc. Now, times have changed, and gambling is available even to those women that for different reasons spend most of their time at home with their children.
Gambling addiction can be complicated to identify so helping women that are going through problems can be challenging. New studies have shown that there are also differences on when and how men and women gamble irresponsibly. What it is clear from the numbers is that female gambling addiction is on the rise in Britain.
Gambling addicts suffer in similar ways to those that are addicted to substances, but the problem is that is more difficult to identify. What gambling does provides a high which is the cause of addiction: the thrill and the anticipation of a potential win can quickly become addictive to the point that a person might be unable to stop. If you are winning, you believe to be in a lucky streak and if you are losing you will think that you need to recover and chase your losses.
Historically gambling has always been a man’s game but in recent times the tendency is changing and the new generation of women are suffering from the addiction. In the UK you will see this by turning your attention to advertising: online bingo, poker, casino games ads are broadcasted during female programmes. Cultural anthropologist Natasha Dow Schull concluded that while man gamble for a cocaine-like rush, women are doing it for a methadone-like numbness.
Some studies have shown that some women are spending more than 10 hours a day online and in doing so they are neglecting their children and also using lots of credit cards to the limit. Most of them are very good to hide the problem as they go to the internet when their partners have gone for work.
The good news is that gambling addiction can be treated and there are companies that to provide support like gambleaware.org. Cognitive behavioural therapy has proven to be an excellent method which is the same used for others types of addictions.