Gambling and especially online gambling can lead to problems.
Even though Gamble Crazy is a gambling-related website and
we do promote gambling we see no way around admitting the fact
that certain people are indeed prone to becoming addicted to
gambling and to eventually destroying their lives on account of
something that should never have been more than harmless fun.
The attitude that you take towards gambling in the beginning is
of utmost importance. Some people regard gambling as
entertainment, and if they do lose they write the money down as
the fee they had to pay for their kicks.
This is the healthiest
attitude you can adopt. Viewing gambling as a potential source
of revenue is the shortest path towards tilting, chasing losses
and allowing things to spin out of control. Treat gambling as
entertainment, and if you manage to hammer that into your
system, you'll never lose more than you can afford to.
Be aware of the fact that people can and will be changed by the
game, especially if they get lucky and turn a nice income on it.
A person who starts off treating gambling as an afternoon
pastime, may end up as a day-long grinder if he/she wins big
once and begins to realize that there is potential in it.
Do not
allow yourself to be changed by the game, look at it from a
mathematical perspective: that will give you a clear insight
into the matter. Also, know that online gambling is potentially
more addictive than live casino play. Many people feel
intimidated to go into a casino, on account of the special
atmosphere there.
Travelling to brick and mortar establishments
also involves costs, so those who are not expressly interested
in gambling, simply never go there. An online casino on the
other hand, is accessible to everyone, and enjoying the relative
anonymity provided by the internet, nobody will be intimidated
either.
If you do somehow get caught up in the flow, check yourself for
early symptoms and seek help as soon as you can. Here are a few
signs that should clue you in as to whether you are turning into
an addict yourself:
If you find yourself thinking about gambling all the time,
that's an early sign that things may be going awry. Try to stay
away from the online casino for a while in such cases, until
your system cleans itself up. Just for this purpose, many online
gambling establishments have self-exclusion features, through
which a player can request not to be allowed to play there for a
while, or even indefinitely.
It is not in the interest of online
poker rooms or online casinos to completely destroy you. Serious
operations will do everything they can to keep you from turning
your life upside down, and they will indeed enforce your
self-exclusion request.
When you know you're overdoing it, yet you're unable to stop, or
even to take a break, then you know the problem is deepening.
Since the best thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is
to stop digging, try to get your attention caught up with
something else, at least for a while. Take a break whenever you
hit losing streaks, and do not go chasing your losses.
If you suddenly realize that you're neglecting your family,
business or school on account of spending too much time in front
of your computer screen gambling, stop, take a step back and
consider getting help.
Feeling extremely high after a winning session might seem
normal, but it may also be the sign that the whole thing has
grown to mean too much for you. Feeling down after a loss is the
symptom of the same problem.
If you feel like your life is a grey ocean of boredom whenever
you're not gambling, you're probably already hooked.
Remember, at the end of the day, you determine how big an
importance in life you attribute to gambling, however
circumstances may often conspire against you and make you do
things you would never have thought yourself capable of.
Do not
underestimate the dangers, but know that reasonable, cold-headed
thinkers can enjoy gambling for what it is, without getting
entangled in its dark side.