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We tend to be free and independent, but sometimes we find ourselves limited by addictions that prevent us from achieving our goals. Humans are humans, and if you consider this question from a philosophical point of view, we depend on many things: air, water, food, society, etc. However, this list primarily includes dependencies that are required for the maintenance of vital functions. They are inherent since birth. So, they are not considered to be addictions.
But there are other kinds of dependence, namely harmful addictions, that do not help us to live and realize our potential. We all know them: drinking, smoking, drug addiction, and problem gambling.
This article deals with the physiological features of ludomania development. Awareness of these things will allow you to control them better: forewarned is forearmed! Let's analyze the basic proven principles for getting rid of gambling addiction.
Experiments in Gambling Addiction
First, we want to familiarize our readers with one crucial experiment.
The Canadian researchers James Olds and Peter Milner conducted a fascinating experiment in 1954. They implanted electrodes into the brain of rats and performed electrical stimulation of different fragments in the brain. They noticed once that the rats seemed to enjoy this. It was a surprise to the researchers. So, they decided to continue this experiment.
They allowed rats to press the lever, which gave them an electric current. Rats ceaselessly pressed the lever a few hundred times per hour!
Researchers made the task more complicated: two levers had to be pressed by the rats individually. The rats quickly handled this task. An electric wire was stretched between the levels. It carried an electric current. The rats ran from one lever to another until their paws became coal and fell exhausted.
Later a similar experiment was carried out with the participation of humans. Electrodes were implanted into the brain of volunteers. They had the opportunity to press the button freely. It is interesting to note that these people, like rats, could not stop pressing the button. They constantly pressed it and did not want to stop doing this.
When asked why they were doing this, they said they were happy. However, they did not become happier while pressing it. This only strengthened the desire to press it again and again.
The stimulation of the brain induces dopamine release. This hormone affects the human brain and creates a desire to repeatedly press the button as if this would make them happy. That is why dopamine is referred to as a hormone of happiness.
How Does the Gambling Addiction Manifest Itself?
This usually happens very quickly and gradually to gamblers. Like alcoholics and drug addicts, problem gamblers can confess they are addicted to gambling. Until recently, it has been supposed that their attitude towards gambling is not such a big problem. However, dopamine, released after wins, causes euphoria and happiness.
This effect decreases, and then, when gamblers have not been playing for a long time, they start feeling bad, and memories begin to torment them; the brain actively synthesizes dopamine to remind you how happy you were while gambling and promises this happiness again. People start gambling again to get another dose of happiness and become slaves of gambling games.
A similar situation can be described for other addictions: alcohol, drugs, and smoking. All of them share the same feature:
Addicts believe the next dose will make them happy.
Thus, dopamine plays with us, making us dependent on one or the other thing.
Symptoms of problem gambling are similar to drug addiction and alcohol abuse:
- The gambler does not bring home the salary.
- Then the addict begins to sell domestic things, borrow money from friends, or take out loans.
- Then the gambler is surprised to have a lot of debt and sees that relatives and friends have already abandoned him. The world is limited to gambling.
- Hobbies in real life disappear. Bet combinations and strategies occupy the mind.
- The desire to gamble never disappears.
When the disease is triggered, there is a feeling of hopelessness and meaninglessness. There are frequent cases of suicide among gamblers.
Why Does Gambling Addiction Happen?
Our brain always tends to save energy. It can be noticed when you need to do something you do not have to do. The brain creates hundreds of excuses to avoid and spend energy on this.
Gambling often brings more emotions than real life, and the brain starts perceiving gambling as a way to obtain these emotions. And if it is easier to get emotions from gambling, there is no need to try to do something in real life. So, the brain logic is obvious: the minimum efforts bring the maximum results.
Gambling games allow for getting adrenaline and required emotions. Emotions form the basis of this addiction. However, their absence can be caused by several other factors, such as a lack of communication or adventures in life, a sense of struggle, and a lack of recreation and emotional impressions.
Therefore, to eliminate the addiction, you must understand why you enjoy gambling more than your real life.
How to Turn an Enemy into a Friend?
Dopamine can be either our enemy or our ally. This depends on you. When I decided to quit smoking, an image of my ideal life without cigarettes was a great motivation. I'm talking about the life that allows communicating with friends, going out with a girlfriend, doing something interesting and exciting, and realizing my potential. And I began to enjoy it while taking steps to quit smoking.
You will not believe this, but the pleasure from useful deeds can be more intense than the pleasure from harmful deeds!
Another essential factor that helps gamblers overcome addiction is finding their life mission.
- Why are you here?
- What did you bring to this planet?
- What will be left after you?
- What will be said about you at your funeral?
Think about this, and when you realize your position, act. In this case, you will have something more valuable than your dependence. And this will help you to win dopamine over to your side and successfully overcome your addiction.
How to Increase Your Motivation
You should prepare a reward for yourself. It should motivate you and prevent you from your previous actions. For example, if you have not been gambling for a week, visit a restaurant with your girlfriend and celebrate this. You should make the task more complicated and the reward more valuable each time. But do this gradually, step by step.
Thus, you will fix new necessary features. You may even be able to get rid of your gambling addiction. Dopamine will work for you. Imagine that your addiction is another person who constantly hurts you. Face your problem and say: "Now I am the master here!"
And start waging a war for your independence. Challenge yourself and consider all your temptations as a fight with your opponent. Keep in mind that you can win any match!
How to Get Rid of Ludomania
Having determined the root of the problem and confessed that you are addicted, you can understand how it is possible to overcome your addiction. The next step is to provide yourself with what you lack in real life.
You should enjoy this more in real life than while gambling. It will change the direction of the pathological process. The range of emotions obtained in real life is significantly more comprehensive. However, this requires some effort. Getting what you want in real life after making an effort brings much more pleasure.
Our brain is indifferent to the way we obtain pleasure. It has one important function. It ensures survival here and now. The brain does not know how to predict the future. Its decisions are not based on long-term goals that will make you happier. This must be done with the help of your efforts, willpower, and discipline.
Having abandoned gambling, fill your life with what you have missed. The difficulties that await you ahead should be thought out beforehand, and you should be prepared for them.
First of all, you need to elaborate on a solid motivation. To do this, it is necessary to visualize your ideal "Ego" and enjoy it every day. During the visualization, you must fully feel the emotions you have missed. Initially, it will not be easy, but practice helps you. This will help you to develop good motivation and make the necessary decision to change your life. You require the self-discipline to avoid giving up halfway, so develop it.
Gambling Addiction is a harmful habit. Unfortunately, it is tough to get rid of it when it has already been developed. It is much easier to replace it with the other positive habit. Replace it with spending time on an exciting hobby that may eventually become your favorite business and will help you earn a living and make you happy.
When you struggle with addiction, organize your time to prevent the appearance of gaps between different activities. Boredom and idleness are your biggest enemies. You should constantly be busy! This does not mean that you should not relax. However, your free time should be full of events, informative and not boring since boredom is the first thing that makes you return to old habits.
Conclusion
To sum up, I want to tell an interesting American Indian legend. Once upon a time, an old American Indian was teaching his grandson about life:
- We have two wolves inside us. The white one symbolizes wisdom, courage, valor, discipline, strength, and other positive characteristics, and the black wolf is filled with laziness, jealousy, greed, anger, and other negative features. These wolves constantly fight to own you.
- And which wolf wins? – asked the young man.
- The one that you feed...
So, feed your white wolf. Feed it with self-discipline, endurance, strength, good deeds, prayers, achieving your goals, and success! And nothing will be impossible for you!
