Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy

Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy in Lytham, Fylde Coast and Lancashire at Lytham Hypnotherapy,  by Annette Brown HPD. Gambling Addiction is on the rise in the UK! The NHS estimated that as many as 250,000 people in the UK are addicted to gambling, spending a combined total of £7 billion every year, however only 5% of gambling addicts actually seek help for their problems.

There are a variety of treatment options available for those suffering with a gambling addiction (otherwise known as problem gambling or pathological gambling), and hypnotherapy is an increasingly popular option.

Hypnotherapy aims to tackle both the addiction itself and any underlying problems thought to have triggered the addiction (such as trauma, stress, lack of self-confidence or depression), in an attempt ease the addict out of the compulsion to gamble.

I specialise in Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy, if you’d like a free 30 minute gambling addiction hypnotherapy consultation on please call Annette Brown at Lytham Hypnotherapy on 01253 279284 or 07730 333833 to book your free 30 minute Lytham Hypnotherapy consultation.

Certainly, gambling is in many ways a game: it involves a person putting themselves forward for a challenge and using either skill, tactics or probability to win it.

In most games, the idea of ‘losing’ is conceptual, meaning no one makes a literal loss – the losers simply miss out on winning. For instance: think about quiz-shows on TV such as ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ and ‘Eggheads’. In these games, both teams play for one prize. At the end, one team or contestant goes home with the money and the other goes home with nothing. No one really loses their own money and the only risk element is losing money that has already been won.

‘Winning’ can be conceptual in some games too. Think of family board games such as Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly – no one wins any money, everyone simply plays for a sense of fun, excitement and achievement. With gambling, the ideas of ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ are a lot more concrete and as such, a lot more dangerous. If you lose a gamble, you lose money or other assets. If you win, you gain money or other assets. The more you put at risk, the more you could potentially lose or gainThat’s not to say that people don’t gamble ‘for fun’. Millions of people across the world place bets on sporting events such as horse racing, dog racing, football and rugby every year, simply for harmless fun. For instance, many families in the UK traditionally bet on the Grand National once a year, where even very young children are encouraged to pick the horses they think will win. Gambling is not a problem for the vast majority of people. In fact, gambling is thought to be as old as human civilisation itself.

I specialise in Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy, if you’d like a free 30 minute gambling addiction hypnotherapy consultation on please call Annette Brown at Lytham Hypnotherapy on 01253 279284 or 07730 333833 to book your free 30 minute Lytham Hypnotherapy consultation.

Why do we gamble?

Clearly, gambling is something that appeals to the human mind, as it has done for thousands of years. So why do we do it when it is widely known that ‘the house always wins’? This means that casinos and betting shops meticulously arrange the odds so as to make a profit from losing gamblers. The bottom line is – gamblers are more likely to lose than to win. So just what is it about risk-taking that some of us find so appealing? And why are these people so different from people who shy away from taking risks?

Biological

Recent research has revealed that there may be a biochemical reason why some people enjoy taking risks and others don’t. The results showed that dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ chemical produced by the brain, could be a large part of the reason. To test this idea, scientists compared brain scans from a group of ‘adrenaline junkies’ (people who actively seek risks) against scans from a ‘normal’ group, and found that the adrenaline junkies had less dopamine-inhibiting receptors

Dopamine-inhibiting receptors act to regulate the amount of dopamine in the brain. A lack of these receptors results in an excess of dopamine in the brain. Could this be the reason why ‘adrenaline junkies’ get more of a ‘buzz’ from risk-taking than those who are generally more cautious? These findings could explain why some people feel like they need to keep finding bigger and better ways to get that flood of dopamine, causing them to go back to take risks again and again, which eventually leads to dependence. This is currently a very controversial hypothesis in the field of addiction study and scientists need more evidence before they can successfully develop treatment methods based on this conclusion.

Emotional 

Taking risks is part of human nature. As natural hunters we thrive off the sensation of fear and anticipation. As well as being hunters, we are extremely curious and somewhat greedy creatures. All of these primitive characteristics can no longer be fully satisfied in civilized society, making gambling an ideal hobby. It stimulates the mind, gets the heart pumping faster and introduces a level of challenge that promotes a sense of purpose and ambition. These components are especially attractive to a person who is not enjoying certain aspects of his or her life. Emotional states thought to lead to gambling addiction include:

• Low self-esteem – People with low self-esteem are drawn to gambling because winning can induce a sense of self-worth and achievement.
• Lack of direction or purpose – Some people who feel like they lack the ambition or drive to achieve anything in life might experience a big win and suddenly feel like all their failures can be resolved if they win just one more time.
• Stressed – Sometimes stressful situations can lead us to seek a form of escape. Some of us pick up a book, buy a DVD or immerse ourselves in a video game. Others choose gambling as a means of escape and find that they can use it to distract themselves from life’s problems.
• Depressed – Depression can lead to a total lack of feeling or emotion. This ‘dead’ or invisible feeling can cause us to seek activities that make us feel alive again. The excitement of taking a risk can seem very appealing to a person who hasn’t felt much of anything in a long time.

Do you have a gambling addiction?

There is a big difference between a person who enjoys an occasional bet at the races a few times a year, and a person who can’t get through the day without taking some kind of gamble. Where is the line between hobby and addiction and how do you know if you’ve passed it?

I specialise in Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy, if you’d like a free 30 minute gambling addiction hypnotherapy consultation on please call Annette Brown at Lytham Hypnotherapy on 01253 279284 or 07730 333833 to book your free 30 minute Lytham Hypnotherapy consultation.

Recognising a gambling addiction: 

There are a number of signs to look out for if you think you or someone close to you might be developing an addiction to gambling. These include:

• finding it difficult to stop gambling
• spending too much money – often more than you have
• increasingly argumentative or defensive about money
• becoming increasingly reclusive
• losing interest in socialising or other hobbies
• always talking or thinking about gambling
• lying or hiding habits from other people
• gambling to get out of financial trouble
• borrowing money, selling items or ignoring bills to fund gambling
• needing to risk larger amounts of money to get enough of a ‘buzz’
• neglecting relationships or responsibilities
• feeling or acting depressed and miserable
• feeling suicidal.
• Living with a gambling addiction

As with all compulsive and uncontrollable behaviours, living with a gambling addiction can have a seriously negative effect on all aspects of an addict’s life.  Gambling addiction is incredibly isolating and sufferers tend to become more and more secretive as their problem spirals further out of control.

Partners 

Watching your partner struggle with an addiction can be extremely distressing. Often the initial reaction to finding out that your partner has a gambling addiction is anger. Spouses may find huge amounts of money missing from the bank account, or suddenly find out that they are being evicted from their home due to an inability to pay the rent. In these stressful financial situations, it is often difficult to feel any sympathy.

Unfortunately, many relationships break down over serious financial issues and sometimes shock, anger and confusion can override the love we feel for someone. Although it is difficult, it is important for partners to research as much as possible about gambling addiction before they react. They may find that the problem stems from somewhere deeper, and that it would be more beneficial to tackle these emotional problems before dealing with the financial side of the situation.

Hypnotherapy is a popular and effective method for treating gambling addiction. Hypnotherapy induces a state of deep relaxation which makes it easier for a hypnotherapist to access a client’s subconscious mind. By digging deeper into a client’s subconscious, a hypnotherapist can explore the routes of certain behavioural patterns and, by using the power of suggestion, help the client to break out of these patterns. By altering their thought processes and learning to channel their emotions in different ways, an addict can learn to overcome their gambling addiction and also learn techniques to keep them going even when their hypnotherapy sessions are over.

I specialise in Gambling Addiction Hypnotherapy, if you’d like a free 30 minute gambling addiction hypnotherapy consultation on please call Annette Brown at Lytham Hypnotherapy on 01253 279284 or 07730 333833 to book your free 30 minute Lytham Hypnotherapy consultation.