Gambling in our Nature
Studies have shown that nature has a lot to say over nurture when it comes to
who we are. Adopted children generally do not follow in their adopted parents
footsteps when it comes to career or hobbies. They are more likely to have the
talents and interests of their natural parents. On the other hand, the phrases
"the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" and "like father like son" exist for
a reason, they're true. We are like our genetic lineage, and not just because we
were exposed to certain things as children. Dr. Donald W. Black is a professor
of psychiatry at the University of Iowa researching obsessive-compulsive
disorder and anti-social personality disorder. Part of his studies includes
inheriting a pathological gambling behavior. Dr. Black believes
that to a certain extent,
pathological gambling is inherited. In a recent
interview he stated that he believes "that converging lines of evidence point to
a genetic root to pathological gambling (PG), as well as most types of
behavioral problems including drug and alcohol addictions. Clearly, genes do not
function in a vacuum, and non-genetic causes are important as well although
science can't quite identify yet what those factors might be. Of course, people
don't "inherit" PG, because gambling is a social construct and so must be
available in society for people to develop a problem. The same is true for
alcoholism, because for that to exist, alcohol must be available. That said, a
certain percent of any population exposed to gambling will develop a problem,
and the relevant question is: What is it about those people that leads them, and
not others, to develop PG?"
Statistics prove that most people
with a pathological gambling disorder also have other addictions, such as a
drug, alcohol addiction, or another type of anti-social behavior. Scientists
have yet to discover which addiction comes first or if there's any relation from
one addiction to the other. However, according to Dr. Black "Anti-social
personality is thought to begin early in life, generally by the teen years, and
because most people do not develop PG until their 20s or 30s, we have to assume
that the anti-social personality came first. In fact, personality
characteristics associated with anti-social personality might well predispose to
PG, such as craving new sensations, being impulsive and so on. Alcoholism and
drug addiction usually starts in the late teens or 20s, so this likely precedes
the development of PG, which is not surprising. As with anti-social personality
disorder, characteristics that sustain and promote drug addiction may promote PG
as well. Drugs tend to be disinhibiting, and this attribute could contribute to
out of control gambling. Yet, most people with PG do not have anti-social
personality or a drug or alcohol addiction, so these ideas explain only a small
portion of the overall problem."
Basically, if someone is starting
to show addictive behavior in their teens and twenties then they are more likely
to develop an addiction to gambling than someone who hasn't. However, even if
someone hasn't shown any sort of addictive behavior it doesn't mean that they
will not become addicted to gambling. Having gambling available is the first way
someone can become addicted. Long before the days of internet gambling, bookies
were the way people made their wagers. There is also been the ever famous "poker
night". Internet gambling is now the easiest way for most people to gamble, as
it is available all of the time as long as you are connected to the internet. Of
course, just because you like to gamble doesn't mean you will become addicted.
According to the Harvard Medical Review only one percent to two percent of all
gamblers will become addicted. The percentage has remained steady even as
the amount of players has increased.
Gambling addiction is a
pathological, rather than physical, addiction. No substances enter the
person's body for them to become dependent on. Instead the gambling addict
becomes addicted to the serotonin and adrenalin rush from winning. This means,
theoretically, that they could replace one behavior with another behavior which
would give the same result and conquer their addiction. For example, an addict
could replace gambling with exercise. Exercise gives people a high, but it has a
positive, rather than negative result on the addict.
The best
scenario would simply be avoiding addiction altogether. If you come from a
long line of addicted personalities, such as a parent and grandparent who were
alcoholics for example, then you need to be especially careful when you decide
to gamble. Never gamble for more than three hours at a time. Don't gamble more
than three times a week. Make sure you know what sort of budget you can afford
and consider gambling your entertainment, rather than a potential source of
income. After all, most people who gamble are not professional players who
gamble for a living, but more like you and me who just enjoy a good game. Always
spend within your entertainment budget, this way you don't have to worry where
next months rent money is coming from. Good money management is essential in
life, whether you choose to gamble with your hard earned money or not.
By being self aware and knowing your strengths and limitations you can monitor
your gambling to assure that nothing gets out of control. Fortunately, most
people who gamble never develop a problem and simply enjoy the fun and
excitement of a good game. Online casinos are great for people who like to
gamble. They are conveniently located. You can reach an internet casino through
your computer, hand held internet connected devices such as a blackberry, or
your internet connected cell phone. You never have to drive anywhere in order to
enjoy your favorite casino games. Internet casinos even help their players win.
Every online casino offers play for fun mode where players can practice for fun
before deciding to spend their money. Finally, internet casinos give players
extra money to win with through various bonuses, drawings and tournaments.
Whether you like to gamble because your parents do or because you simply picked
up a love for the game there are numerous reasons to enjoy playing online.
Posted on: March 30, 2006
Back to Jan - Mar 2006's archive
Back to latest Articles
