When should you consider yourself an addict

[Grace333]

I guess no gambling addict will easily admit that he's into it. For us, he's already an addict, but for him, he is just playing the games well and is still gambling responsibly because he is not gambling more than 50% of his income, and he still wins despite of some losses endured.

Realistically speaking, a gambling addict is someone who barely manage his funds and almost all of his income will only go to gambling since he is gambling most of the time. But who dares to admit? Of course, no one will think that he, himself is already living with addiction, until he ended up homeless, that's the time he'll realized that addiction has gone so far, and he can no longer control his gambling problems anymore.

Most people don’t even realize they have crossed the line until everything starts falling apart. It must not even be up to or more than 50%, the moment you start using money meant for important bill, then you are already addicted..
And honestly, the moment you can not control your spending anymore or you keep chasing losses even when it is hurting you, that’s already a sign of addiction. You don’t have to be homeless before you admit something is wrong. The earlier someone acknowledges it, the easier it is to fix.

[Jody.Drummer]

addictions isn't depend on how much money used for gambling, As far as a man/girl want to gamble again and again, it considered as addicted. All of us become addicted for gambling after playing for few times but become our need. Let say you have to think if you "must" to use "10%" from salary, every weeks or month, for gamble, it already become an addiction. Maybe not too hard for now, but it can be stronger without control. don't be wrong, just because gamble once a week, you are claimed not getting addicted. IMO

Something done only occasionally and becoming a habit, repeated over and over again, and even unable to give it up or skip it, is rightly called an addiction. Addiction applies not only to gambling but to other things as well. I think it's a bad habit when gambling becomes a necessity, and it can drain our finances.
You're right, when we decide to set a budget from our salary for gambling, that's a sign of addiction. But what about those who gamble only occasionally, for example, once a month, within a set budget, and they do so responsibly, without any excessive behavior at all? I don't think they could be called addicted, even if it's reasonable.

[masulum]

Something done only occasionally and becoming a habit, repeated over and over again, and even unable to give it up or skip it, is rightly called an addiction. Addiction applies not only to gambling but to other things as well. I think it's a bad habit when gambling becomes a necessity, and it can drain our finances.
You're right, when we decide to set a budget from our salary for gambling, that's a sign of addiction. But what about those who gamble only occasionally, for example, once a month, within a set budget, and they do so responsibly, without any excessive behavior at all? I don't think they could be called addicted, even if it's reasonable.

yes addiction is not just about gambling just to make sure we are still discussed about gambling here. about gamble once a month, with a limit and never gamble more than it's limit and never mind if he missed his schedule to gamble, so its no problem at all. But if someday started to think "must" gamble once a month, it can be a sign of addiction coming. because the behavior that makes someone feeling "have to gamble" is an indication of addictive behavior. When someone feels restlessness because skipped his monthly gamble also part of the sign of addiction already affected that control already.

[Yeesha]

You should consider yourself an addict, the moment you cannot do without gambling. If you haven't gamble in  the day you wouldn't be satisfied. However, if you start gambling for profit, you can also be considered an addict because it must lead to addiction since most of the addicted gamblers were playing for profit and continue to chase their losses.

When you start borrowing money to gamble, you are already addicted. Don't gamble when you don't have money and stop gambling after you have reached your limit. You are to only use your part of your discretionary money to gamble. Addicts don't accept that they're addicted. That's the trick.

A gambler can realized that he is addicted to gambling when he spent most of his times, efforts, energy, and more money in gambling, they will keep doing that despite hurting relationships or responsibilities. And you will find it very difficult to cut back or stop himself from gambling, even after trying. If you notice yourself repeatedly asking family/ relation, or Friends for cash in order to gamble, that kind of behavior often signify or signals a loss of control. Because that's kind of habit is clearly showing that you are prioritizing your gambling over financial responsibility, and it can quickly spiral into compulsive use. And at this point, a lot of gamblers experience shame, secrecy, and the inability to stop gambling even when they want to do so.

[Ever-young]

Most people don’t even realize they have crossed the line until everything starts falling apart. It must not even be up to or more than 50%, the moment you start using money meant for important bill, then you are already addicted..
And honestly, the moment you can not control your spending anymore or you keep chasing losses even when it is hurting you, that’s already a sign of addiction. You don’t have to be homeless before you admit something is wrong. The earlier someone acknowledges it, the easier it is to fix.

You made a good point about loss chasing. When a gambler starts feeling the urge to chase and recover all their losses, even when they know fully well that this wasn’t initially in the plan and that it’s draining their finance, They’re no longer using their rational thinking/reasoning anymore but allowing their emotions to make those decisions for them. You really don’t need to lose everything first before you realize that you have entered a wrong lane, just a few losses is enough to make you make a U-turn.

[Africolo]

A friend of mine was in an argument with me about when someone should consider himself as an addict, I said if anyone is losing 30 percent or more of his monthly income on gambling, that he is an addict but my friend said no.

He is not affected by gambling but I do not like the way he is losing money on gambling but he said he is not using more than 50% of his monthly salary to gamble and my mouth was wide opened when I heard it.

One can consider oneself as an addict when they don't have a budget for themselves, they bet with any money that comes their way not minding whether they are left with any amount, they just can't stop betting. mind you some people don't even end up to 30% of what they gamble with. You must not be gambling everyday before you realize that you are an addict. Without properly studying and analyzing games before playing and frequent losses and yet you don't take a break makes you an addict.

There are people that borrow money to bet and pay when they receive salary. I know a friend that earns 50,000 naira and can be gambling till that money finishes, it's only when the money has finished that he will realize himself, it's just as if he is under a spell whenever he has money, he will continue to bet until he exhaust that money, that's pure addiction and when it gets to a stage that you can't control yourself is bad, every gambler should have a budget and play according to what is set aside for it.

[gunhell16]

From what I understand, you can truly say you're addicted [to gambling] when, for example, you’re an employee and you spend your entire paycheck on gambling and after losing it all,
you end up borrowing money just to cover your expenses and buy food.

In short, when the money meant for basic necessities is spent on gambling, you’re clearly already a certified gambling addict. Another example is selling your belongings just to use the money
for gambling. Even worse, the most obvious sign of addiction is when you borrow a large sum of money only to gamble it all away again.

[Not your key not your BTC]

In my opinion, someone can be considered a gambling addict when they're willing to sell all their assets to gamble, regardless of the risks. My friend is so addicted to gambling that he's even willing to steal to afford it. He feels like he's going crazy without a single day of gambling. Although I've advised him, he's already a serious gambling addict and finds it difficult to stop.

[Altryist]

From what I understand, you can truly say you're addicted [to gambling] when, for example, you’re an employee and you spend your entire paycheck on gambling and after losing it all,
you end up borrowing money just to cover your expenses and buy food.

In short, when the money meant for basic necessities is spent on gambling, you’re clearly already a certified gambling addict. Another example is selling your belongings just to use the money
for gambling. Even worse, the most obvious sign of addiction is when you borrow a large sum of money only to gamble it all away again.

Even if you spend at least one tenth of your salary, or especially one third of it or more, this is already a clear sign that you have a bad gambling habit that will take away money you could have invested and earned profit from. If this happens every single month, and you lose this money, it is an obvious sign that you can't control yourself in gambling. If you spend your entire salary, then it is already a disaster.

[xenomorfo]

Something done only occasionally and becoming a habit, repeated over and over again, and even unable to give it up or skip it, is rightly called an addiction. Addiction applies not only to gambling but to other things as well. I think it's a bad habit when gambling becomes a necessity, and it can drain our finances.
You're right, when we decide to set a budget from our salary for gambling, that's a sign of addiction. But what about those who gamble only occasionally, for example, once a month, within a set budget, and they do so responsibly, without any excessive behavior at all? I don't think they could be called addicted, even if it's reasonable.

The fact that it becomes a habit is not an addiction, no sorry i don't agree
It becomes an addiction when it becomes your only reason for existing, when you only think about it, when you sacrifice everything for it.
If it's a habit, it's still a habit, especially if you do it for fun.

[Wakate]

You made a good point about loss chasing. When a gambler starts feeling the urge to chase and recover all their losses, even when they know fully well that this wasn’t initially in the plan and that it’s draining their finance, They’re no longer using their rational thinking/reasoning anymore but allowing their emotions to make those decisions for them. You really don’t need to lose everything first before you realize that you have entered a wrong lane, just a few losses is enough to make you make a U-turn.

People are chasing their losses so that they can get their money from the casino they are using and continuing to bet.
It is in two sided ways and people need to understand that they can either lost what they have as gamblers or regain their losses and starts making profits from their bets. If you are lucky enough, you might become very profitable from your bets with an explanation for it.

[Findingnemo]

Spending 30 or even 50% of the earnings can be considered as reckless, but when the person realizes that he is spending more money than he should and he tries stopping it but he just can't break his habit that is why we can consider him as an addict.

For me that 30% too is too high. If you are spending upto 30% you are then lost in gambling and not just addicted.  Because just imagine I'm earning 100k and im spending 30k for betting that's already way too much.  Imagine the high cost of living what's now left for me to take care of myself to the end of the month. ?
If any individual should spend more than 5% of his income to gamble that person is sure an addicted gambler already. And aside the monetary aspect if your mind is mostly flooded with playing games. What match is next, how much you need to keep or even how you get more money to gamble you are certainly an addict already.  

Individuals can have their own preferences. For example, people spend 30% of their monthly salary on car payments and there are people who spend 60% of their salary on their house loan and it goes on. So if someone can spend 30% then it is their own choice but it is high amount to me and I won't even cross 10% no matter how crazy I become.

[pawanjain]

People are chasing their losses so that they can get their money from the casino they are using and continuing to bet.
It is in two sided ways and people need to understand that they can either lost what they have as gamblers or regain their losses and starts making profits from their bets. If you are lucky enough, you might become very profitable from your bets with an explanation for it.

Regain/recovering the losses is a myth if you are long term gambler because the casino eventually makes money out of you in the long run.
So we should consider quitting for the day when we are on the losing side.
Its more beneficial to have shorter sessions while gambling.

[Richbased]

From what I understand, you can truly say you're addicted [to gambling] when, for example, you’re an employee and you spend your entire paycheck on gambling and after losing it all,
you end up borrowing money just to cover your expenses and buy food.

In short, when the money meant for basic necessities is spent on gambling, you’re clearly already a certified gambling addict. Another example is selling your belongings just to use the money
for gambling. Even worse, the most obvious sign of addiction is when you borrow a large sum of money only to gamble it all away again.

Addiction in a real context means something that you can't do without or overdepency on a bad habit which often leads to bad experiences so even if you borrow money to gamble or spend all your income on gambling, it doesn't really mean you are addicted to gambling except you form it as a habit to always do those things without constraints. Someone can risk all his income in a month to gamble, it doesn't mean he is a gambling addict. Someone can also borrow money to gamble but that doesn't make him addicted to gambling but if they do them many times then it is an addiction.

[cxtreenal]

You made a good point about loss chasing. When a gambler starts feeling the urge to chase and recover all their losses, even when they know fully well that this wasn’t initially in the plan and that it’s draining their finance, They’re no longer using their rational thinking/reasoning anymore but allowing their emotions to make those decisions for them. You really don’t need to lose everything first before you realize that you have entered a wrong lane, just a few losses is enough to make you make a U-turn.

People are chasing their losses so that they can get their money from the casino they are using and continuing to bet.
It is in two sided ways and people need to understand that they can either lost what they have as gamblers or regain their losses and starts making profits from their bets. If you are lucky enough, you might become very profitable from your bets with an explanation for it.

The risk of addiction is higher for gamblers who chase losses because they return to the casino where they lost money. Most gamblers choose the same platforms where they lost money but should have changed their strategy. Chasing losses means creating deeper wounds. There is a community of gamblers who gamble in the hope of getting the jackpot. They believe that at some point they will get lucky and win a lot of money. The expectations keep them alive in the gambling arena and the losses continue to increase.

[Queen uloma]

A friend of mine was in an argument with me about when someone should consider himself as an addict, I said if anyone is losing 30 percent or more of his monthly income on gambling, that he is an addict but my friend said no.

He is not affected by gambling but I do not like the way he is losing money on gambling but he said he is not using more than 50% of his monthly salary to gamble and my mouth was wide opened when I heard it.

Gambling addiction has really affected alot of people, making them sell their properties, zero saving, always broke, and miss great opportunities in life,  for me gambling isn't bad, it's only bad when you're using money meant for other things to gamble, that's when I can say is addiction, so anyone that uses 50% of his salary to gamble is already addicted to gambling, but when you use 30% of your discretionary income to gamble, it's not an addiction because your discretionary income is a money that lift after paying the important bills, so if one decide to use it, it doesn't mean you're addicted to gambling.

[imamusma]

~~

People are chasing their losses so that they can get their money from the casino they are using and continuing to bet.
It is in two sided ways and people need to understand that they can either lost what they have as gamblers or regain their losses and starts making profits from their bets. If you are lucky enough, you might become very profitable from your bets with an explanation for it.

The risk of addiction is higher for gamblers who chase losses because they return to the casino where they lost money. Most gamblers choose the same platforms where they lost money but should have changed their strategy. Chasing losses means creating deeper wounds. There is a community of gamblers who gamble in the hope of getting the jackpot. They believe that at some point they will get lucky and win a lot of money. The expectations keep them alive in the gambling arena and the losses continue to increase.

It is very unfortunate to fall into such a gambling cycle, meaning those who are ambitious about chasing losses will clearly risk all their money for revenge. Regardless of the casino they visit, the type of game they play, or whether they bet on sports, if they want to chase losses, it is certain that they will eventually regret their actions. The later they realize their mistake, the greater the potential losses they will experience. Furthermore, not every gambler is lucky enough to hit a jackpot, allowing them to cover their previous losses.

[Emeraldo]

Spending 30 or even 50% of the earnings can be considered as reckless, but when the person realizes that he is spending more money than he should and he tries stopping it but he just can't break his habit that is why we can consider him as an addict.

I feel like it should even be from 20% upwards because you can imagine for someone with an income of $1000 gambling away $200 is quite  a serious one, I know some persons can go as far as gambling away there entire income and probably double but when this things become a system like when it becomes a daily life style and an involuntary action then it's considered an addiction.
Gamblers are supposed to know there limits, as soon as you don't think you have a limit of play and it goes on and on then it can also be considered an addiction because addiction comes from you not been able to be in total control of your actions even when you feel like you want to stop you just keep going on with high hopes

[leonair]

Spending 30 or even 50% of the earnings can be considered as reckless, but when the person realizes that he is spending more money than he should and he tries stopping it but he just can't break his habit that is why we can consider him as an addict.

I feel like it should even be from 20% upwards because you can imagine for someone with an income of $1000 gambling away $200 is quite  a serious one, I know some persons can go as far as gambling away there entire income and probably double but when this things become a system like when it becomes a daily life style and an involuntary action then it's considered an addiction.
Gamblers are supposed to know there limits, as soon as you don't think you have a limit of play and it goes on and on then it can also be considered an addiction because addiction comes from you not been able to be in total control of your actions even when you feel like you want to stop you just keep going on with high hopes

20% of income is a huge amount, if someone can spend 20% of their money on gambling then they can definitely be considered a serious gambler. Because if someone who earns $200 a month spends $40 on gambling then it will be very difficult for them to support their family with the remaining $160. Still the reason they spend such amount of money on gambling is because they think that they will win something from gambling which will make them rich. I have also seen gamblers who do not hesitate to spend 100% of their income on gambling. They are the real addicted gamblers.

[Ever-young]

People are chasing their losses so that they can get their money from the casino they are using and continuing to bet.
It is in two sided ways and people need to understand that they can either lost what they have as gamblers or regain their losses and starts making profits from their bets. If you are lucky enough, you might become very profitable from your bets with an explanation for it.

There are gamblers who are actually lucky enough to actually chase losses and succeed to recover their losses and gain even more, but that doesn’t in any way make this approach a commendable one, the reality remains that, even if some gamblers actually do regain their losses, a higher percentage end up landing themselves in much bigger trouble that they thought they were. Maybe someone uses money meant for groceries to gamble and loses it, and in an attempt to recover it, he goes further to wager money meant for the utility bill, now he’s at a point where he may not only have to worry about groceries alone, but also his utility bill, and maybe others too. That’s the reality of a loss chaser.