When should you consider yourself an addict

[Dickiy]

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.

Exactly, okey I'll sum it up that addiction means when a gambler can't ignore any time without gambling, as you said they feel like they “have to gamble”, meaning gambling has become a habit and at that point when they don't gamble then they will feel like something is missing.
I'm speaking from experience because I've also been addicted before, feeling like something is missing is a strong sign that you're already addicted.

[Asuspawer09]

Depends on your risk tolerance but in my opinion 30% is just way too high to put it on gambing it just a huge chunk of your salary that is going to be risk on gambling, It just way to high 30% is already something that you can use for a morgage paymen, so I woudnt going to just waste that into a gambling where most of the time im just going to lose. I think the sweet spot is lower than 5% I would tprobably just use 5% or lower as a reference, just something that I could afford to lose and not going to affect my living, if possible, make it lower if you want to.

I think the amount is not really related to addiction; you're just wrong on how you manage your money. I mean, you just gambling with a huge amount of money, you just dont know how to handle it but at the same time you have control, and you could stop gambling if you wanted. A gambling addict is just someone who cannot control his gambling, someone who that is going keeps on playing even though he know that his already loss.

[Jody.Drummer]

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.

I understand the word "must" you used, and yes, when someone decides they have to do something, they're already addicted. But this doesn't apply to everything, like work that must be done. Even if it's a must, it doesn't necessarily mean it's an addiction. And yes, when they're anxious about not gambling on time, as you said, that's true. Those who are easily aware are fortunate if they can recognize their wrong behavior and try to correct it, because not everyone can easily realize and intend to correct it.

[uneng]

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

Even 20% is too much. I think someone shouldn't spend more than 5% of his monthly earnings in gambling. Life isn't easy these days. Living costs are too expensive, and those spending more than 5% of their income with gambling must face a harsh reality where they struggle to pay simple and basic expenses, like food, electricity and water bills, rent and transportation.

Even wealthy individuals don't spend a considerable percentage of their monthly income with gambling, so everyone else should pay attention to their respective gambling routines as well to not become slaves of addiction and poverty.

[alegotardo]

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.

And who said that addiction is measured by the percentage of money spent on gambling?

Both are completely wrong... gambling addiction is characteristic of anyone who cannot control their gambling.

Understand that this is much more than spending more money than you should... it' i also about wasting excessive time, or not being able to control the impulse to stop gambling, it is the fact that you prefer to exchange healthier activities like spending time with family, friends or your spouse just to gamble... that is being addicted.

If you have the need to bet increasingly larger amounts or get irritated when you try to reduce it, if you have tried several times to control yourself and failed or lie to hide that you are gambling... then you are already a severely addicted person. Seek help!

[TheUltraElite]

It can very from person to person but their number might start to make more sense if they actually reach that level of bankruptcy and then makes the statement.

Of course we suggest the safer side as 10% but there might be people who can sustain much bigger percentages. I am yet to see them have any stable financials though.

Just make sure you follow them and see if they are actually spending that much along with how much time they spent. That will decide on addiction being there or not.

[Altryist]

It can very from person to person but their number might start to make more sense if they actually reach that level of bankruptcy and then makes the statement.

Of course we suggest the safer side as 10% but there might be people who can sustain much bigger percentages. I am yet to see them have any stable financials though.

Just make sure you follow them and see if they are actually spending that much along with how much time they spent. That will decide on addiction being there or not.

For each person this level will be different, some people may be able to lose 10%, while for others even 1 or 2 % will already be too large an amount if they lose it every month. That is why this rule should not be generalized for all players. You need to assess your own capabilities without paying attention to how other players do it. And probably a clear sign of addiction will be that you start increasing your gaming deposit. If for a long time it was the usual few percent and you systematically increase it, then this is a sign that you should pay attention to it.

[xenomorfo]

For each person this level will be different, some people may be able to lose 10%, while for others even 1 or 2 % will already be too large an amount if they lose it every month. That is why this rule should not be generalized for all players. You need to assess your own capabilities without paying attention to how other players do it. And probably a clear sign of addiction will be that you start increasing your gaming deposit. If for a long time it was the usual few percent and you systematically increase it, then this is a sign that you should pay attention to it.

Please don't do that kind of calculation, don't put math into the game.
I remind you that it is just a game and therefore it should be taken as such, in a light-hearted way without pretending to make statistics in something that does not require statistics but just a game and that's it.

[Judith87403]

Exactly, okey I'll sum it up that addiction means when a gambler can't ignore any time without gambling, as you said they feel like they “have to gamble”, meaning gambling has become a habit and at that point when they don't gamble then they will feel like something is missing.
I'm speaking from experience because I've also been addicted before, feeling like something is missing is a strong sign that you're already addicted.

That’s right. Although not all addicted Gamblers always have that urge to want to gamble all the time, some even when they feel the urge, they’re able to fight it off, but whenever they approach gambling, something always goes wrong. Either they finish all the money in their bank account or they end up selling their belongings or they take loans just to continue gambling, it just doesn’t always end well, that’s also a sign of addiction. So when you observe that you no longer have control over your emotion whenever you gamble, then that’s a big cue that you’re addicted.

[Smartprofit]

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.

Personally, I believe that gambling addiction can't be diagnosed based on the size of a gambling budget. Personally, I find it strange to spend 50 percent of your income on gambling... However, I understand that for someone else, this might be perfectly normal. 🧖

Perhaps your friend truly enjoys gambling. Perhaps your friend is under a lot of stress at work, and gambling helps them relax. Anything is possible...🤷

Gambling addiction, in my opinion, is more of a psychological problem than a financial one. Many people spend money irrationally, but they are not gambling addicts. Gambling addiction is characterized by obsessive thoughts about gambling. You can recognize a gambling addict by the fact that other areas of their life have been significantly affected by their gambling.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Anyone that is addicted to gambling will likely spend all his money on gambling every time until he is broke. That is the reason you will see many addicts spend all their weekly or monthly income on gambling and still prefer to borrow money to satisfy his urge, thinking he is going to make money from gambling from the money he borrowed but he will lose the borrowed money also until he will be calm. The same will repeat itself again after receiving the next weekly or monthly income.

That's very sad because life can go on like that, lending money and lending money that you can't pay back. Debt is synonymous with total addiction, and it's a cycle that doesn't end or break. A person with that type of problem is really dangerous because they get not only themselves into trouble but their whole family too. Bad things happen when you lose control like that.

[Wakate]

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.

Since you have used the word "Lucky" that means gamblers can be very lucky when gambling which is a good thing to talk about when gambling. If a gambler can loses when gambling and be successful, that means many people can actually do this and be profitable too. Premature gamblers that tried to chase their loses might become a victim and end up losing their money that could have been used for something else.

[Dickiy]

Exactly, okey I'll sum it up that addiction means when a gambler can't ignore any time without gambling, as you said they feel like they “have to gamble”, meaning gambling has become a habit and at that point when they don't gamble then they will feel like something is missing.
I'm speaking from experience because I've also been addicted before, feeling like something is missing is a strong sign that you're already addicted.

That’s right. Although not all addicted Gamblers always have that urge to want to gamble all the time, some even when they feel the urge, they’re able to fight it off, but whenever they approach gambling, something always goes wrong. Either they finish all the money in their bank account or they end up selling their belongings or they take loans just to continue gambling, it just doesn’t always end well, that’s also a sign of addiction. So when you observe that you no longer have control over your emotion whenever you gamble, then that’s a big cue that you’re addicted.

That is also true, the point of addiction is when a gambler can no longer control his desire to gamble, the first sign of addiction is when a gambler already has a feeling like something is missing when they are not gambling, second is when they have excessive interest and enthusiasm for winning, third is a gambler always forces the situation to be able to gamble such as taking loans or selling items they own, and also when for example your desire to gamble arises because of the urge of winning such as remembering past wins then this also means you are addicted.

[rachael9385]

Let's get something straight. Addiction is not determined by how much you lose, but how much time you spend on something. I can lose a very huge amount on gambling in just few minutes and I may still not be addicted. I was just careless to have lost a huge amount of money.

Talking about me knowing when I would say "oh yeah, I am addicted ", that would be if I notice that I cannot go a day without gambling. I suddenly become restless when I am unable to gamble. To make matters worst, I start receiving complaints from my workplace, family, friends and some social networks I belong to on my sudden change of attitude and inability to complete tasks. I would know immediately that something is wrong.

Good point, addiction is simply based on the time you spend gambling because that's what gets people addicted to gambling in the first place. Those that gambles for up to 3 hours are likely to get addicted than those that just spend few minutes doing it even though they lose huge amounts. That's the reason why the only way for addicted gamblers to quit gambling is to start by reducing the time they spend doing it

[Floxynice]

Let's get something straight. Addiction is not determined by how much you lose, but how much time you spend on something. I can lose a very huge amount on gambling in just few minutes and I may still not be addicted. I was just careless to have lost a huge amount of money.

Talking about me knowing when I would say "oh yeah, I am addicted ", that would be if I notice that I cannot go a day without gambling. I suddenly become restless when I am unable to gamble. To make matters worst, I start receiving complaints from my workplace, family, friends and some social networks I belong to on my sudden change of attitude and inability to complete tasks. I would know immediately that something is wrong.

Good point, addiction is simply based on the time you spend gambling because that's what gets people addicted to gambling in the first place. Those that gambles for up to 3 hours are likely to get addicted than those that just spend few minutes doing it even though they lose huge amounts. That's the reason why the only way for addicted gamblers to quit gambling is to start by reducing the time they spend doing it

To me, I don't think it is possible for addicted gamblers to reduce the way they gamble just like that. They are addicted already and the problem they are battling with is their inability to say no to gambling when they obviously should. Any gambler that really wants to quit gambling should quit completely and not keep tempting himself with the mindset that he is trying to reduce the way he gambles. He can in real sense reduce the way he gambles only after he has abstained from gambling for a while and is sure that he now has full control over himself.

[rachael9385]

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.

Good points, not being able to stay without gambling for a day is a sign that you are already addicted to gambling, people that are being affected to this point might even go as far as borrowing money when they don't have just to satisfy the urge to gamble. And like you most addicts like this don't accept the fact that they are addicts instead they just come up with excuses to justify their addiction

[giammangiato]

Good points, not being able to stay without gambling for a day is a sign that you are already addicted to gambling, people that are being affected to this point might even go as far as borrowing money when they don't have just to satisfy the urge to gamble. And like you most addicts like this don't accept the fact that they are addicts instead they just come up with excuses to justify their addiction

I consider myself an addicted player even though I play a maximum of 3 times a week, is my addiction due to the fact that I play several times a week, or how could I define myself, if the addicted player is defined as a player who plays every day and cannot skip a day without playing?
Really in my opinion it is difficult to give a definition.

[GiftedMAN]

Good points, not being able to stay without gambling for a day is a sign that you are already addicted to gambling, people that are being affected to this point might even go as far as borrowing money when they don't have just to satisfy the urge to gamble. And like you most addicts like this don't accept the fact that they are addicts instead they just come up with excuses to justify their addiction

Addicted gamblers can't survive not gambling for a day unless they have no access to Internet or they can't locate a close casino to gamble, funny enough addicted gamblers will be the ones to complain that they are losing so much in gambling but you can't see them talk about how to stop because they now see it as part of them. If they don't have money they will rather sell what they have to make money or borrow for others.

[Finebone]

Addicted gamblers can't survive not gambling for a day unless they have no access to Internet or they can't locate a close casino to gamble, funny enough addicted gamblers will be the ones to complain that they are losing so much in gambling but you can't see them talk about how to stop because they now see it as part of them. If they don't have money they will rather sell what they have to make money or borrow for others.

The earliest way to know that addiction is creeping in is when you can no longer do without gambling for a day, as you have said already, but I have come to understand that addiction comes by frequent gambling, even when you are doing it just for fun.

Though some might argue that it's when a gambler takes gambling as a source of income that he can get addicted easily, yes that's true, because the key thing there is the frequency.
once a gambler start gambling too frequent, the chances of addiction will be high, but less frequent gambling will hardly leads to addiction.

[Rockson1]

Good points, not being able to stay without gambling for a day is a sign that you are already addicted to gambling, people that are being affected to this point might even go as far as borrowing money when they don't have just to satisfy the urge to gamble. And like you most addicts like this don't accept the fact that they are addicts instead they just come up with excuses to justify their addiction

Is there no gambler that gamble every day that gambles responsible, I want to get your point, are you saying those that gamble every day without staying off for some time are likely addicted, although I understand that it is not easy to gamble everyday withoout getting addicted but there are gamblers that know when to gamble, even if they gamble everyday, it is not everytime and those times they gamble are mainly when they are not occupied with things that are very important to them, so will you now say these guys are addicted without them taking note of it?