At what point does entertainment become Addiction.

[Queen uloma]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

[Charles-Tim]

So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

Someone that is addicted to gambling can argue with you that he is not addicted, this is because gambling addiction people think they can still do something that will make them make money very well from gambling. After they are exhausted, they will later know that they are addicted, but it can be very difficult for some of them to cease the addiction. Some of them may want to stop, but finding it difficult so much. We have discussed about this several times before.

[Bright0515]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

Isn't it obvious?
As soon as a gambler who is gambling for entertainment no longer stay a single day without betting is enough sign to shows that he's gradually becoming addicted to gamble. One weird thing about gamble is that you can even become addicted to it even when you are into it for entertainment. Actually, entertainment is part of what makes most gamblers become addict to gamble.
Some people may argue but the truth is that the suspense gamble keeps you is also part of entertainment, when you also have a near win too is also part of entertainment, even when you win too is part of entertainment, now all these things can literally make a gambler to become addicted to gamble

[Questat]

You will know that a gambler is no longer gambling for entertainment when he cannot stop thinking anymore about gambling and won't live a day without gambling. The inability to control or stop the behavior is the most common sign that shows the gambler is obviously an addict.

Another thing is, when he intentionally leaves his job and replace it with constant gambling. Regardless if he is making money or not, no person with good mentality will be able to think of that and just rely his future into gambling.

[danherbias07]

When it's not entertaining anymore.

If a time comes when we are only pushing our limits financially and depositing without even thinking about it, for the purpose of chasing the losses, that's when we should ask ourselves if we are already addicted to gambling. At that point, we might actually just save ourselves from more stress, frustrations, regrets, and the time and money spent on gambling.

But when we are still jumping in joy whenever we get a win, and we can still sleep 8 hours a day after a loss. I think we are still good.

[$crypto$]

Playing gambling too often, say every day, there are indications that it leads to gambling addiction, not just for entertainment but pursuing between profits and losses, at this point you already feel yourself how time is spent gambling whether it is long or just for a moment.

Addiction will not be felt immediately, maybe you yourself will not realize that it is addiction because you have been controlled by emotions with anxiety because you don't gamble, so that can be called a sign of it.

[DPHOR]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

Whatever thing you gives your 70-90 percent attention often ends in addiction, it could be gambling, smoking, engages yourself on a higher drugs and whatever, be it reading (studying) they easily turns into addiction due to the way you so much devoted your time to watch or study such things often turns into addiction. Till, you learned to reduce your attention on a particular thing you would never be out of addiction, when you gets distracted by Many things it would be that hard for someone to become a gambling addicts because there is control to how you would invest or trade.

[BitMaxz]

I'm not a psychologist or therapist, so I don't know if the person is becoming addicted or not, but in my experience, I'm sure I was; I feel like if I can't gamble, I can't sleep or something.

Chasing my old losses is still on my mind, and the winning sounds keep playing on my mind.
So, to me, that is a sign of addiction.

I'm sure you can't spot them early until you realize you are doing something wrong and thinking that you are addicted.

[Davidvictorson]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

The answer to the question is already embedded in the OP. I think those are the major points.
In the estimation the real question should be what do you do once you notice that you have gone from gambling for fun to seeing it as a side hustle that must bring in income and that it has started to affect your daily functioning.
The first step is reset. And to reset means to take a break from gambling. During the reset period seek out resource that are going to be helpful in your situation and I am an advocate for speaking to a real human about your struggles. They can help too. Just make sure to speak to the right person.

[joeperry]

...

For people who are already addicted or currently addicted to gambling is that they are not aware of the situation and they thought they got things under control, just like what you've said it started little by little and it's too late when they figure out that they are already addicted to it. Maybe if a person has a strict routine for instance, controlled deposits weekly, controlled time, etc. and if a person exceeds that routine, it basically means something is off and he/she needs to back down a little bit. You can't be sure in gambling that's why it's better to have a safety net just in case things goes wrong.

[Maslate]

It's already addiction when a gambler tells you that he has always no money but is often seen gambling. The reason why he has no money all the time because he spend all his money into gambling and lose it all.

Furthermore, you will know that he's addicted into gambling when he often looks for money and borrow in every person he is close to so he can keep increasing amounts of money to get the same thrill. And without thinking to pay it back because if ever he wins, he will use all that money to gamble again because addiction will lead you to non-stop gambling.

[Sim_card]

When you can no longer control yourself and think more of gambling than any other thing, addiction has taken over you. The best thing to do at this point is to stop gambling because you are no longer enjoying it. The worsen part of addiction is when the addicted gambler did not accept that he's addicted.

[JeffBrad12]

When you're gambling to chase the lose. You can be considered as an addicted gambler. Gamble for fun is about you can afford to lose the money you gamble with. So when you can't afford to lose your money, you start to chase it back. Congrats! you already addicted.
Someone who gamble for entertainment purpose know how much he has to spend, he has to lose it without the hope to chase it back.

Once you feel so depressed when you lost money in gambling. You already addicted.

[Rruchi man]

So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

The signs will be obvious; you just have to be sincere about it, especially with yourself, so that you do not start denying that you are still under control when you are clearly losing control of yourself to gambling.

You can hide addiction from others, but you can't hide it from yourself because every individual knows their bad habits except those that are still lying to themselves, and lying to yourself is an immature habit to have, especially as an adult.

[Wiwo]

Most often times, gambler's cross the line between entertainment and addictions unknowingly, alot of them become addicted to gambling without even knowing.

What is important is to make sure you put a balance list of activities that make you become an addicted gambler and a gambler who is gambling for entertainment.

If someone gambling can not stay a month without gambling meaning gambling without time control such a person is addicted, when you use the money meant for other things important in your financial like for gambling and losing it, then chasing your loses without the control to stop chasing loses then you are addicted.

The list can go on and on, but the will power to use small amount of money and the ability to stay way from gambling regardless of the current outcome is the positive way of gambling and that is gambling for entertainment.

[Mhizlove]

I will add by saying one simple thing to know is to ask yourself, "if I stop gambling for few weeks, will I be comfortable with it?". Because the reason of you stopping will make you frustrated, constantly thinking and anxious about betting but it can be a warning sign. And again another sign is that when betting starts to take your attention over other things like your personal responsibilities and work, and once gambling has gotten to the level of controlling your decisions rather than you getting control of it , then it means that the activity has passed just fun or entertainment.

[mirakal]

Any gambler that is consistently gambling despite of severe, negative consequences that he's suffering will directly point to gambling addiction. He has lost complete control of his own life that led to lost his source of livelihood and mental well-being. That's why we've seen some gambling addicts resort into suicidal because they have lost their life's direction.

And you can tell that its addiction already when you see a gambler's face haggard and pale due to extreme exhaustion from gambling.

[Hatchy]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

That's the difficult part in gambling addiction. Most gamblers don't recognise it on time, that's because they somehow see themselves as still doing the right thing and when they finally realise that addiction is beginning to take place, it might be way deeper or too late to turn back. Most gamblers along the line, ruin their personal life and feel it's nothing but a natural cause. They no longer pay attention to other things that matter and don't even sit down to think what the major reason is for such things to had happened to them. Gambling remains for entertainment untill you start treating it like and occupation. You no longer bother to go to work and all that's in your mind all day is how to make money from gambling..

[red4slash]

Most people start gambling for entertainment, fun or to try their luck but as time goes on, some people begin to spend more money and time than they expected to. Once you start hiding your gambling activities, start chasing losses, take loan to gamble or feel restless when you don’t gamble, it is a sign that gambling is now more than entertainment. The truth is that addiction does not just happen overnight. It’s start little by little until  it starts affecting your finance, relationships, and peace of mind. So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

What I finally realized is that once we are obsessed with winning the entertainment that we always use as an excuse to gamble eventually turns into an addiction. This happens because our focus shifts from enjoying the gambling activity itself to chasing the win as a result we eventually stop enjoying the gambling we are doing because we are obsessed with winning and try to continue to emphasize winning in every session which is not possible.

This situation can be experienced by most gamblers especially those who always claim that gambling is just for entertainment when the desire to win is too much that can encourage gamblers to forget about the limits that have been set which ends in an inevitable addiction.  But to avoid this depends on the level of control of the gambler himself because some feel that they are already obsessed with winning and try to stop and some realize but continue to do as much as possible so that they get what they want even though they know the risk is addiction.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

So my question now is. How can a person know if  he or she is still gambling for entertainment or if addiction has Started taking control over them.

Someone that is addicted to gambling can argue with you that he is not addicted, this is because gambling addiction people think they can still do something that will make them make money very well from gambling. After they are exhausted, they will later know that they are addicted, but it can be very difficult for some of them to cease the addiction. Some of them may want to stop, but finding it difficult so much. We have discussed about this several times before.

This is a valid point, self denial, I've a friend who constantly measures himself with some serious addicts and as long as he's not gambling more than them, he feels he's not addicted. Gambling addiction becomes real when you're gambling without any budget and gambling consistently for profits. Funny thing most of them know they're addicted, some might agree to this but others, unwilling to lose face would reject being addicted until they face a major financial setback before they can come to the conclusion that they are doing something wrong.