At what point does entertainment become Addiction.

[Versatile_choice]

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.

If you're planning to gamble for fun or entertainment only, don't bet with cash you can just be a fan of any club this way, there's no way you would change from fun to addiction. The reason why some people start with fun and then end up becoming addicted to gamble or chasing after losses is because they are betting with money, I know we often give this advice of gambling with what you can afford which can be very clear and understandable from the beginning but once you get into a long losing streak then you will realize that you're losing more money because by the time you calculate how much money you have lost, at that point you will start feeling that if you had invested this money in something that you would have been getting a little profit even though it's what you can afford to lose, of course most people think like that when they are in a Long lossing streak.

[Dogedegen]

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.

Some people will be dismissive here or oversimplify this, but this topic is really difficult to answer. At exactly which point does something that someone does very frequently turn into an addiction? I think that is open to debate in science currently.

I will give on example. Does spending 1 hour watching TV equal an addiction? I don't think anybody would say that. But what about 2 hours? What about 5 hours or 10 hours? Somewhere along that road, more and more people will say that it is an addiction as the numbers get higher, but this is often just their own subjective view on it. For behaviors that they like, they will increase the tolerance number of hours, and for behaviors that they do not like they will be much stricter. But let's say that most people agree that watching TV for 5 hours daily makes you an addict. What about 4 hours and 55 minutes? What about 4 hours and 50 minutes? It is really difficult. There does not seem to be some obvious line where entertainment suddenly becomes an addiction based on time.

From what we know in human sciences, a healthy person will usually seek different forms of entertainment and switch between them. If you are doing the same thing all the time, then there is possibility that you are addicted to it. It may not be a severe addiction like gambling, but it could be something like watching TV. We do have clear indicators of addiction and how it can play out. For example, extreme gambling addicts may even start stealing just to gamble more.

The problem is defining the border between entertainment and addiction, the exact line that divides the two. Id o not think there is a clear answer yet. It depends on the whole picture rather than on a single number of behavior.

I will add another complication just to show how difficult this topic gets. While most people become worse in life as they become addicted to things, under performing in many areas, there are also high functioning addicts who are successful in almost every area of life while still being heavily addicted to something harmful. So even whether it has a negative impact on your life is not always a good metric by which we could detect an addiction.

[Odohu]

I have the believe that entertainment is mostly when money is not involved because there is nothing entertaining about losing your hard-earned money. This is the reason I find it hard to believe that there are people that actually gamble for fun instead of for money. Those who I believe claim to gamble for fun uses those words to make gambling losses much bearable and that is understandable.  However,  anyone who is inclined to making gambling a source of entertainment will easily slide into addiction because he will never know when to stop.

[Botnake]

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.

Yes, most of the gambling addicts are still in denial, and would not accept the fact that they are already gambling addicts. Because for them, they are only gambling for fun, for entertainment, like any other gamblers and has no wrong with that even if they gamble 24/7.

But when negative consequences arise, when they think they can no longer overcome it, that's when they start to ask help and admit that they are gambling addicts, and claim that they are weak to resist gambling temptations. There are a lot of temptations with gambling, but the response varies depending on how you handle it, but gambling addicts are often seen falling in the trap.

[freedomgo]

Entertainment is no longer there when the gambler starts to shift his actions and decisions. And you can tell that its already addiction that controls him when he becomes restless and exhausted while trying to chase losses from gambling almost 24/7.

Gambling addicts do not find reason to stop gambling, not only because they want consistent profits, but also because leaving gambling even for days will make their life incomplete and feels like no direction. Its like gambling turns out their life, its okay to miss everything around but never with gambling.

[$weetne$$]

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.

Immediately you begin to see and feel that need to go the extra mile just for you to be able to get the said entrainment, you are already getting addicted and needs to be guided.  Addiction does not come announcing, it is a reoccurring change in character towards a particular habitat, such that you become willing to go the extra mile to satisfy that habit.  So whenever you find your self looking for that extra money just to gamble, watch it that addiction is closer than you ever taught.

[Pi-network314159]

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.

This has been said over and over again here in this board and I think one thing is certain about this, no one gambles for fun instead they gamble for the money, I find it difficult to believe that people gamble for fun but later became addicted. No one is addicted to Gambling for fun, they gamble for money but with time they begin chasing win or loses.

When you are gambling for entertainment is when you are not staking real money, maybe a demo game for practice can be identified as entertainment game. But when you have started gambling with real money and can't get hold of yourself then you are addicted.

[mcdouglasx]

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

It's very easy to tell if you're aware of it, because you feel you depend on gambling to feel better. If you don't gamble, you experience anxiety or stress. Gambling ends up making you feel bad when you lose excessively. You start losing control over the amount of money you bet or the time you spend gambling, and if you're doing something else and can't concentrate, it's because you wish you were gambling.

Many people ignore these things, but the signs are there.

[bhadz]

In my local culture, we used to say "just one more try and maybe luck is going to be there" and I am sure that this also applies in other country. This gives the person an idea that they're already going into gambling beyond entertainment. That's no longer about entertainment only but also in a way that they're going to want more of what they can get in gambling. Who knows if they've been suffering in losses and that's the only way they can think of how they can recover most of their losses. Admitting is also going to be a difficult for them to say.

After losing, running after recovering that loss is one of the reasons for being addicted to gambling. When someone loses, they run after recovering that loss, and if they can recover the loss, they think they are very lucky and gamble again. When they lose again while trying to recover the loss, they gamble more to recover that loss. In this way, gambling becomes an addiction by playing repeat gambling. It is true that gambling for entertainment is completely false. One of the objectives of all gamblers is to win and to withdraw the money they have deposited there several times after winning. And this objective is actually only an objective at the maximum time and is not fulfilled. Only losing and trying to recover that loss again, this is how most gamblers continue their gambling activities.

A repeating action that has no end is totally going to make that person fall into addiction. Even with understanding that there's no direction of where he is heading, he'll continue to reason out that he's gambling for fun and that's what fun is for him. Losing/recovering and from time to time, no one is going to be able to stop them for that. They will have to figure themselves in that bad situation when they can no longer achieve some recovery and they keep on losing every time they try to recover because their objective is no longer being followed.

[EluguHcman]

Addiction is blindly nurtured and some are so ignorant ton sense it at the point that they are already playing out of their usual plans which had kept their emotions and bankroll healthy and smoothly going.

Addiction is neither not a habit that is intentional, everyone starts to play responsibly whether playing for entertainment or for profits, we all have limits and knows when to stop from our starting point but once it starts eating inside us the urge increases that we begin to spend times and resources and reacting with it so impulsively.

[HelliumZ]

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.

As long as gambling does not harm us mentally and does not cause tension, there will be no gambling addiction, but when gambling causes us considerable physical and mental harm, then gambling will become an addiction. When gambling is given priority as a source of income, gambling will no longer be a form of entertainment, then you will have a kind of severe addiction.
If there are signs such as a strong desire to recover past losses, inability to control yourself and gambling at inappropriate times, if you do not have money to gamble, you manage it in any way and gamble, even taking a loan at high interest and investing it in gambling, then it must be assumed that gambling is not limited to entertainment, but has become a severe addiction.

[Jubilee58]

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.

If as a gambler you are deviating from your normal way of gambling, you should be able to know. I may not say everybody, but there are some people who has consciousness that whenever they are going beyond boundary they know. However, whoever that is gambling for entertainment does not chase losses or even chase wins, they gamble once in a while , and does not spend most of their time in the gambling shop or spend so much time booking game with their gadgets like mobile phone or laptop, but any gambler who posseses these attributes mentioned here is no longer gambling for entertainment, but seriously looking for money, and such gambler is likely to get addicted.

[Sanitough]

When a gambler starts to face high risk and big threat from losing, that means he is already gambling with addiction. When his behavior, emotional state and financial habits are now faced with severe consequences, that signs prove that he is already facing severe gambling addiction. The fact that his simple lifestyle has shifted into a worst and critical one, there is no denying, he is now facing the threats of addiction.

[Z-tight]

Easy answer, once your gambling habits become compulsive, then it is now an addiction and you would need to seek help as soon as possible. It is compulsive when you cannot control your habits, when your gambling habits control what you do. You're always thinking about gambling, you cannot have dinner with your family without looking at your phone gambling, you gamble with your kids school fees, etc. All of that is compulsive behaviour and it is recipe for disaster.

[CryptSafe]

OP, it is very easy to know if you are becoming addicted to gambling. Once you begin to observe that your urge for gambling is constantly increasing, that alone is enough of a sign to let you know that you are becoming addicted to gambling, and if you are the type that gambles with a budget, and you begin to gamble beyond your budget per game/day, you should already know that something is amiss with your gambling lifestyle, meaning you should evaluate your gambling lifestyle to do your check and balance.

[Johnlomape]

Easy answer, once your gambling habits become compulsive, then it is now an addiction and you would need to seek help as soon as possible. It is compulsive when you cannot control your habits, when your gambling habits control what you do. You're always thinking about gambling, you cannot have dinner with your family without looking at your phone gambling, you gamble with your kids school fees, etc. All of that is compulsive behaviour and it is recipe for disaster.

Gambling without a self control is when a gambler can be aware that he is becoming addictive to gambling even though he has not gained the full addiction. There are some behaviors that are unacceptable and this can show that gambling is not to be taken too seriously. Many gamblers have lost so much money to gambling which had made gamblers to regret their decisions of gambling than to be happy of the kind of gambling conditions they are putting themselves.

[Sonia_123]

When you fail to accept the outcome of your game at any point in time, the you should be rest assured that addiction is gradually coming in because the gambler now fails to recognize the fact of entertainment but must wins and so he starts chasing losses and wins that is not being satisfied with his games always and betting more than what you can afford to lose, telling lies about your activities, anxious about gambling. and lost in taughts and control of yourself.

[Orpichukwu]

I have the believe that entertainment is mostly when money is not involved because there is nothing entertaining about losing your hard-earned money. This is the reason I find it hard to believe that there are people that actually gamble for fun instead of for money. Those who I believe claim to gamble for fun uses those words to make gambling losses much bearable and that is understandable.  However,  anyone who is inclined to making gambling a source of entertainment will easily slide into addiction because he will never know when to stop.

But you pay money to get entertained on other forms of events, like watching football, visiting the cinema, and every other recreational activity you like doing, and don't see it as a waste of money or not being fun. If you can do all or any of those, you can do the same with gambling using the same approach and risking little money, which won't leave too much effect on you to be thinking otherwise.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

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.

You literally just posted signs that shows if a gambler is still gambling for fun/entertainment or whether it has gone beyond to an addiction, which includes signs like when an individual starts feeling reckless whenever he or she does not gamble, then such person is addicted. And likewise, when an individual starts begging for money or take a loan just to gamble, even when he or she doesn't have, then it is a clear sign that an addiction is activating. And thirdly, when an individual starts chasing after loses while gambling, when the mindset that he will recover, actually shows a sign when a person have started getting addicted into it.

[Ziskinberg]

The gambler knows itself already. But the moment he thinks he's already addicted, he becomes in denial at first and still think that he's just gambling to entertain himself. But we all know that its the gambler that recognizes first whenever there's a shift of behavior or mindset. But no one wants to get addicted and called an addict, so they will continue to argue with that case.

But whether its fate or whatsoever, time will come that they will become hopeless and helpless, and that's the time that they become highly threatened with gambling addiction. So no choice but admit it so they can ask for a help from their support system.