A gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a serious condition that affects not only the gambler, but everyone he comes into contact with. If you know someone who borrows or steals money to gamble, seems preoccupied with gambling, skips work or school to gamble, or lies to hide gambling, she may be a compulsive gambler.
Financial and Legal Problems
An individual who is addicted to gambling may make large wagers with his own money at first. As long as the gambler is using money of her own, it may seem like she is in control. As the gambling addiction persists, however, the gambler may go into debt. In some cases, gamblers may declare bankruptcy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
If a compulsive gambler can't use his own money, he may borrow money from friends and family members with the intention of paying it back. As the gambler borrows money from more and more people, the debt may become out of control. If the gambler is desperate, she may steal to get money to gamble. If the gambler is arrested, he may serve jail time or acquire fines.
Job Loss
A compulsive gambler may skip work to gamble, notes the Mayo Clinic. In the beginning, a gambler may understand that without a steady job, she will not be able to fund her gambling. As the gambling addiction gets worse, the gambler may become so consumed with gambling that he will gamble online at work, or not show up to work at all. If the compulsive gambling interferes with the addict's productivity and attendance at work, she may be fired. The job loss may put financial stress on the gambler's family, requiring them to move to less expensive housing or take on second jobs to support the gambler.
Loss of Family and Friends
A compulsive gambler may spend all of his free time gambling and have no time for family or friends. A gambler may only have friends that also compulsively gamble, because this is who she spends the most time with.
The spouse of a compulsive gambler may need to hide money for living expenses and rent to keep the gambler from using it, says Gam-Anon.org. Additionally, friends and family members may retreat from the compulsive gambler if he repeatedly asks for loans but never pays the money back.
Suicide
As the compulsive gambler becomes more and more desperate, she may feel that she has dug herself into a hole that she is unable to get out of. If the gambler feels he has nowhere to turn, he may become depressed and attempt suicide. Additionally, family members of compulsive gamblers may feel so depressed that they consider suicide to escape the effects of the gambler's addiction. Atlantic City and Las Vegas have some of the highest suicide rates in the United States, reports the Mayo Clinic.
