The Spouse and Gambling Addiction. Relationships are affected by addiction including social relationships, work relationships, and family relationships. The spouse of an addict also experiences the effect of addiction. Gambling addiction is a disorder where participation in gambling activities becomes necessary and the individual cannot stop. Supporting a spouse through addiction is difficult and is likely to put a strain on even the strongest and most loving relationships. As the partner of a gambler, there are a number of challenges you will face throughout the recovery process including: Feeling powerless while your partner is gambling. 'A University of Nebraska Medical Center study concluded that problem gambling is as much a risk factor for domestic violence as alcohol abuse. Domestic violence murders in at least 11 states have been traced to gambling problems since 1996.'. Addiction can be one of the most difficult situations that can occur within a marriage. Living with an addicted spouse can create stress, despair, anxiety, and unhappiness, amongst many other things. Countless couples who experience addiction within their marriage end up getting divorced because of it.
Que es casino en italia. If you talk about gambling addiction, I would say it is one of the worst problems in the entire world. It's a kind of problem that can eat away your entire savings and can force you to beg from others as well. Gambling addiction, which is also called gambling disorder or compulsive gambling is nothing but a kind of addition wherein a gambler has no control over his gambling-related activities.
It is a type of problem which can best be described as an impulse-control disorder, wherein the gamblers find it extremely impossible to stop the impulse to gamble irrespective of how it affects them and their relationships with their loved ones.
If you are someone who is married and you are a gambling addict, just remember one thing that this addiction of yours can ruin your relationship with your spouse completely, wherein in the worst case scenario you may end up getting a divorce from your partner. And I am sure, as a person, you would never like the idea of separating from your partner, just because of your gambling addiction.
What Sort Of Problems Do You face When Your Spouse Is A Gambling Addict?
Now let's talk about those people, whose spouses are the gambling addict and how they feel when they have to stay with such people. No loving and caring partner would ever like the idea of his or her partner being a gambling addict, it is just so difficult for them to tolerate the thought that they cannot stop their partner from gambling. Route 66 casino rv park.
As a gambling addict, your spouse may start betting on everything possible such as sports, casino slots, poker, and scratch cards etc., and no matter what you do he/she won't listen to you which eventually results in spoiling your relationships with your spouse. Your spouse's gambling addiction not only have a highly negative effect on your relationship with him, but it can also affect his/her work and can create financial problems for the entire family. For an example, if you have school going kids, you may find it difficult to fulfill their requirements as your partner is already spending huge sums in gambling. On the other hand, if you and your partner put an equal amount of money in running the house, it will definitely affect that as well.
If you talk about the kind of behavior your spouse can indulge into as far as his/her money related requirements are concerned, he/she may end up stealing the money when it comes to betting and paying debts, if you do not provide him/her the same. On top of that, your partner may also start begging money from his family members, friends, and colleagues etc., which can prove to be really embracing for you. When your extended family members and friends start talking about your partner's gambling addiction you feel so insulted and irritated but you cannot say anything to them as you know it very well that your spouse is at fault.
And on top of that, if you tell your spouse to stop begging money from others, you may end up indulging in fights with him/her, which can spoil your mood to a great extent and that can affect your work too.
For an example, if you are in a leadership position, you may end up shouting at your juniors in your office even on small things, just because you are in a bad mood, as you had a fight with your partner in the morning. This can lead to spoiling your relationships with your colleagues and that too because of your partner's gambling addiction.
What Are The Most Common Signs And Symptoms Of An Gambling Addict?
There is no denying the fact that a gambler hardly shows any physicalsigns and symptoms of gambling addiction, probably that's the reason this problem is sometimes known as hidden illness. In other words, it is true that when compared to drug addiction and alcohol addiction, a person suffering from gambling addiction shows no physical signs and symptoms.
But if your spouse is a gambling addict, you can figure out that if he/she behaves in the following manner-
- Whenever you realize that your spouse is hiding something about gambling from you, it means he/she is getting addicted to it, and that's the reason he/she doesn't want you to know about it.
- If your spouse is facing problem in stopping his gambling habit, it means he/she is now addicted to it.
- If your spouse keeps on betting, even after knowing that he/she has already lost a lot of money, he/she is a hardcore gambling addict now.
- If your spouse steals money from you or begs it from his close friends and family members, it means he/she is suffering from gambling addiction
Even if the entire family including you beg your spouse to stop gambling but he/she doesn't listen, that simply indicate that he/she has turned a serious gambling addict.
So how can you deal with a gambling addict?
Though it looks like you cannot do anything to stop all this, but provided the fact that you become a little more strong in handling your spouse, you can eventually bring a lot of changes as far as your spouse's gambling addiction is concerned.
Stop Enabling Your Spouse's Gambling Addiction
As far as gambling addiction is concerned, 'enabling' is a term that is referred to a person's action of allowing a gambler to go ahead with his/her addiction. In other words, as a partner, any action of yours that encourages your partner to pursue gambling can refer to 'enabling.'
It could be an action which is carried out by you unconsciously but that may help your spouse to encourage his/her addictive behavior.
Enablement can be divided into three crucial activities which include:
Spouse Gambling Problem
- Covering up
- An Attempt to control your spouse's behavior
- And providing full cooperation to him/her
In short, if you want your spouse to recover from this addiction, you need to stop enabling his/her gambling addiction, wherein you should not be covering up his/her problems.
For an example, if your spouse is asking money from you or other family members for gambling or in order to deal with the debts, you should not be supporting him/she in this case. Instead of that, you should be criticizing your spouse for this weird behavior.
This may stop your spouse from doing the same thing again, thus forcing him/her to put a check on his/her activities.
Spouse With Gambling Problem
Take Control Of Your Finances
As a family member, you can always make an effort to take charge of your finances, thus leaving your partner with a lesser chance to spend money on gambling. This can be done by hiding all your credit cards and debit cards from your partner, who can otherwise end up spending money in gambling from them.
Take The Assistance Of A Counselor
If you are tired of handling everything alone, you always have an opportunity to take the support of a counselor likeMandy Saligari, who can guide you on how to go ahead with controlling your spouse's behavior effectively. You can go for therapies when it comes to keeping yourself in a good mood so that you can easily proceed with your initiative.
Carry Out Counselling Sessions For Your Partner
As a partner, you should always try to talk to your spouse about the negative consequences of gambling. Maybe if you talk to your partner about the kind of problems that can be faced by him/her later on, he/she may realize it easily, and then end up leaving all this for the betterment of the entire family.
If you talk about the kind of behavior your spouse can indulge into as far as his/her money related requirements are concerned, he/she may end up stealing the money when it comes to betting and paying debts, if you do not provide him/her the same. On top of that, your partner may also start begging money from his family members, friends, and colleagues etc., which can prove to be really embracing for you. When your extended family members and friends start talking about your partner's gambling addiction you feel so insulted and irritated but you cannot say anything to them as you know it very well that your spouse is at fault.
And on top of that, if you tell your spouse to stop begging money from others, you may end up indulging in fights with him/her, which can spoil your mood to a great extent and that can affect your work too.
For an example, if you are in a leadership position, you may end up shouting at your juniors in your office even on small things, just because you are in a bad mood, as you had a fight with your partner in the morning. This can lead to spoiling your relationships with your colleagues and that too because of your partner's gambling addiction.
What Are The Most Common Signs And Symptoms Of An Gambling Addict?
There is no denying the fact that a gambler hardly shows any physicalsigns and symptoms of gambling addiction, probably that's the reason this problem is sometimes known as hidden illness. In other words, it is true that when compared to drug addiction and alcohol addiction, a person suffering from gambling addiction shows no physical signs and symptoms.
But if your spouse is a gambling addict, you can figure out that if he/she behaves in the following manner-
- Whenever you realize that your spouse is hiding something about gambling from you, it means he/she is getting addicted to it, and that's the reason he/she doesn't want you to know about it.
- If your spouse is facing problem in stopping his gambling habit, it means he/she is now addicted to it.
- If your spouse keeps on betting, even after knowing that he/she has already lost a lot of money, he/she is a hardcore gambling addict now.
- If your spouse steals money from you or begs it from his close friends and family members, it means he/she is suffering from gambling addiction
Even if the entire family including you beg your spouse to stop gambling but he/she doesn't listen, that simply indicate that he/she has turned a serious gambling addict.
So how can you deal with a gambling addict?
Though it looks like you cannot do anything to stop all this, but provided the fact that you become a little more strong in handling your spouse, you can eventually bring a lot of changes as far as your spouse's gambling addiction is concerned.
Stop Enabling Your Spouse's Gambling Addiction
As far as gambling addiction is concerned, 'enabling' is a term that is referred to a person's action of allowing a gambler to go ahead with his/her addiction. In other words, as a partner, any action of yours that encourages your partner to pursue gambling can refer to 'enabling.'
It could be an action which is carried out by you unconsciously but that may help your spouse to encourage his/her addictive behavior.
Enablement can be divided into three crucial activities which include:
Spouse Gambling Problem
- Covering up
- An Attempt to control your spouse's behavior
- And providing full cooperation to him/her
In short, if you want your spouse to recover from this addiction, you need to stop enabling his/her gambling addiction, wherein you should not be covering up his/her problems.
For an example, if your spouse is asking money from you or other family members for gambling or in order to deal with the debts, you should not be supporting him/she in this case. Instead of that, you should be criticizing your spouse for this weird behavior.
This may stop your spouse from doing the same thing again, thus forcing him/her to put a check on his/her activities.
Spouse With Gambling Problem
Take Control Of Your Finances
As a family member, you can always make an effort to take charge of your finances, thus leaving your partner with a lesser chance to spend money on gambling. This can be done by hiding all your credit cards and debit cards from your partner, who can otherwise end up spending money in gambling from them.
Take The Assistance Of A Counselor
If you are tired of handling everything alone, you always have an opportunity to take the support of a counselor likeMandy Saligari, who can guide you on how to go ahead with controlling your spouse's behavior effectively. You can go for therapies when it comes to keeping yourself in a good mood so that you can easily proceed with your initiative.
Carry Out Counselling Sessions For Your Partner
As a partner, you should always try to talk to your spouse about the negative consequences of gambling. Maybe if you talk to your partner about the kind of problems that can be faced by him/her later on, he/she may realize it easily, and then end up leaving all this for the betterment of the entire family.
About the Author:
Ruby is quite an experienced writer, who writes largely about the issues related to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gambling addiction and eating disorders etc. As far as her contribution in the field of gambling addiction is concerned, till date she has written numerous blogs and articles on it, which published in leading journals and websites. Visit Charter Harley Street to learn more
