Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship for men and women who want to share their experiences and strengths with each other with the hope that they may together recover from their gambling addiction. The only requirement for membership is a desire to quit gambling.

What is a gambling addiction?

A gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling or gambling disorder, is a behavioral addiction characterized by an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite negative consequences and a lack of self-control when it comes to gambling activities.

Signs & Symptoms of Gambling Addiction

• Preoccupation with Gambling: Constantly thinking about gambling, planning the next gambling session, or reliving past gambling experiences.
• Need to Gamble with Increasing Amounts of Money: Tolerance develops, leading the person to bet larger and larger sums of money to achieve the desired excitement.
• Repeated Unsuccessful Attempts to Stop: Repeatedly trying to quit or cut down on gambling but being unsuccessful.
• Restlessness or Irritability When Attempting to Stop: Becoming agitated or irritable when trying to stop gambling.
• Chasing Losses: Trying to recoup previous gambling losses by gambling more, often leading to even greater losses.
• Lying to Hide Gambling Behavior: Frequently lying to loved ones or others to conceal the extent of their gambling activities.
• Borrowing Money or Selling Assets to Gamble: Resorting to borrowing money from friends, family, or financial institutions to fund gambling or selling possessions to finance gambling.
• Neglecting Responsibilities: Neglecting work, school, family, and other important responsibilities in favor of gambling.
• Resorting to Illegal Activities: Engaging in illegal activities, such as theft or fraud, to obtain money for gambling.
• Relationship Problems: Strained relationships with family and friends due to the negative consequences of gambling.
• Seeking Bailouts: Repeatedly asking others for financial assistance to alleviate gambling-related debts.
• Loss of Control: An inability to control or stop gambling, even when recognizing the harm it causes.

Consequences of A Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction can have serious negative consequences on a person’s mental health, financial stability, and relationships. It’s important to note that the consequences of gambling addiction can vary widely from person to person, and not everyone will experience all of these issues. However, the negative impact on one’s life can be profound, making it essential for individuals with gambling addiction to seek help and support to address their problem and work toward recovery.

Help is available for Gambling Addiction in Louisiana

If you or a loved one has been plagued by gambling addiction and live in the Lafayette area, Victory Addiction Recovery Center now offers Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Starting this Thursday, December 19th, Victory will be hosting a Gamblers Anonymous meeting every Thursday night at 6pm. If you are interested in our meeting schedule, be sure to check out our events calendar.

Gambler Anonymous in Louisiana

These GA seminars are not the only events that Victory Addiction Recovery Center offers to our Lafayette, Louisiana, community. The Victory community forum also features Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, as well as bi-monthly public forums featuring a variety of topics. While all of our Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous meetings require no registration, be sure to register today for any of our other FREE seminars by emailing events@myvictorycenter.com, calling us at (337) 379-7700, or registering at www.myvictorycenter.com/registration.

-Andrea Rayburn

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