GAMBLING WITHDRAWAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The signs and symptoms of gambling addiction withdrawal usually affect the mood and result in depression and or anxiety. The patient might also experience sleep disturbances and agitation.
Craving can be intense. The patient usually lack any feeling of pleasure or well being.
The vital signs can be affected and at times require medical supervision. The intensity of addiction determines how intense the therapy should be for gambling addiction withdrawal.
The cause of the withdrawal and cravings are due to electrical and chemical changes that occur in the brain during any addiction. The same is true for gambling addiction withdrawal.
To be more specific, addiction changes levels of dopamine in the pleasure center of the brain.
During the addictive process , dopamine levels are increased and this floods dopamine throughout the frontal cortex of the brain.
There is a specific area in the fore brain called the nucleus accumbens that appears to responsible for most of the reinforcing addictive behaviors.
This ongoing use of dopamine eventually down regulates the dopamine receptor sites and decreases endogenous dopamine as well.
Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain that is responsible for: mood, movement, higher thought processes and the sense of well being.
A lot of the side effects with gambling addiction withdrawal are due to these low levels of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that are released when the addiction stops.
The worse the addiction, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms. Gambling addiction withdrawal is also due to membranes in the brain being destabilized.
This means that the ongoing addiction has altered the electrical and chemical balance of the brain and that it does not function normally. This brain destabilization may take months to year to correct.
Some researchers believe that the brain may never heal completely. Gambling addiction withdrawal may continue in an attenuated form for a long time.
Cravings will come and go indefinitely. Some of the cravings may be stimulated by environmental ques which remind the addicted individual of their addiction.
This is true for gambling addiction withdrawal as well.
AFTER GAMBLING ADDICTION WITHDRAWAL WHAT THEN?
Once the person has completed gambling addiction withdrawal what then? Well relapse back into addiction is about 90%. Why is that?
There are many reasons for this dismal statistic. Just because an individual goes through gambling addiction withdrawal does not mean that he or she is cured.
This represents the beginning of the recovery process not the end. Recovery from addiction require an ongoing awareness of the problem.
This can be accomplished with a good behavioral modification program. The most common of these is the 12 Step program but there are many others as well.
The idea is to do something any addict who goes through gambling addiction withdrawal should have some sort of an ongoing support group. As long as the recovering person feels good in this support group this is strong.
The bottom line is that generally speaking, recovering addicts can not do it on their own. After gambling addiction withdrawal the recovering, individual should examine a healthy life style as well.
Studies have shown that recovering people who exercise are 50% more apt to be successful in recovery after gambling addiction withdrawal.
The actual structure of the brain can change with addiction. This is scary.
The individual who has experienced gambling addiction withdrawal and is in a recovery program must remember that they are never cured from addictive disease.
If the person gets back into their addictive life style or addiction, they will have to experience the whole painful process of gambling addiction withdrawal again.
