Gambling Games

This age-old story of our gods Pandavas losing it all in one match is a lesson most do not heed when sitting down for a round or two of what seems like an entertainment.

When I was little, I used to see enthusiastic individuals making merry on a cloth with alien-like signs and bursting out with emotion when the dice stopped rolling. I always thought that looked fun! Around that age, I was allowed to be a mere spectator and enjoy the merriment flowing through the group. Every once in a while, I would see a few of these individuals groan and leave. It all seemed innocent and fun until I grew older to realize that they were gambling. A strong and harmful need to regularly indulge in gambling is a symptom of  behavioral addiction.  

People enjoying a round or two of cards or langur burza may seem harmless at first sight but the dangers of these harmless gambling aren’t something that meets the eye at first sight. You might never realize when you are hooked and cannot seem to walk off the table whether you win or lose. That is when you should realize you get sucked into gambling and need to take steps to control yourself. 

Now, one may say the word gambling is a tad bit too harsh for a simple recreational round of cards. But that is basically how a gambler delves into becoming a gambler. You could say it was one game but we know how one step can lead you into a deep mess. The thrill and rewards obtained in the game make it highly addictive. 

“I recently retired and have a whole day to myself, I play cards with my family members betting small amounts almost everyday. Now that I have a lot of time I feel kind of lost so I call my family members and enjoy a round or two that turns into a few hours at a time,” says Sanjiv Tuladhar who enjoys a recreational round or two of cards. 

It may feel like terming your little game of cards addiction is a little too much but “little by little” is how any addiction starts. In layman’s terms addiction basically is an inability to stop doing or using something. We usually only take in substance abuse as addiction, but in reality there are so many other types of addictions we probably haven’t even realized. But for the sake of this article let stick to gambling. 

There are many other things that can be considered gambling besides a game of cards like langur burja, betting, mahjong. Now with easily availability of the internet online gambling is also a increasing.  

“I was into gambling and now that I reflect on it - it was an addiction. Before Nepalese were banned from casinos I frequently visited casinos. I lost more than I won but the feeling that I would win it big and the thrill kept pulling me back. I lost a lot over the years and seeing one of my friend’s debt increases scared me into leaving that lifestyle,” says Bipin.  

Watch out for some of these red flags in your friends or family circle.The most obvious one is that they spend way more. The person is more prone to stay secluded when with family and has strained relationships with family members. Noticing that things are getting “lost or stolen” on a frequent basis from the household. Extremity in moods swings, either they are very happy or mad most of the time.Productivity of the individual also decreases by a landslide and they cannot focus on things. Reach out and seek to help anybody you think meet these red flags and have a history of enjoying the thrill of gambling. 
Psychologist Trishna says,“Gambling is addictive, mostly because it can be highly rewarding activity the rewards of which leave behind the want to invest more of yourself and your resources on it.” And this behavioral addiction can leave significant damage to one's personel, interpersonal, sexual, and family well being. Gamblers are also very prone to go into depression once their winning luck dwindles and they lose as it makes them feel bad which affects all the other areas of their life. 

People who are into gambling will mostly end up creating lasting damage to their relationships due to reasons like finance, and anger issues, and disinterest in anything that doesn’t provide immediate thrill.  

The cure to gambling mostly rests on the gambler’s own ability try to stop gambling. Besides that friends and family play a huge role. Family members need to be supportive and patient while the person recovers from this behavioral addiction very much like someone recovering from a substance addict. If you cannot do it yourself seek cognitive behavior therapy, and counseling from the right professionals.