9781422270943

release endorphins, and a person who has low endorphins may like the way he or she feels when gambling. As such, gambling stimulates the brain and its reward system in the same way that it does in drug and alcohol addictions. Gambling is a brain addiction, because it creates the same chemical changes in the brain as substance abuse. Gamblers experience withdrawal effects and continue to gamble despite negative consequences . Financial problems usually occur as a result with a gambling addiction, but they do not cause the addiction. Rarely does a person turn to gambling simply to make more money. In fact, the root of a gambling problem has little to do with finances. These addictions

People between the ages of 20 and 40 are the age group most likely to develop a gambling addiction.

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What Is a Gambling Addiction?