The Four Phases of Gambling Addiction

1) Winning Phase
- - Short or non-existent phase revealing several small or large wins, sense of emotional escape from problems, a boost in self-esteem, and a sense of empowerment. Excitement, titillation, and a social life at the casino fill a vacuum in the life of those predisposed by their conditions and considerable loneliness

2) Losing/Chasing Phase
- - Losses are explained away as poor luck, no win is enough, and gambling alone begins. Individual hides gambling, as losses puts person behind a financial "eight ball". Addict begins to ignore family and become irritable when not gambling. Gambling becomes the sole, but spurious coping mechanism. Gambles to edge of insolvency and is unapproachable about the problem. This phase can last multiple years, with progressively larger bets on longer odds. Conversations only involves winners, not losers, which are purged from consciousness. Begins borrowing to support habit. Family life is going down in uncontrollable spiral.

3) The Desperation Phase
- - There is no time for anything else, and nothing else matters. Lying, manipulation, dissembling, and complete deflection of criticism typify this period. Externalization of blame and complete lack or accountability are hallmarks of this phase. Acute anger at others who will not participate in the lie of his or her existence is typical.
Financial affairs are disastrous. Bills are unpaid, and family is knowledgeable, suffering, and powerless. Phones go unanswered. The gambler wants it to end and contemplate suicide, which is a more frequent consequence than people imagine. Death is viewed as the only exit strategy
Rock bottom is generally the only point of possible remedial action. Only after the family forsakes the gambler, they have lost their job, they are being sued, and completely lacking in resources, does an attempt at remediation occur.
Relapses from initial recovery programs is frequent, as he convinces himself and others that he has conquered his problem, but is merely recreating the downward spiral once again but with a transparent shield of lying and deceit. This relapse may trigger undertaking recovery in a more serious way.
Unfortunately, there are many who undertake the recovery program at the same time they are still gambling.

(( Ususally at this phase, gamblers often gets bailout thru our master of manipulation and go "fighting back" again. The addict mind and concet is faulty!!! We always have a good reason for going back to gamblers .... in order to "win back" be responsible and pay back our loans .... ))

4) The Hopeless Phase
- - This is a new clinical phase which is a function of the fact that many gamblers actually go beyond the desperation phase. This phase goes well beyond what most people would feel was more than "bad enough". This phase can involve clinical depression, suicide, or actions that will most assuredly land them in jail. This is make or break time, quite literally.