The Negative Effects of Gambling

By: Kieran Chadwick

While Addiction comes in many shapes and forms, one of the most common addictions comes in the form of gambling and betting addiction. This gambling addiction effects almost 5% of citizens across Canada. Want an even more shocking twist? Gambling addicts account for almost 25% of the gambling revenue in Canada. 

We interviewed two people who have a strong gambling and betting influence in their life: A frequent gambler and an expert in the mental health field.  

“It Keeps me going,” says Jason, a frequent gambler. Jason not only explains how he got into gambling but also goes into detail about his experience on how easy it is to get addicted. 

From one side of the coin to the other, we go to a more professional side; to Christian Neira, an expert of 8 years in the mental health field in Washington DC.  

“Gambling, it gets in the way of normal life” says Christian. “In the way of necessities, and in the way of accomplishments”.  

Christian Neira explains just how dangerous this addiction can be, with it effecting your everyday life, your expenses, your relationships both romantic and platonic and even your career. 

With 20% of the Canadian population meeting the criteria of addiction, awareness for addiction is important, now more than ever. As of that 20%, 5% of it are struggling gambling addicts. This is even more important as not only does addiction led to mental health issues like depression or social anxiety but specifically with gambling addiction, you’re looking at financial issues as well, which leads to homelessness, which leads to even more mental health issues and thus creates the cycle of addiction. 

Luckily there are ways to quit, such as joining support groups, setting quit dates, distracting or keeping yourself busy, exploring many resources or changing your environment. 

Resources including, Kids Help Phone, RecoverMe, Ontario Connex Help Line or CAMH