Stages of Gambling
Sometimes it is helpful to look at the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that occupy people who gamble. The following chart offers a rough summary of these. While gambling comes in many forms, there are common stages of thinking, feeling and doing.
PATHOLOGICAL Gambling:
| Time Period | Thoughts and Feelings |
| When not gambling [at work, play, sleep and so on; not gambling, not decided to gamble] | Obsessed with either the love or hate of gambling. Efforts to stop the obsession are futile. Often considers normal living, such as work, family time, social activities and sleep as unwanted impediments to gambling. |
| Preparing to go gamble [from the time the decision is made to gamble to when the gambling starts] | Feeling of heading home after a hard day's work ... or going to favorite restauraunt with hunger pangs of one who hasn't eaten all day. Gambling is the only goal supporting "I'll be ok." Any interruption of the plans is a huge disaster invoking rage, lying, lashing out. |
| While gambling [actually gambling] | When arrives, feels like coming home. Totally engrossed in the process. Winning/losing aren't significant anymore. Enters the zone and forgets time. Money has no meaning. Will remain in the state until forced to leave by exterior circumstance such as closing or loss of all money. Might gamble for days at a time. A typical quote is, I wanted to go home but I won a small jackpot. I was angry cause then I had to stay till that money was gone too. |
| Right after gambling [the half hour or so after gambling] | Pitiful demoralization, self hate, remorse. Inner awareness that will be back for more and will experience this self hate again and again. Hope is gone replaced by feeling condemned, trapped, doomed. Suicide in this state is not uncommon. |
