It is proven that gambling affects the brain of an addict just like cocaine.
2% of Sweden's population are compulsive gamblers, far more than other addicts, although they have no right to state assistance, because the Social Services Act states only that they "should" provide help. The lack of action often leads to suicide. We want a change in the Social Services Act, where the compulsive gambler has the same right to treatment as an alcoholic or drug addict! 75.000 children in Sweden are living with a compulsive gambler, they need some hope!
Similarities with substance abuse-
- Abstinence- Various symptoms of withdrawal, both mental and physical, when he/she does not play such as restlessness, irritability and palpitations.
- Preoccupation- Gambling takes up time for both active and in the mind of a gambler, they plan how to get the opportunity to play, how and what to play and so on.
- Tolerance- To get a stimulant effect from gambling (simular to the effects cocaine has on the nervous system) must a gambling addict constantly increase efforts and spend more time playing.
- Loss of control- Although the gambling addict knows about his/her problem and its consequences, he/she can not stop or control their gambling.
The difference at large from other abuse is-
- Raiders of loss- the gambling addict is often inclined to more or less manic chase money that he/she has lost, you want to win back the money you lost at any cost and it is often here that the major economic problems begin.
Thank you for signing this for a more equal and humane world, everything has to start somewere!
Dear Göran Hägglund!
We want you to finally put gambling addiction as equal to substance addiction in the social akt. As it looks right now, 2% of the people in Sweden are suffering whit no hope because if you want to get treatment, you have to make it happend yourself, wich is not the case when it comes to other addictions like alcoholism etc. We know that a motion was sent in november 2011 about this problem with the social act, but nothing has happend, and we want to make sure something will. Give this people some hope and rights as soon as possible, give the 75.000 children who are living with an compulsive gambler some hope!
