Is gambling addiction rooted in some medical problem?

[Jason]

I don't know much about gambling addiction. However, though, I can reason that some disorders that relate to mania or compulsiveness might lend to gambling addiction. How much do you think they do that?

 

[fdk]

Well, gambling addiction is just like any other addiction - the addiction is to the feeling produced by the act. In the same way as lots of drug users aren't necessarily addicted to the drugs themselves (certainly in the case of so-called "softer" drugs), they're addicted to the effects they get from consuming them.

Gambling addiction is an addiction usually to "chasing" the high of winning. It's a mental health-related problem in my view, so yeah, it's a medical issue.

 

[zoldos]

I don't consider myself having an addictive personality. But I do understand becoming obsessed with something and spending inordinate amounts of time thinking about it and letting it consume you. This can be negative if it affects your day to day life.