-snip-
Now, if you still want to gamble but you don't want to become addicted to it, one of the things you should do in my opinion is:
1. Only set aside an amount of money that you will use to gamble in a casino.
2. Don't think that you will gamble to make money, because if you do that, you will surely have a problem later.
3. Just spend a few hours staying in a casino to gamble so you can avoid what you don't realize is wasting time that you should be spending on important things instead of gambling.
1. I think every addict starts like this. They set an amount aside that they want to use for gambling, but then eventually gets addicted and starts spending as much as they can on gambling. So I don't think this is going to help.
I believe it will help if the gambler sticks to it. It also gives a reminder to those who wanted to moderate or control their gambling activities. But obviously, to those who lack control overthemselves, these suggestion will not work.
2. Sadly, most people gamble for the money and the profit. If only people gambled just for fun...
Uncontrolled fun can also result in gambling addiction. Most gambling addiction is caused by dopamine which is produced when we are having pleasure.
Does dopamine cause gambling addiction?
Newer work has suggested that dopaminergic dysfunction can lead to increased reward anticipation and a greater sensitivity to uncertainty, which in turn may drive addictive gambling behaviors
3. True, having a hobby and keeping yourself busy or distracted can help you avoid gambling, but I disagree with "spend only few hours". If you want to stop gambling, you have to stop and don't gamble at all! Spending 1 hour today, you will see that you are spending two hours tomorrow and at the end of the month, you will end up gambling 24/7.
I highly agree if someone is to stop to gamble it should not be half-baked, and triggering gambling addiction only needs exposure regardless of the amount of time since gambling addiction is not a thing that one can catch in an instant, it is a process.