A weekly flutter on the lotto, the odd scratch card or game of bingo, backing a horse in the Irish Grand National – for most of us, this is what gambling looks like: small thrills every now and again. But for someone suffering from gambling addiction, the picture is very different.

“You know it’s become a problem when you are completely powerless over you addiction and it preoccupies your mind all the time,” says Maebh Leahy, CEO of The Rutland Centre, the largest private addiction rehabilitation centre in Ireland.

“The majority of people would be able to have a flutter, have a bet in an enjoyable and a responsible way but for a small portion of people, this isn’t possible – it spirals out of control and then their life is really dictated by either making up losses or chasing wins and they become completely preoccupied with it – so much so that the rest of their life; family, work, relationship, hobbies, take a complete back seat.”

While gambling addiction is predominantly seen in men between the ages of 20 and 40, it’s something that can affect men and women at any stage of their lives. Maebh says it’s important to note that men and women tend to gamble in different ways and for women, denial is a big part of it.

“Women might not necessarily realise that they have an issue and denial is a huge part of addiction. The brain will tell you that you don’t have a problem, while everyone else around you can see that you truly do,” says Maebh.

“Women tend to gamble because they’re isolated, they’re lonely, they do it to ease tension, to give themselves a sense of calm. It’s not in the same frantic, frenetic way that a man would generally gamble. For the man it’s all about getting the chase, getting the high… it’s more competitive, it’s around sport. [Whereas] the kind of gambling women do is more along the lines of bingo and games of luck.”

So what causes someone to become a gambler?

 “It can start off like any of the rest of us who can place a bet and for 99 per cent of us that will be fine, it’ll end at that. But for a small percentage of people, they might get a big win early on and that might give them such a high or such an adrenaline rush that they’ll [bet] again immediately and pretty soon then they become preoccupied with that.

“We all know the bookmakers don’t lose… the winning streak is not going to last. But as someone then becomes more of a risk taker, their tolerance builds up. So to get the same high they need to bet bigger, bet faster and it just spirals out of control.”

In essence, the gambler becomes addicted to the feeling they get when placing a bet, but Maebh is quick to point out gambling becomes unpleasant very quickly.

“It’s the feeling and very quickly it stops becoming fun and it stops becoming something enjoyable because you’ll have a big loss or a series of losses (that’s a big part of it – chasing your losses). Once someone is in that cycle or spiral they’re not enjoying it. They’re not getting anything out of it.

“It’s a constant preoccupation making up for losses, making sure they’re not down money, they’re borrowing off people, maybe engaging in some kind of activity where they’re getting money that they shouldn’t be getting their hands on.”

Due to the high stress associated with this kind of addiction, sadly the risk of suicide is significantly higher.

“Definitely the risk of suicide is higher – an important thing to highlight. Especially with young men because we know young men are high [risk] anyway,” says Maebh.

“With most addiction you’ll find there’s a cycle of depression because you’ve got this constant high and low… so obviously this has an affect on your mental health.”

Maebh says that with the popularity of mobile and online gambling, The Rutland Centre has seen a spike in the amount of people seeking treatment. The Rutland Centre is keen to see the Gambling Control Bill become enacted. This bill would encourage regulation of the industry. The Centre would also welcome a national coordination approach.

When it comes to people currently in the throes of a gambling addiction, Maebh has the following advice: “Don’t wait. Pick up the phone because obviously the earlier someone gets treatment for their addiction, the better the chance of them having a really good recovery and enjoying a life long recovery...

“Don’t let it get to the point where you’ve literally run out of options. And unfortunately and it’s really sad to say, but we’ve seen that. We’ve seen cases where people maybe delayed picking up the phone and then suicide was a very real outcome and that’s just really, really sad. Don’t. There’s always help and there’s always hope.”

Need help or support? Call The Rutland Centre 24 hour helpline on 01 494 6358. For more information log on to www.rutlandcentre.ie