What Can I Do About My Gambling Addiction?

[Frankdee20]

Dopamine agonists are notorious for causing hypersexuality, pathological gambling, and compulsive shopping. I've read several stories of people with Parkinson's who were conservative and rule-following most of their adult lives who did a complete 180 after starting dopamine agonist treatment for their Parkinson's and gambled away their entire life savings due to a lack of impulse control.

Dopamine increases the pursuit of pleasure, so the more dopamine you have, the more you'll want to gamble.

EDIT: but at the same time, the more dopamine you have in your prefrontal cortex, the better you'll be able to control these impulses. So high dopamine in brainstem = hypersexuality, pathological gambling, but high dopamine in pfc = good impulse control... this is all so confusing. our brains can't be reduced to just chemicals.

Yes, things aren't black and white with brain chemistry, it's not just boosting a chemical, it's about where in the CNS.

 

[EIRE24]

Haha you bastards

Sorry I didn't mean to be smart or make fun of you. I have addictions of my own and am following the thread closely for advice too.

 

[DHT]

there re studies that NAC (N-Acetyl-Cystein) help with addiction issues try it out. Its a cheap supplement

 

[haidut]

Would a gambling addiction be related to low dopamine?

I have a real recurring gambling addiction problem and I need help.

Is bromocriptine a good idea maybe @haidut?

Any "addiction" is usually related to high stress hormones like cortisol, inflammation/endotoxin/serotonin, and low dopamine response to stimulating events which leads to more addictive behavior to compensate for the low response. For alcohol and drug "addiction" that low response is called "tolerance". So, thyroid, cyproheptadine, naltrexone, emodin, vitamin D, progesterone, etc should all help but the key is to change the environment as much as possible to avoid routinized behavior as its effects are very pernicious and systemic.

 

[Experienced]

Would a gambling addiction be related to low dopamine?

I have a real recurring gambling addiction problem and I need help.

Is bromocriptine a good idea maybe @haidut?

what is bromocriptine? btw what do you think about Porn Masturbation Orgasm addiction what Can I do for it?

@haidut

 

[Xisca]

Would a gambling addiction be related to low dopamine?

Yes it is related, if you mean reinforced behaviours. If you want to understand how it works, buy a book about animal clicker training. It clearly says that training is using reward pathways to reinforce the desired behaviours. Comparison is directly stated with gambling! Because it shows that addiction has to do with a behaviour and not taking a substance (we make them).

So high dopamine in brainstem = hypersexuality, pathological gambling, but high dopamine in pfc = good impulse control... this is all so confusing. our brains can't be reduced to just chemicals.

The confusion comes from not recognizing two =/= things: hormone levels, and body's sensitivity to hormones. Same for insuline, thyroid, cortisol...
Just, I don't know if there is a sensitivity threashold for all hormones and their receptors.

The dark side of dopamine I guess.

Addiction is not bad at all, addiction to gambling or alcohol is bad!
And if we do not want addictions in our lives, we stay with its counterpart, I have named obligation!
In life, either you look for what is good or avoid what is not good. Generally speaking, in one case you are addicted (to do so many things in life!), and in the other your are forced to (put your jacket because you avoid cold etc).

low dopamine response to stimulating events which leads to more addictive behavior to compensate for the low response. For alcohol and drug "addiction" that low response is called "tolerance".

Strange that even for CO2, Buteyko speaks about changing the tolerance level to CO2! But then it is complcated because it implies that we make more bicarbonate.

Addictions to more than the normal stuffs in life (don't you laugh when they speak about being addicted to sugar?) for sure has to do with low responses. We have to look for this also in the ways we were raised. Parents and school should be reinforcing behaviours, and this creates the normal addictions to what is useful for life. All we do has a consequence upon others, who react, and we like it or not. We repeat what brings the best responses and this is absolutely normal. It is easy to see that this system can go awry according to the environment.

I do not know the link between all neurotransmisors, and dopamine is sure not alone in the process. But think that hormones are in the blood, and that the nervous system is something else at physiological level. Actions that involve contacts with other living beings including animals, also touch the social interactions that uses the ventral vagus nerve. So, many useful programs to deal with addiction use social engagement: feel useful and have pleasurable interactions with people. Addictions problems come when you are not enough addicted to relationships!

Keep my safe!

 

[jaa]

Gamble in games you can beat and turn your problem into a career.

 

[Dhair]

Dopamine agonists are notorious for causing hypersexuality, pathological gambling, and compulsive shopping. I've read several stories of people with Parkinson's who were conservative and rule-following most of their adult lives who did a complete 180 after starting dopamine agonist treatment for their Parkinson's and gambled away their entire life savings due to a lack of impulse control.

Dopamine increases the pursuit of pleasure, so the more dopamine you have, the more you'll want to gamble.

EDIT: but at the same time, the more dopamine you have in your prefrontal cortex, the better you'll be able to control these impulses. So high dopamine in brainstem = hypersexuality, pathological gambling, but high dopamine in pfc = good impulse control... this is all so confusing. our brains can't be reduced to just chemicals.

I'm not sure that's quite right.
Sometimes dopamine agonists have the opposite intended reaction in Parkinson's patients specifically and it worsens their symptoms. We don't know why.
I have read more stories online of gambling addiction being a problem for people with DAWS (dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome). So this would implicate low dopamine/high serotonin in the risk taking and addictive behavior.

 

[Experienced]

Can someone explain me some ***t about Dopamine?

Porn Masturbation Orgasm addiction what Can I do for it?

 

[ddjd]

Yes it is related, if you mean reinforced behaviours. If you want to understand how it works, buy a book about animal clicker training. It clearly says that training is using reward pathways to reinforce the desired behaviours. Comparison is directly stated with gambling! Because it shows that addiction has to do with a behaviour and not taking a substance (we make them).

The confusion comes from not recognizing two =/= things: hormone levels, and body's sensitivity to hormones. Same for insuline, thyroid, cortisol...
Just, I don't know if there is a sensitivity threashold for all hormones and their receptors.

Addiction is not bad at all, addiction to gambling or alcohol is bad!
And if we do not want addictions in our lives, we stay with its counterpart, I have named obligation!
In life, either you look for what is good or avoid what is not good. Generally speaking, in one case you are addicted (to do so many things in life!), and in the other your are forced to (put your jacket because you avoid cold etc).

Strange that even for CO2, Buteyko speaks about changing the tolerance level to CO2! But then it is complcated because it implies that we make more bicarbonate.

Addictions to more than the normal stuffs in life (don't you laugh when they speak about being addicted to sugar?) for sure has to do with low responses. We have to look for this also in the ways we were raised. Parents and school should be reinforcing behaviours, and this creates the normal addictions to what is useful for life. All we do has a consequence upon others, who react, and we like it or not. We repeat what brings the best responses and this is absolutely normal. It is easy to see that this system can go awry according to the environment.

I do not know the link between all neurotransmisors, and dopamine is sure not alone in the process. But think that hormones are in the blood, and that the nervous system is something else at physiological level. Actions that involve contacts with other living beings including animals, also touch the social interactions that uses the ventral vagus nerve. So, many useful programs to deal with addiction use social engagement: feel useful and have pleasurable interactions with people. Addictions problems come when you are not enough addicted to relationships!

Keep my safe!

Thanks for this

 

[ddjd]

a little update guys, just by chance im pretty sure BCCA's reduce my gambling cravings significantly. only taking 1 cap seems to work. perhaps its a serotonin lowering effect?

 

[A.R]

a little update guys, just by chance im pretty sure BCCA's reduce my gambling cravings significantly. only taking 1 cap seems to work. perhaps its a serotonin lowering effect?

How much mg is the capsule? Maybe it's having a synergistic effect with the Lisuride you are taking.


On a side note, have you experienced high adrenaline symptoms from Lisuride?