Dr Di Nicola: “Gambling addiction causes withdrawal. Let me tell you more”

Marco Di Nicola, doctor at CePID – Integrated Psychiatric Center for Research, Prevention, and Treatment of Addictions – at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, spoke to Repubblica about gambling addiction, providing further clarification on the well-known gambling case.

“In the initial phase, the player wants to recover the lost amount by continuing to gamble. However, the game becomes compulsive, and the focus shifts to anticipating the outcome rather than the outcome itself, eventually leading to a loss of control. The game becomes a problem when the player becomes fixated on it. At that point, mechanisms of neural adaptation, tolerance, and withdrawal come into play, leading to an increased frequency of gambling. We see compromises in the functioning of one’s relational, social, and work life.”