Young gamblers need help

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Young gamblers need help


Addiction means living enslaved to something. Addiction accompanies adverse emotional symptoms like anxiety, loneliness, depression and anger and weakens self-control and awareness. In fact, addiction is not just a personal issue but a problem for families and society. The growing problem of youth gambling calls for our attention to the values and cultures in our families, schools and society.

According to the 2015 youth gambling survey, about 30,000 students are estimated to be in the “problem group” and 110,000 are in the “risk group,” with high possibility for gambling addiction. The aggravation of the gambling problem among young people illustrates that people increasingly have trouble distinguishing the means of life from the purpose of life and understanding the priorities in life.

The young people with gambling problem would continue to suffer from addiction through adulthood, and the gambling issue needs to be addressed at an early stage and further aggravation should be prevented. Schools need to offer regular gambling addiction prevention programs. Also, students should refrain from excessive use of smartphones as a prevention and a form of self-control. Schools should review the educational system and develop effective prevention programs designed to tackle gambling addiction.

The government is expanding gambling-related businesses to add jobs and increase income, but it causes far more loss than gain for society and the nation as a whole. The gambling among young people is a widespread problem in our society and requires cooperation and efforts from different fields. To prevent youth gambling addiction, not just the young people but each and every member of our society should learn to love ourselves and find happiness. Self-awareness and control is the foundation of happiness and core of gambling addiction prevention.
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