What Does Gambling Do To Your Brain

If you have ever suffered from an addiction before, such as a gambling addiction or a shopping addiction, or if you have ever had an attack of depression or suffered from a reduction in mental focus, it may have been because of a problem with one of your brain's neurotransmitters. There are two strong neurotransmitters in the brain that are often linked to some of these behaviors. They are known as serotonin and dopamine. You can have too much of these neurotransmitters or too little of them, causing some problems in your life.

1. Nov 01, 2013 Further evidence that gambling and drugs change the brain in similar ways surfaced in an unexpected group of people: those with the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease.
2. Gambling addiction activates the same brain pathways as drug and alcohol cravings, suggests new research. The study, by international scientists including researchers from Imperial College London.

A Brain Chemical That May Cause Gambling Addiction, or Bankruptcy Feb 21, 2012 11:43 AM By Christine Hsu A player checks his cards during the finals of the Russian Masters Poker Cup in the casino at the Azov-City gambling zone, some 90 km (56 miles) south of Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don, September 23, 2010.

What Are Serotonin and Dopamine?

The first thing you need to know about neurotransmitter is that there are two different types. These are inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters. Excitatory neurotransmitters are stimulatory to the brain's nerve fibers. Inhibitory neurotransmitters are calming brain chemicals. It is the inhibitory transmitters that help us balance our mood; they can be diminished in the face of too many excitatory brain chemicals. Serotonin and dopamine are opposites of one another when it comes to their effect on the brain.

Serotonin: Inhibitory Neurotransmitter

Serotonin falls under the classification as an inhibitory brain chemical. It doesn't stimulate the brain like dopamine can and will balance out the excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. You need plenty of serotonin in your brain in order to be calm and have a stable mood. It is also important in the regulation of other brain processes, such as pain control, your sleep cycle, cravings for carbs, and adequate digestion of our food.

If you take in too many stimulants, such as ordinary caffeine, it can gradually deplete the amount of serotonin you have in your brain. When your serotonin level becomes too low, you will suffer from immunosuppression and will be prone to being sick from various pathogens.

Dopamine: Excitatory Neurotransmitter (Mainly)

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that helps us focus. In this way, serotonin and dopamine are opposites of each other. If dopamine levels are too low or too high, we can have problems on focusing. We may forget where we placed our keys, we may forget a book passage we just read, or we may suffer form off-task behavior—daydreaming instead of remaining on task. Dopamine is important in helping us have mental drive or an impulse to get things accomplished. It affects our motivation. When we have enough dopamine, we act more towards our desires, needs, and goals and when we finally reach our goals, we will feel happy.

Drugs used as stimulants, such as those for ADHD and the chemical, caffeine, will increase dopamine in order to improve mental focus. If we stimulate this neurotransmitter too much, however, it can eventually cause it to decrease over time.

One special thing to mention, you should notice that dopamine is unique in that it can be inhibitory and it can be excitatory, whereas serotonin is just inhibitory.

The following video will help you understand serotonin, dopamine and our brain better.

Relationship Between Serotonin and Dopamine

Serotonin and dopamine can be thought of as being two different glasses of milk. Together they take up 100 units of fluid, each taking fifty percent of the total. In order to maintain having a hundred units at all times, you must borrow from one of the glasses to fill up the other.

If our life is to be completely balanced, there is about fifty units in the dopamine glass and fifty units in the dopamine class. If they, however, become out of balance, the more likely our lives become out of balance. What happens when there is an imbalance between serotonin and dopamine?

1. When Serotonin Levels Are Low

Without serotonin or with low serotonin, we suffer from depression and experience a loss of pleasure. This is the main problem with low serotonin.Other symptoms of low serotonin include the following:

• Having a significant sensitivity to pain
• Being angry all the time
• Having constipation
• Having carb cravings and problems with binge eating
• Feeling low mood from a lack of sunlight
• Having problems with digestion
• Feeling easily overwhelmed
• Feeling a dependency on other people
• Having an excess of vigilance
• Suffering from insomnia
• Having a lack of joy
• Having migraines
• Having a lower self-esteem
• Having ringing of the ears
• Having poor cognition

What to do: When there is low serotonin and dopamine is high, you can increase your serotonin levels by exercising several days per week, by being exposed to sunlight, by relaxing as much as you can, by taking a hold of your stress levels, by getting enough sleep, and by making adequate changes to your diet. There are several foods that boost serotonin levels, such as salmon, chicken, avocados, walnuts, baked potatoes, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and lentils. You should eat these foods several times daily.

2. When Dopamine Level Are Low

With low dopamine syndromes, you have no motivation in life. You can feel hopelessness, apathy, and a lack of joy. You have a problem starting things and have problems completing them. Some other symptoms of low dopamine include the following:

• Feeling tired
• Having problems feeling pleasure
• Suffering from insomnia
• Having a hard time getting up in the morning
• Suffering from mood swings
• Forgetting things
• Having problems with concentration and focus
• Having loss of memory
• Having a low sex drive
• Having problems connecting to others
• Craving caffeine
• Craving carbs and sugar
• Having problems with weight loss
• Having problems dealing with stress

What to do: There are a lot of foods you can eat in order to increase dopamine levels. Foods containing serotonin and dopamine are different. Dopaminergic foods include bananas, almonds, beets, apples, coffee, chocolate, lima beans, leafy greens, oatmeal, watermelon, sea vegetables, animal products, and watermelon, among others. You can also exercise regularly to rise your dopamine levels. Listen to music, meditate, and engage in some hobbies that are very creative, such as house repair, photography, drawing, sewing and knitting. These things can help with the release of dopamine by helping you meditate.

If you’re the recipient of any kind of benefit, then you’re likely no stranger to having your income assessed.

This may be income from a part-time job, interest on savings or perhaps help from friends and family, all of which may cause your benefits to reduce if you go over a certain threshold.

The UK benefits system has a track record of making things complicated when it comes to assessing tax – something which they’re in the process of simplifying, with the introduction of the Universal Credit system back in 2013.

While employment and savings are all considerations for income, one thing that we may overlook is gambling winnings.

What Does Gambling Do To Your Brain Tumor

Gambling winnings and tax

First of all, it’s important to understand that gambling winnings are not taxed. No matter what size they are, from winning on a scratch card to taking home all the numbers on the lottery, the amount you win will always be the amount that goes into your bank.

What is taxable, however, is interest.

This means that if you were to suddenly receive a large amount of money into your bank account one day, any interest you received on that money would be taxed – therefore, it’s not the original sum which is taxed, but any additional earnings you get from it.

Gambling income and benefits

So, how exactly does this apply when it comes to benefits? We can keep in mind the same principles for benefits as we can tax and additional income.

Certain factors can affect your entitlement to benefits, just like certain factors can affect whether or not your money is taxed, e.g. if it is income tax on wages or tax on your savings’ interest.

As the recipient of any benefit, you’re assessed based on your “capital”. That is to say, if you do have savings which one day go over a particular threshold, then you may lose your entitlement to some of your benefits as a result.

Housing benefit

Your “capital” is any savings or assets you may have. Currently, if you receive housing benefit, you are not eligible to receive it if your capital exceeds £16,000.

While you won’t be entitled to any housing benefits with a capital of more than £16,000, you should also be cautious of anything over £6,000. Your benefits will be reduced if you do have a higher capital than this.

There are exceptions to this, of course – for example, if your partner has a Pension Credit Guarantee, then the £16,000 threshold doesn’t apply. Similarly, if you are a pensioner, then the £6,000 capital figure is increased to £10,000.

So, if you do find yourself “in the money” one day, then you’ll have to let your local authority know so that they can re-adjust your housing benefit accordingly. You must declare this to avoid being convicted of fraud.

Regular income – affecting income support

While an occasional big win (that does not take you over a £6,000 capital) is unlikely to be highlighted with the Department for Work and Pensions, regular income could be a different story.

Indeed, you don’t have to declare your gambling winnings to the HMRC because they’re not taxed. However, the HMRC regularly share information with the Department for Work and Pensions (the department responsible for benefits) to prevent fraud.

What Does Gaming Do To Your Brain

This effectively means that you could be liable to produce bank statements if there is any suspicion of regular income that could be in violation of income support.

For example, if you take part in matched betting, where there is far more chance of a regular income (and far more propensity to lose money too – beware), then this may be assessed.

In this situation, it’s always best to be completely honest with whoever you’re claiming benefits from. It’s up to them ultimately whether they can class your earnings as capital or regular income.

For example, there have been cases of gamblers winning a significant sum, and the DWP categorising this into 12 monthly payments which could, therefore, be classed as regular income.

The difference in benefits

Not all benefits are the same, of course. Some benefits are means tested, which means that the DWP will assess your individual circumstances and look at your “capital” in order to make a decision on whether or not you are entitled to these benefits.

The current means-tested benefits are:

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Income Support

• Pension Credit

• Tax Credits (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit)

• Housing Benefit

• Council Tax Support

• Social Fund (Sure Start Maternity Grant, Funeral Payment, Cold Weather Payments)

• Universal Credit

• Jobseekers’ Allowance

• Income Support.

If you’re receiving non-means tested benefits, then it is far more likely that the DWP will take a lenient approach. However, the majority of non-means tested benefits concern those with disabilities, some of which could indeed affect our ability to gamble.

However, if you’re able to gamble lawfully and receive a non-means tested benefit, then this will have no effect.

Other non-means tested benefits include statutory benefits such as maternity or paternity leave – if you have time to make a big winning on a scratch card with a baby, then by all means, play away!

Abiding by the law

Benefit fraud is a very serious offence, but there’s no need to risk this by gambling irresponsibly and risking losing money you’re entitled to.

What Does Gambling Do To Your Brain Grow

In most cases, the DWP will fairly treat anybody who is upfront and honest about any additional earnings they may make from gambling.

It’s also wise not to rely on gambling as a source of regular income. Firstly, a regular income affects benefits, and additionally, there’s no guarantee that one good month’s winnings will be repeated the next month.

As with all gambling, it is most advisable to approach it as a leisurely pursuit – just make sure you declare winnings of over £6,000 if you do win big.