I have bipolar. I have been lurking and commenting on these threads for a bit. This PSA is for those that can relate to these symptoms. The GOOD news is the once my meds were titrated the overwhelming urge to gamble significantly reduced. So much so that on Saturday night deposited $3500 into Hard rock and was thinking I would parlay college hoops. At 2pm this past Saturday 21 teams kicked off. This would have been prime parlaying. I did not spend a dime and with Drew it. I have since excluded, and given my wife my cards and debit card I hope this helps someone.
✅✅✅ Why Bipolar Disorder Strongly Increases Gambling Addiction Risk
Being bipolar significantly increases the risk of developing a gambling addiction because of how the illness affects impulse control, reward processing, and judgment—especially during manic or hypomanic episodes. In these states, the brain is flooded with dopamine, which increases risk-taking, creates exaggerated confidence, and weakens the ability to foresee negative consequences. Gambling fits perfectly into this neurochemical environment: it is fast, unpredictable, and provides immediate rewards, all of which intensely stimulate the same brain circuits already overstimulated in mania.
Mania also distorts thinking in ways that make gambling feel rational. People in a manic state often believe they have special insight, winning “systems,” or exceptional luck. They overestimate their ability to control outcomes, which leads to chasing losses, increasing bet sizes, and ignoring financial limits. The brain’s normal braking system—fear, caution, and long-term planning—is impaired, so decisions are driven by emotion and sensation rather than logic.
Even outside of full mania, bipolar disorder involves chronic mood instability, which makes gambling especially appealing as a form of emotional regulation. During depressive phases, gambling can temporarily relieve numbness or despair by providing stimulation, hope, and a sense of possibility. Over time, the brain learns that gambling is a fast way to escape emotional pain or amplify excitement, reinforcing the behavior through powerful conditioning.
This creates a destructive loop: mania fuels risk-taking, depression fuels escape, and gambling becomes the bridge between the two. That cycle is why people with bipolar disorder develop gambling addiction at far higher rates than the general population.
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@me. I’m at my all time lowest and can’t break this. I can go 3 months or 6 months and everything I build in that time frame gets destroyed in 2 days or less.
No matter how I approach this, 1000s of hours of therapy, psychiatrist, meetings, safe guards, sponsor work. It’s just never enough. The bipolar and addiction is like mixing fuel with fire.
I’m getting divorced because of this illness and my losses. My dad committed suicide a couple months ago.
They tell me to call when I need help and when I do nobody answers. I’m just a burden and the addiction keeps beating me. I can’t escape. It’s funny how you can be smart, self aware, disciplined and it’s never enough. Only you can save you. And I can’t.
Whoa, This world 🌎 needs you. Don’t let your light go out brother.