Gambling's allure has always been the prospect of fast action and easy money. The thrill that gamblers experience in their environment is comparable to a cocaine high, and has been shown to be just as addictive. The compulsion is progressive, with the addict needing to increase his risk over time. Heavy gambling can lead to divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, and bankruptcy. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association accepted pathological gambling as a "disorder of impulse control".
The development of compulsive gambling has been broken down into the "three phase model": the winning phase, the losing phase and the desperation phase. During the winning phase, the gambler experiences a "big win" or a series of wins resulting in an unreasonable expectation that the winning streak is unlimited. In this stage, an addiction quickly develops as a rush of “pleasure” hormones causes a psychoactive high while a person is engaged in the gambling behavior. Before long the losing phase is encountered and there is an increased need to gamble more money, more often and to take greater risks in order to recapture the thrill of their first win. It is no longer gambling for money, but the feeding of an addiction. Stealing, borrowing, lying, chasing losses, and going into debt is seen as the quickest way to obtain money. The desperation phase is mark ed by increased time spent gambling. This is accompanied by remorse, irritability, restlessness and withdrawal. Eventually, an addicted gambler may experience hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and attempts, arrests, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse and an emotional breakdown.
The chances of winning a state lottery are smaller than getting struck by lightning seven times while waiting in line to buy your ticket. The lottery is becoming ever more popular as the stakes skyrocket and the advertisements emphasize the rare winners. The players are commonly those who cannot afford the game hoping that the little they have will magically multiply through a winning ticket. Money that could have fed the family at home is wasted on a pipedream. It is the poor who gamble. The rich can afford the losses.
As the line goes, "... it's like Vegas, the house always wins". If the casino has become your prison, know that pathological gambling can be overcome through determination and counseling. Please contact us at Doctors for Life.
To find out if you need help, look through the following questions:
Have you often gambled longer than you had planned?
Have you often gambled until your last cent was gone?
Have thoughts of gambling have caused you to lose sleep?
Have you used your income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid?
Have you made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling?
Have you broken the law or considered breaking the law to finance your gambling?
Have you borrowed money to finance your gambling?
Have you felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses?
Have you been remorseful after gambling?
Have you gambled to get money to meet your financial obligations?
If you or someone you know answers "Yes" to any of these questions, please contact us either by email or phone...
Consider these shocking statistics:
There is a twenty times higher suicide rate among pathological gamblers.
One third of pathological gamblers are women.
Forty-six percent of pathological gamblers borrow on, or use up the cash value of, their insurance policy. Fifty-two percent surrender their policy.
Forty-two percent of 14 year olds gamble. Forty-nine percent of 15 year olds gamble. Sixty-three percent of 16 year olds gamble. Seventy-one percent of 17 year olds gamble. Seventy-six percent of 18 year olds gamble. Eighty-eight percent of 19 year olds gamble
Eleven percent of gambler's wives attempt suicide.
Twenty-five percent of children of pathological gamblers have significant behavioural, or adjustment problems.
Sixty-five percent of wives of pathological gamblers give their spouses their personal savings to gamble or pay debts.
Forty-seven percent of pathological gamblers abuse alcohol. Forty-six percent are depressed. Thirty-five percent have insomnia. Thirty-five percent feel faint or dizzy. Twenty-nine percent have headaches. These figures are only slightly less for the spouses of gamblers.
Compulsive gambling behaviour can be identified by five or more of the following
criteria:
The individual is preoccupied with gambling (i.e. preoccupied
with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next
venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble.
The individual needs to gamble with increasing amounts of
money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
The individual has repeated unsuccessful efforts at stopping.
The individual is restless or irritable with attempting to
cut down.
The individual gambles as a way of escaping from problems
or of relieving a dysphoric mood (i.e., feeling of helplessness, guilty, anxiety,
and depression).
The individual, after losing money gambling, often returns
another day to get even ("chasing" one's losses).
The individual lies to family members, therapist, or others
to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
The individual has committed illegal acts such as forgery,
fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling.
The individual has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship,
job, education or career opportunity because of gambling.
The individual relies on others to provide money or relieve
a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.
Gambling's allure has always been the prospect of fast action and easy money. The thrill that gamblers experience in their environment is comparable to a cocaine high, and has been shown to be just as addictive. The compulsion is progressive, with the addict needing to increase his risk over time. Heavy gambling can lead to divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, and bankruptcy. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association accepted pathological gambling as a "disorder of impulse control".