BY BOBBE MCGINLEY

When you read the words “gambling addict,” what is the first image that comes to mind? A mob type male, puffing on a cigar in a dark room playing poker with shady looking people as we often see depicted in crime movies? Or maybe it’s a woman in a bold dress that is too tight, with heavy makeup in the wee hours of the morning in a casino? Because of the stigma all addictions carry, and the fact that gambling addiction is so well hidden, rarely do we visualize someone struggling with gambling addiction as an average looking person going about life.

Like other addictions, gambling doesn’t discriminate and studies show that between 2%-3% of the U.S. population will have a gambling problem in any given year, thereby affecting millions of people in the United States alone.

Gambling addiction has devastating effects on family and friends, destroying lives as well as livelihoods, and today gambling addiction is not only found in those over the age of 21; kids underage have discovered ways to gamble as well.

Pathological gambling is believed to be a progressive behavior disorder that has the trademarks of out of control thinking about gambling and urges to gamble. This leads to gambling beyond limits, which in turn leads to more and more problem gambling, as the gambler tries unsuccessfully to get back that first dollar ever lost, and every dollar in between.

For many people gambling is not a problem. Gamblers are natural risk takers, and many begin with simple activities such as sports betting, turning perhaps to trading stocks and commodities because of the higher excitement and the impression that they are applying great skill. Pathological gambling, however, is described as an impulse disorder, one that mimics addiction to alcohol and drugs, with the most important traits being emotional dependence on gambling, loss of control, and difficulties with normal activities.

If a family member suspects a gambling problem, or has experienced the consequences of problem gambling, the best recourse is to seek counseling with a trained gambling counselor.

LINKS:
National Problem Gambling Awareness Week (NPGAW.org)
The National Council on Problem Gambling (ncpgambling.org)
Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org)
Gam-Anon (gam-anon.org)

Bobbe McGinley MA, MBA, CADAC, LISAC, NCGC II, is a nationally known speaker, author, presenter and trainer, consulting many different industries about problem gambling. For more information call 602-569-4328 or visit http://www.actcounceling.com.

(Adapted from an article that appeared in Together AZ Feb 2011 edition)