Gambling Addiction

July 22nd, 2024

By P. Casey Arrillaga, LCSW, LCDC

Gambling addiction, also known as Gambling Disorder, is one
of the most acknowledged process addictions. If you’re not familiar with that
term, check out our previous blog post, “Process Addictions” that was published
on May 27, 2024. Like any other addiction, gambling addiction can take over a
person’s life, destroy their hopes and dreams, and can be fatal. The good news
is that like any other addiction, there is hope for anyone with gambling
addiction, not only to stop the addictive behavior, but also to live a happy,
joyous, and free life.

What We Know So Far

Gambling has been a part of various cultures for thousands
of years, and for all that time, there have undoubtedly been people who have
done it compulsively. There would be no way to list all the things that humans
have bet on, but countless games of chance have been invented specifically for
the purpose of betting. Some involving an element of skill or knowledge as
well, such as poker or betting on horse racing, giving the players the feeling
that they have more control over a situation in which they still stand to lose
money through chance. All offer the idea of being able to increase wealth, usually
without great effort. In reality, most games are set up in ways that make it
more likely that the player will lose instead. For some gamblers, the knowledge
of this adds to the thrill of the game, offering the possibility of “beating
the house” by coming out ahead when they were more likely to come out behind.

Gambling addiction was the first process addiction to be
officially recognized by mental health professionals. This came in 2013, when
the American Psychiatric Association included Gambling Disorder in its section
on f ‘Addictions and Related Disorders’ in the fifth edition of its
authoritative diagnostic manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. This
book sets the standard for diagnosis of mental health disorders, so the
inclusion of gambling disorder in the section on addictions changed the way
many professionals looked at the problem. The World Health Organization
followed suit with the new thinking, hosting a presentation on gambling
disorder at their forum on addictions in 2017. Prior to all this, it was
recognized that gambling could be problematic, but it was thought of as more of
an impulse-control issue.

The reason for this change in how gambling addiction is
viewed is that there is an increasing body of evidence showing that people who are
compulsively gambling have brain reactions that are remarkably similar to those
who are compulsively using a drug such as alcohol or cocaine. Additionally,
people in the grip of a gambling addiction experience tolerance and withdrawal,
just like those who use drugs. Most importantly, the kind of wreckage people
experience in their life as a result of gambling addiction is similar and often
even worse that what people go through with alcohol or other drugs. People
gambling compulsively lose marriages, jobs, friendships, self-respect, physical
and mental health, and go against their own values. One of the most visible
effects is that they often not only lose all they have financially, but may get
tens of thousands of dollars in debt. This can bring despair that all too often
leads to suicide, making gambling disorder a deadly disease.

How Can We Help?

At Windmill, we recognize that gambling addiction is just as
serious and potentially deadly as any other. Therefore, we treat it like the
addiction it is. Luckily, many of the same techniques that we use to help
people recover from other addictions can be applied to gambling disorder. This
includes connecting people with gambling addictions to recovery fellowships
including Gamblers Anonymous, which was formed in 1957 using the principles and
techniques that had been so successful in Alcoholics Anonymous. Additionally,
we help clients find hope and help in SMART Recovery, where they find they can
apply those tools to gambling disorder just as well as they do to other
addictions and mental health challenges. We have literature specific to
gambling addiction available and provide therapy that targets the compulsion to
gamble. In short, we are able to offer hope to anyone who has a problem with
gambling.

The Bottom Line

Gambling addiction is a serious and potentially fatal
disease. It matches chemical addictions in symptoms and severity, but there is
similar hope available through some of the proven techniques that have helped
so many other people with various addictions. If you or someone you care about
seems to have a problem with compulsive gambling, seek help immediately. There
is hope.

About The Author

P. Casey Arrillaga is the Team Leader for Education at
Windmill Wellness Ranch, and he is the author of books including “Realistic
Hope: The Family Survival Guide for Facing Alcoholism and Other Addictions”.