To the outside world, Mike, 32, was a happily married dad working in finance. Privately, he was battling an addiction to gambling, which led to over £110,000 worth of debt – costing him his degree, marriage and almost his life. Now in recovery, and working with Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), here he describes a day in the throes of his addiction.
- On top of that, I found out that the previous owner of my current phone number has a serious gambling problem. I receive multiple calls/texts daily from bookies, acquaintances who have the same hobby and people demanding their money. I can't even count how many times i've Unsubscribed and/or blocked numbers.
- 'I was ashamed of gambling because it was no good for my wife and children,' Chen says, but rather than stop, admits he was getting worse and worse. 'Then I got lucky and saw a little newspaper ad that asked a few questions about gambling. When I looked at my answers, I thought ‘Oh my God, I've got a problem.''.
Problem gambling is any gambling behavior that disrupts your life. If you're preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences in your life, you have a gambling problem. A gambling addiction or problem is often associated with other behavior or mood disorders.
12.01: It's payday and my wages have landed. Emma is asleep upstairs but I get my phone out and start gambling on online casino games.
02.15: Still playing. I'm on roulette. When that wheel starts spinning – whether I've bet £1 or £1000 – I get this powerful rush; a high that comes just before the ball lands. Whether I win or lose right now is almost irrelevant. I know I'm addicted to that chance, the risk. My balance says £5000, but because I'm doing it online, it doesn't feel real. I know I'm never going to get that money, I'm just chasing my losses – and I need at least £30,000 to manage my debts right now.
03.46: I've lost all my winnings – and blown my entire monthly salary. I have nothing in my account for the next four weeks but I have rent and bills to pay, plus payday loan companies and loan sharks chasing me. The debt is crippling me. It's fine, I'll sort it tomorrow.
05.08: Can't sleep. Anxiety is racing through me. Growing up, my family only ever gambled on the Grand National, but I remember lying to my parents about what I had for lunch at school when, really, I'd lost it on a bet with friends. At 16, I was betting regularly, but it ramped up at uni when my student loan dropped. That, along with the independence of living away from home – and a job working in a bookies – fuelled the fire. I didn't think I had a problem, or that it was something you could even get addicted to. Then I won £980, and I remember thinking how easy it was. I started betting on any sport I could and buying scratch cards. When I saw a mate on an FOBT (fixed odds betting terminal) and he turned £10 into £100 in 60 seconds, my enthusiasm rocketed. Within months I was on the machines (playing roulette, blackjack and slots) for nine hours straight when I wasn't working. Once I found the games online, that became my crack cocaine. Ten years later, it still is.
07.30: I've had a couple hours of broken sleep and the reality of what happened last night slams me the second my eyes open. I lie to Emma that I'm late for a work meeting – she's already suspicious – and rush out the door without having breakfast.
08.50: Arrive at the office, but I couldn't care less about work. Today is about keeping my head above water. I'm lucky I get to work flexibly and independently for my finance job but I'm abusing that position a lot these days. I just need to get any money I can this morning so that I can increase it at the bookies – gambling is the only way to fix this.
10.18: Productivity level is zero. I'm constantly distracted and can't stop checking my phone. Every time an email or message vibrates, I'm convinced it's someone chasing me for money.
11.55: I've spent the last 90 minutes firing 20 online applications off to loan companies. I've rinsed the normal means of borrowing – my credit rating is fucked – so I'm trying to borrow from people I shouldn't. I know they have huge interest rates, but I just need my hands on that money – I'll worry about the repayments later. Or, I'll win at least something this month to keep me going.
12.30: A colleague asks why my hands are shaking. I tell him my brother is ill, and I'm really worried about him. He is, but I play that in my favour knowing it will give me breathing space. I know that sounds horrible, but that's the kind of stuff I do now: I'm an expert in deceit and manipulation. Previously, I've asked close family members and mates to bail me out because I'd got into 'a bit of debt', and I've given them account details for a loan shark when, actually, it's one that I've set up. I've told them I need £500 to make the repayment when, actually, I just need £200. It means I can use the other £300 to gamble. I put my gambling before everything and everyone else; including Emma when I steal from her purse, and my 18-month-old son, Rory, when I steal from his piggy bank. My mum has handed me cash, made me promise not to gamble it – and I've sworn on anyone's life that I won't, knowing full well I will.
13.05: Everyone's off for lunch. I'm still not hungry. I have a couple of quid in change, and I'm going to head to a bookies. I know I can turn it into £1000. The most I've ever won is £3500, but I lost it – and yet I've still placed a 15p bet the next day and told myself I can win it back. Before I leave the office, I turn my phone off so Emma can't track my location. I get why she does: I've lied to her loads about my whereabouts, or been caught out when I've gone to a pawn shop or the bookies. I feel like I'm living a double life. Constantly remembering what I've told people and keeping up with the lies is exhausting.
13.36: I didn't win. By the time I walk back into the office, my heart is racing, I'm sweating and there's a crushing feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.
14.45: Pacing up and down in the men's. I've lost count how many times I've escaped to the toilet today. I look in the mirror; I look awful. But this is probably easier to hide than drug or alcohol abuse. The signs are behavioral, not physical. My mental health is suffering hugely but I won't tell anyone else – it's too embarrassing, and I know people won't understand. And I won't go to the doctors, I know I've got a gambling problem – it's taken so much to admit that to myself and those closest to me – but I'm not prepared to admit out loud I have mental health issues or take medication. That's not the person I am – and I know I'll be fine. I'm not afraid. I know I'll find a way to sort this. I'll play the people I need to in order to work this situation to my advantage.
15.37: My working day has gone out the window. My focus is still on trying to get hold of some money. But borrowing is even more difficult for me these days. I can't get loan companies or sharks to send me money via bank transfer as Emma has my driving license, birth certificate and passport to stop me opening more bank accounts. I can't risk her finding out I've had a relapse, I know she will – it's a ticking time bomb. I remember there's a ring at home – I'll pawn it tomorrow.
17.30: Finish work and Emma WhatsApp'ed me. I haven't replied to her last three messages. I tell her everything's OK. It's not OK – and we're not OK. Last month I told her I'd kill myself if she left me. I won't but I know that will make her stay with me. She says my addiction is a toxic disease and something I can't control. She always says to talk to her if I gamble, and that she'll help me but I never do. And each time I get myself out of a shit situation, it gives me the confidence to keep going. I've had every reason to want to stop. I'm experiencing the harm of gambling: I left uni without a degree because of it, I couldn't get a mortgage because of it, and now my marriage is barely surviving because of it – but I've just not had the genuine desire to stop. Plus, nothing can stop me. I've closed bank accounts, I've tried getting exclusion from bookies, I've downloaded software to stop me going on online gambling sites. Mum has paid for me to go to hypnotherapy, but once I walked into reception and watched her drive off, I left and spent the money for the session on gambling. People might say the risk of loosing my marriage, or my son, should be enough to stop me but in reality – it isn't.
18.10: Head to my second job in a pub. I've started working a few nights a week to help get more money. I also deliver groceries. I realise I need food so my mate in the kitchen cooks me dinner. As I eat, I check my phone – someone's commented on a Facebook photo of me, Emma and Rory in the park last week. We look like a perfect family but behind the scenes it's chaos. If ever I take Rory somewhere at the weekend, it's always scheduled around the sport I've put bets on.
20.43: I'm so tired and the pub is busy. Can't stop thinking and worrying that I haven't been able to access any money today. I remember to change the passcode on my phone again so Emma can't check anything when I'm asleep later.
23.19: Arrive home. Emma is up and we have a glass of wine. It still surprises me that I can take or leave alcohol. When I was younger and I got involved with the wrong kind people through gambling, I dabbled with drugs, but I've never shown signs of addiction to anything else. Emma seems fine but is asking a lot of questions about my day. The conversation is calm and I want to hold on to this feeling for as long as possible as I know within a few days a standing order will bounce and it will all kick off.
00.15: In bed. I feel beyond exhausted and hugely alone in my worry. A lot of people would say the opposite of addiction is sobriety. I'd say the opposite to addiction is connection. It's a very lonely place. Whenever I've tried to explain it to those closest to me, they can't get their head around it. They look at it though a logical lens, and say: 'What the hell would possess you to take coppers from your kid's piggy bank to gamble with? That's evil! Why don't you stop and think?' But in my experience of addiction, that logic doesn't apply. It's too powerful and destructive – it defies all logic. That's not my thought process when I make these decisions; I don't think like other people in those situations. But tomorrow I'll pawn that ring and double the cash: Saturday is the best day for sports betting. I'll sort it.
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Gambling addiction can be split into two categories: problem gambling and pathological gambling. 1% of the United States population are pathological gamblers while an additional 2-3% are problem gamblers. Though the percentages may seem small, when you take the 318.9 million people in America, 1-4% of the population is between 3 million and 13 million people. Looking at those numbers, the prevalence of gambling addiction seems a bit scarier.
You might be curious what exactly constitutes a gambling addiction? If you have never been around someone who struggles with it, it may seem like a foreign concept. Compared to the 1-2% who have a gambling addiction, 86% of Americans report having gambled. A large percentage of the population experiences little to no desire to continue.
Many people scoff at the idea of what they may consider 'throwing money away' at the card tables and flashing machines in smoke-stuffed casinos across the nation. However, for those with a gambling addiction, it's not as simple as 'just walking away from the game.'
What is gambling addiction?
In 2013, the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, added gambling addiction to their text. Officially called 'Gambling Disorder' in the DSM-5, the text diagnoses it as:
- Need to gamble with increasing amount of money to achieve the desired excitement.
- Restless or irritable when trying to cut down on or stop gambling.
- Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.
- Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next gambling venture, thinking of ways to get money to gamble).
- Often gambling when feeling distressed.
- After losing money gambling, often returning to get even (referred to as 'chasing' one's losses).
- Lying to conceal gambling activity.
- Jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job or educational/career opportunity because of gambling.
- Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling.
As you can see from those criteria, gambling addiction is not as simple as getting stuck at a table for a few hands of Texas Holdem. Those with a Gambling Disorder have a serious inability to stop gambling, despite the impact it is having on an individual's life.
Some individuals with a gambling addiction experience periods where their symptoms are less severe and it may even appear that the problem has disappeared entirely. However, before long the addiction strikes with a vengeance, oftentimes even stronger than before.
Gambling addiction tends to run in families and begins to show anywhere from teenage years to later in adult life. Men's symptoms generally begin when they are younger while women's symptoms do not often start until later in their lives.
What makes gambling so addictive?
The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as 'a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.' However, as seen in the DSM-5 entry, addiction is no longer related to just substance abuse. Though they do not consider it an addiction by name, gambling addiction is just as real as being addicted to heroin or alcohol. Gambling addiction riddles an individual's life and has the potential to take away or destroy all that is important to them.
But what makes gambling so addictive? When someone with a gambling addiction wins a hand or spins a straight 777 on the slot machine, dopamine is released in the brain and creates a feeling of a thrill or a rush. It is not restricted only to casinos, though; gambling disorders can be triggered by scratcher cards, lotto tickets, horse races, or even Super Bowl football square pools. The chance of winning big triggers the gambler's brain to participate, often to disastrous extents.
While many people are able to be pleased with their winnings and walk away a few hundred or thousand dollars richer, an individual with a gambling addiction will not stop. They'll purchase more chips, withdraw money for more credits, buy another few scratcher cards, or participate in next week's lottery. The insatiable desire to win takes over and no loss can ever overcome the insistence that they will just win it the next time.
Why do people gamble even though it destroys their lives?
When asked why she continues to gamble despite the consequences, one gambler said, 'It's all about the thrill or the rush I get at the thought of winning something I don't have.' After being let go for calling out from work too often, she spent all of her unemployment money on scratcher cards from the liquor store. Once she used up all of her own money she borrowed money from her husband to continue her habit. Red rock casino blackjack rules.
I Think I Have A Gambling Problem Uk
However, she kept it well hidden. As she was unemployed at the time it was most severe, her husband was unaware of the extent of her current problem. He knew she struggled with a gambling addiction but did not realize that she was spending all of her money on it. As she scratched the cards while he was away at work during the day, he never realized where all her money went until months later when she broke down and admitted to him that she had had a lapse.
Stories like these are all too common, especially in areas like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City. Even sadder are those who are single and lack familial influence; with few people concerned with their spending habits and everyday activities, they have free reign to blow away hundreds of thousands and land themselves in crippling debts.
Gambling addiction and co-occurring disorders
The woman mentioned previously also struggled with alcoholism, incredibly common for individuals who experience gambling addiction. Those with Gambling Disorder have a high potential for co-occurring disorders such as drug and alcohol addiction or mental health disorders.
A co-occurring disorder is an individual with a substance dependence or substance abuse problem who also experiences mental health issues. As gambling addiction, or Gambling Disorder, is now categorized under the addiction category in the DSM-5, it could be considered co-occurring with either alcohol and drug abuse or a mental health disorder.
A study conducted in 2014 looked at the relationship between four mental health disorders (depression, mood disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD) and gambling. Their results showed that, of those studied, 86% of gamblers also experienced one or more of the four mental health disorders they were screened for.
It is estimated that 10 to 20% of individuals with substance use disorder also have experience as a pathological or problem gambler. Gambling is common among the drug- and alcohol-addicted population as a means of getting money to purchase substances. Though it isn't
Gambling addiction and legal troubles
Although gambling is a legal activity in many locations and most who gamble do not experience any addictive behaviors, for those with gambling addiction the story is different. Oftentimes once they run out of money, pathological and problem gamblers resort to illegal methods of obtaining more money to gamble. Theft, burglary, and
In places where gambling is illegal, gamblers will also run into trouble with the law for seeking out opportunities to bet.
How to treat gambling addiction
When seeking treatment for gambling addiction it is important to consult with a doctor about the possibility of a co-occurring disorder. With such large rates of co-occurring disorders in those with gambling addiction, well-rounded treatment is often necessary. It is difficult to manage the gambling problem without also addressing the other issues such as substance abuse and mental health disorders. If the co-occurring disorders are left untreated, the chances of recovery are minimal.
Once the co-occurring disorder is being treated, or if the gambler does not struggle with one, there are programs and other types of help available to help them address their gambling addiction. Online gambling easy money.
Gamblers Anonymous
Based on the 12-step methods of Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program intended to help those with a gambling addiction. Originally founded in 1957 in Los Angeles, California, today Gamblers Anonymous has over 1,000 groups that meet worldwide. Through practicing the 12 Steps of Gamblers Anonymous, these men and women come together to work through their gambling problems and remain 'clean' from gambling. The 12 Steps also help those with gambling addictions to live their everyday lives as happier, healthier individuals.
A meeting directory for Gamblers Anonymous can be found here.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Though Gamblers Anonymous is incredibly beneficial in helping those with gambling addictions stop gambling, it is even more effective when used in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a form of therapy that focuses on the idea that what you think impacts the behaviors you make. By working on the habitual thought patterns of an individual, therapists hope to combat the impulsive behavioral patterns that are characteristic of a gambling addiction.
Treatment Programs
For those with extreme cases, in particular when in combination with a substance abuse problem, inpatient or outpatient treatment may be necessary. Inpatient treatment will separate an individual from the problem at hand and provide intensive programs with both a CBT and sometimes 12-step-based approach. Those in inpatient receive the opportunity to focus on treatment alone with few outside distractions to maximize the potential for recovery.
Rivers casino pittsburgh new years eve 2019 schedule. If intensive inpatient treatment is not an option due to work or school, outpatient treatment is another intensive way to address addiction issues head-on. Often offered in the evenings for those with daytime occupations, outpatient treatment provides care for a few hours a day, three to five days a week. Individuals learn to cope with daily life and manage triggering situations.
Both inpatient and outpatient prove to be helpful in initiating long-term recovery from substance abuse, but effectiveness on gambling has yet to be studied extensively.
Problems with current gambling addiction treatment
In 2013, Dr. Flora Matheson and her researchers at St. Michael's Hospital's Center for Research on Inner City Health collaborated with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to look over the current literature and studies regarding drug use and gambling addiction. They noticed a high correlation between pathological and problem gambling and substance abuse, but also realized these individuals are not as responsive to the present methods of treatment.
There is a significant amount of people struggling with both substance abuse and gambling addiction, and treatment centers specific for their needs would prove to be beneficial. However, some treatment centers are beginning to incorporate the treatment of pathological and problem gambling into their programs due to the large amount of gamblers they see coming through their doors. In order to provide proper treatment for all patients, the issue of gambling addiction must be taken into consideration during treatment.
As the awareness of gambling addiction increases, so will the number of treatment centers dedicated to the rehabilitation of these individuals. Additionally, greater numbers of existing treatment centers will equip themselves with the capabilities to provide the proper care. Like all addictions and mental health disorders, with more awareness comes more understanding.
Resources
'Prevalence of the Addictions' Steve Sussman, Nadra Lisha, and Mark Griffiths
I Think I Have A Gambling Problem
'Gambling, Alcohol, and Other Substance Use Among Youth in the United States' Grace M. Barnes, Ph.D; John W. Welte, Ph.D; Joseph H. Hoffman, Ph.D; and Marie-Cecile O. Tidwell, Ph.D
'Pathological gambling, co-occurring disorders, clinical presentation, and treatment outcomes at a university-based counseling clinic' Soberay A, Faragher JM, Barbash M, Brookover A, Grimsley P
'Co-Occurring Disorders' SAMHSA
'Links made between problem gambling and substance abuse, and lack of treatment options' St. Michael's Hospital
