March Madness brings plenty of opportunity to place bets…online, in Las Vegas and in office pools across the country. But, what can be a harmless bet for most people can be more than a game for others. It can be a dangerous trigger for the compulsive gambler.
Unlike casual betting, compulsive gambling can destroy lives, marriages and families.
Symptoms
Compulsive gamblers will go to great lengths to gamble and procure money for gambling. They will take increasingly greater risks to gamble. Often, compulsive gamblers will hide their gambling habit from family and friends or will lie about their gambling habit. Compulsive gamblers may borrow money to gamble or even steal money from family, co-workers or friends. Many times, compulsive gamblers will feel regret and depression after losing money on a bet, only to gamble again in order to assuage their guilt.
Compulsive gambling is an impulse-control disorder
An impulse-control disorder is the inability to avoid engaging in behavior that will ultimately be destructive. The disorder is characterized by feeling emotional arousal before the behavior, followed by gratification and finally remorse.
What to do if you or a loved one is a compulsive gambler.
First you have to acknowledge that there is a problem. This may be difficult for the compulsive gambler, however if he thinks he may have a problem or if family and friends think you might have a problem, he probably does.
Several factors may contribute to the urge to gamble compulsively. A brain chemical imbalance, environmental stresses or social pressures can trigger the impulse. More men than women gamble compulsively because they are greater risk-takers. In other cases, the compulsive gambling can be the symptom of another problem, such as clinical depression. For that reason, it is necessary to see a professional to determine which of the triggers or combination of triggers is at work in the compulsive gambler.
Treatments may include medication to handle brain chemical imbalances, talk therapy to learn how to handle stress, help in learning how to avoid people and situations which trigger the gambling urge and screening for depression and/or anxiety disorders. Some studies show that as much as three quarters of compulsive gamblers experience major depression.
Groups such as Gambling Anonymous can be helpful for the compulsive gambler; however such groups work best when used in conjunction with professional psychotherapy and/or prescribed medication. It’s most important for the compulsive gambler to understand that he cannot pull himself up by his bootstraps. His best chance at beating the compulsion is to take advantage of all the help available to him and realize that, like any other addict, he will need to stay vigilant the rest of his life.
Thomas E. (Jene) Hedden, BCD, MSW, LCSW, holds a Master's Degree in Religious Education with a Major in Social Work from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master's in Social Work from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Mr. Hedden served as Director of Psychiatry for Norton Health Care at the Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky and has more than thirty-five years in the field of psychotherapy.