Gambling can spiral out of control

Program designed to make gamblers aware help nearby

Originally Published: 6/20/2013

By Beth Anne Heesen
Reading Eagle

Bob was tired of his happiness being determined by the flip of a card or somebody making a field goal.

The gambling problem started innocently enough, but led to serious debt, a life as a drug dealer, a failed marriage and suicide notes, he told a crowd Wednesday at Easy Does It Inc., a nonprofit addiction recovery center in Bern Township.

The event was sponsored by Easy Does It, the Council on Chemical Abuse and Caron Treatment Centers.

Bob, 65, of Reading, who declined to give his last name, said that at age 20, he made his first bet with a bookmaker for $25 and won.

"At that point, I sent a message to myself that this is my way out: out of the south side of town, out of going to college and out of having to work hard for the dollar," he said. "By 21, I was either on the phone placing a bet, at the race track, at the casino or at a private poker game in Reading."

Gambling is a problem that's here to stay in Pennsylvania because it's such a big moneymaker, said Michael Reese, an independent contractor for the Council on Chemical Abuse.

"Please note that Pennsylvania is No. 2 in gambling revenue (in the U.S.), only behind Nevada," he said. "We're talking $2.5 billion dollars in slot machine revenue last year and the state gets 55 percent of that."

Andrew E. Eisenhauer, a prevention and recovery specialist with the Council on Chemical Abuse, said it's important to understand that gambling, like any addiction, is a brain disease, not a moral issue.

And while there's plenty of help for people with diseases like diabetes, people with addictions often end up in jails or other institutions, he said.

But people with gambling problems should know that help is out there, said Louise E. Foote, a problem-gambling addictions counselor for Caron Treatment Centers.

Bob sought help after he tried to commit suicide at age 45 and ended up in the hospital. He had picked up drug and alcohol addictions, become a drug dealer so he would have more money to gamble with, and was tired of living in fear of the people he owed money to.

He was taken to a rehab center in Ephrata and said he hasn't made a bet, taken any drugs or had a drink since.

He attended Gamblers Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings daily.

"It took 10 years to pay back Mom, good friends and banks and credit card companies through hard work," he said. "I had to face the bookmasters and drug dealers with honesty and tell them I couldn't pay them, that I was done and choosing to live a different way."

But Bob said ongoing treatment and support is necessary to ensure he doesn't fall back into gambling.

"It took me 20 years to become the man I am today; it would take me 20 minutes to go back to where I came from," he said.

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