Gambling problems: Not just for men anymore
By: Tammy Swift, INFORUM
Several years ago, director Lisa Vig noticed a change in the demographics of the Gamblers’ Choice program. Men used to easily outnumber women two to one. But the number of women seeking help started to rival the number of men in the Lutheran Social Services-run gambling program.
“Over the last two to three years, I would say there’s been a 10 to 20 percent increase in women every year,” says Vig.
More often than not, the women seeking help are married mothers in their 50s and 60s.
Nationally, more men than women suffer from pathological gambling, although women are developing this disorder at higher rates – now making up as much as 25 percent of individuals with compulsive gambling problems, according to Medinenet.com.
Some women want to fill the void created when their children left the nest, Vig says. Others look to escape from the pressures of caring for everyone else.
“A casino is a place to not have all those responsibilities anymore. There are no expectations,” Vig says. “I’m no one’s grandma, wife, mother. I’m my own person, doing this for myself.”
Although the core reasons for addiction are treated the same, Vig says there are some gender-specific differences.
One is that female gamblers will enter treatment sooner than their male counterparts. As a whole, they gamble for shorter stretches of time and owe less money than men do before seeking help.
Vig says women also tend to view their addiction as proof that they are bad people.
“Men have egos. Women have so much shame,” Vig says.
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Addict says gambling was way to suppress feelings
All bets are off: Addict says gambling was way to suppress feelings
By: Tammy Swift, INFORUM
Curt’s drug was the slot machine.
The local man could spend hours plugging dollars into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500.
At one point, he’d hit the betting button so many times that he developed carpal tunnel syndrome.
Curt may have told himself he was looking for a big payout, but today he knows better. When he gambled, any anxiety or pain was replaced by a merciful numbness.
“That’s not money. That’s not what you’re putting in there. It’s a feeling-changing medication that allowed me to slip into a numbing state,” says Curt, who shared his story on condition of anonymity.
Reality wouldn’t hit until Curt finally returned to his car, many hours after his gambling binge began. Then the endorphins subsided, only to be replaced by self-loathing and a realization of what he’d done.
Curt equates that chaser of post-gambling regret to an “instant hangover.”
His experiences reflect results of a new data analysis conducted by WooMi Phillips, assistant professor and hospitality management program coordinator at North Dakota State University.
The survey of 136 adults from throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota found that 77 percent of respondents believed their gambling was a way to escape personal problems or relieve uncomfortable emotions.
The results help give insight into the minds and motives of problem gamblers. It’s estimated that about 3 percent of North Dakotans struggle with problem gambling, says Lisa Vig, director of Lutheran Social Services Gamblers Choice, a statewide gambling addiction treatment program.
Vig says the survey reinforces what counselors have taught for years: that gambling can act like a drug to dampen internal pain.
“Most problem gamblers describe positive euphoric feelings while gambling or they experience emotional numbing or ‘zoning out,’ ” Vig says.
An addict-in-training
During his strict Lutheran upbringing in a small North Dakota community, Curt believes he already was an addict-in-training.
He learned that if something bothered him, he shouldn’t show it. He became proficient at talking his way out of almost any situation. And he learned how to put on a good front, even if he felt like a fraud inside.
“I never really felt as good as the people around me,” he says.
Curt struggled with a drinking problem in adulthood, but sobered up in 1979. However, his interest in gambling surfaced as tribal-run casinos cropped up around the region. His work in sales created plenty of opportunities to travel – and gamble.
“I should have made the connection that a double martini and putting $500 in a slot machine are both ways to change feelings,” he says.
Dual addiction is fairly common for problem gamblers. Nearly 30 percent of respondents in the NDSU study reported they had sought professional treatment for other addiction problems before seeking help for gambling.
Curt first came to Lutheran Social Services in 1999 after his gambling led him to borrow money from others and file for bankruptcy.
Through one-on-one counseling with Vig and Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings, he was in recovery for 3½ years.
But gradually, he stopped attending GA meetings. And one day he found himself stopping at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen “on his way” to Grand Forks. He walked in and plugged money into a $2 machine. On that first try, it paid out $6,000.
“My reaction was not one of excitement or euphoria,” Curt says now. “It was, damn, move over. I have to get this over with. It had no meaning whatsoever.”
Life as a closet gambler
Curt spent the next few years as a closet gambler, plotting how to visit casinos during business trips and how to make sure his wife didn’t see the tax forms that list gambling winnings.
Each time, Curt says he vowed that this was his last spree and he would never do it again. But then the feelings of restlessness or discomfort returned. He would think of his next casino visit, which filled him with the adrenaline surge of a drug user anticipating his next fix.
Curt also experienced “chasing behavior” – the attempt to recover one’s losses by further gambling – a hallmark symptom of compulsive gambling.
He recalls once driving down the road with $7,400 in gambling-related credit-card bills on his car seat, next to a $7,600 commission check.
At the time, he could only think of one thing: “Yes, at least I’m even.”
Some recovering addicts describe an “aha” moment – that flash of clarity when they realize they’ve bottomed out and need help. Curt says that moment hit when he contemplated suicide.
“I was sitting in my car along the interstate, looking at the bridge abutment and thinking it looked very inviting, and how I could make it look like an accident,” he says. “But I hated to waste a car just to die. I couldn’t even do that right.”
Curt returned to LSS in May 2011 and enrolled in the Gamblers’ Choice program. He learned that a drug he’d taken to treat restless leg syndrome, Mirapex, had reduced his inhibitions severely and amplified his already-pathological gambling problem.
Mirapex has a dopamine-restoring action that may make a small percentage of patients hyper-compulsive in areas such as gambling, Vig says. Since 2005, the drug’s manufacturers have included warnings of these possible side effects on its packaging.
Time to rebuild trust
The Gamblers Choice program offers services like gambling evaluations, group and individual counseling, family counseling and financial counseling.
That financial component is one reason why the program works, Vig says. Counselors may sit down with family members and make sure the compulsive gambler doesn’t have access to unlimited funds and isn’t listed on financial documents.
Curt does not have a checkbook and rarely carries cash. Instead, he relies on gift cards for necessities like gas or groceries.
He says he doesn’t resent this, as he understands ready cash is a dangerous trigger for him. “It’s like locking the liquor cabinet,” he says.
Another component of the program is to focus on the emotional undertow that drives people to gamble, Vig says.
In general, she adds, compulsive gamblers struggle with impulse control, delay of gratification and acceptance of the sometimes painful business of life.
Today, Curt works on those lessons daily. He attends his Gamblers’ Choice groups as well as GA. He has a sponsor. And he works daily on his spirituality.
“I’ve learned to say, ‘God, I can’t handle this. Let me be able to turn this over to you.’ ”
It’s not easy. He admits his addiction devastated his family, and he has to work daily to regain their trust.
And he can no longer ignore the emotions that fueled his compulsive drive to find the next casino.
“I want to get to the point where my belly-button feelings are the same as the ones I’m exhibiting,” he says.
By: Tammy Swift, INFORUM
Curt’s drug was the slot machine.
The local man could spend hours plugging dollars into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500.
At one point, he’d hit the betting button so many times that he developed carpal tunnel syndrome.
Curt may have told himself he was looking for a big payout, but today he knows better. When he gambled, any anxiety or pain was replaced by a merciful numbness.
“That’s not money. That’s not what you’re putting in there. It’s a feeling-changing medication that allowed me to slip into a numbing state,” says Curt, who shared his story on condition of anonymity.
Reality wouldn’t hit until Curt finally returned to his car, many hours after his gambling binge began. Then the endorphins subsided, only to be replaced by self-loathing and a realization of what he’d done.
Curt equates that chaser of post-gambling regret to an “instant hangover.”
His experiences reflect results of a new data analysis conducted by WooMi Phillips, assistant professor and hospitality management program coordinator at North Dakota State University.
The survey of 136 adults from throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota found that 77 percent of respondents believed their gambling was a way to escape personal problems or relieve uncomfortable emotions.
The results help give insight into the minds and motives of problem gamblers. It’s estimated that about 3 percent of North Dakotans struggle with problem gambling, says Lisa Vig, director of Lutheran Social Services Gamblers Choice, a statewide gambling addiction treatment program.
Vig says the survey reinforces what counselors have taught for years: that gambling can act like a drug to dampen internal pain.
“Most problem gamblers describe positive euphoric feelings while gambling or they experience emotional numbing or ‘zoning out,’ ” Vig says.
An addict-in-training
During his strict Lutheran upbringing in a small North Dakota community, Curt believes he already was an addict-in-training.
He learned that if something bothered him, he shouldn’t show it. He became proficient at talking his way out of almost any situation. And he learned how to put on a good front, even if he felt like a fraud inside.
“I never really felt as good as the people around me,” he says.
Curt struggled with a drinking problem in adulthood, but sobered up in 1979. However, his interest in gambling surfaced as tribal-run casinos cropped up around the region. His work in sales created plenty of opportunities to travel – and gamble.
“I should have made the connection that a double martini and putting $500 in a slot machine are both ways to change feelings,” he says.
Dual addiction is fairly common for problem gamblers. Nearly 30 percent of respondents in the NDSU study reported they had sought professional treatment for other addiction problems before seeking help for gambling.
Curt first came to Lutheran Social Services in 1999 after his gambling led him to borrow money from others and file for bankruptcy.
Through one-on-one counseling with Vig and Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings, he was in recovery for 3½ years.
But gradually, he stopped attending GA meetings. And one day he found himself stopping at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen “on his way” to Grand Forks. He walked in and plugged money into a $2 machine. On that first try, it paid out $6,000.
“My reaction was not one of excitement or euphoria,” Curt says now. “It was, damn, move over. I have to get this over with. It had no meaning whatsoever.”
Life as a closet gambler
Curt spent the next few years as a closet gambler, plotting how to visit casinos during business trips and how to make sure his wife didn’t see the tax forms that list gambling winnings.
Each time, Curt says he vowed that this was his last spree and he would never do it again. But then the feelings of restlessness or discomfort returned. He would think of his next casino visit, which filled him with the adrenaline surge of a drug user anticipating his next fix.
Curt also experienced “chasing behavior” – the attempt to recover one’s losses by further gambling – a hallmark symptom of compulsive gambling.
He recalls once driving down the road with $7,400 in gambling-related credit-card bills on his car seat, next to a $7,600 commission check.
At the time, he could only think of one thing: “Yes, at least I’m even.”
Some recovering addicts describe an “aha” moment – that flash of clarity when they realize they’ve bottomed out and need help. Curt says that moment hit when he contemplated suicide.
“I was sitting in my car along the interstate, looking at the bridge abutment and thinking it looked very inviting, and how I could make it look like an accident,” he says. “But I hated to waste a car just to die. I couldn’t even do that right.”
Curt returned to LSS in May 2011 and enrolled in the Gamblers’ Choice program. He learned that a drug he’d taken to treat restless leg syndrome, Mirapex, had reduced his inhibitions severely and amplified his already-pathological gambling problem.
Mirapex has a dopamine-restoring action that may make a small percentage of patients hyper-compulsive in areas such as gambling, Vig says. Since 2005, the drug’s manufacturers have included warnings of these possible side effects on its packaging.
Time to rebuild trust
The Gamblers Choice program offers services like gambling evaluations, group and individual counseling, family counseling and financial counseling.
That financial component is one reason why the program works, Vig says. Counselors may sit down with family members and make sure the compulsive gambler doesn’t have access to unlimited funds and isn’t listed on financial documents.
Curt does not have a checkbook and rarely carries cash. Instead, he relies on gift cards for necessities like gas or groceries.
He says he doesn’t resent this, as he understands ready cash is a dangerous trigger for him. “It’s like locking the liquor cabinet,” he says.
Another component of the program is to focus on the emotional undertow that drives people to gamble, Vig says.
In general, she adds, compulsive gamblers struggle with impulse control, delay of gratification and acceptance of the sometimes painful business of life.
Today, Curt works on those lessons daily. He attends his Gamblers’ Choice groups as well as GA. He has a sponsor. And he works daily on his spirituality.
“I’ve learned to say, ‘God, I can’t handle this. Let me be able to turn this over to you.’ ”
It’s not easy. He admits his addiction devastated his family, and he has to work daily to regain their trust.
And he can no longer ignore the emotions that fueled his compulsive drive to find the next casino.
“I want to get to the point where my belly-button feelings are the same as the ones I’m exhibiting,” he says.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Gambler comes to terms with dangerous addiction
Gambler comes to terms with dangerous addiction
Curt’s drug was the slot machine. The North Dakota man could spend hours plugging dollar after dollar into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500. At one point, he began to develop carpal tunnel from hitting the button on the machine so much.
By: TAMMY SWIFT , Forum Communications Co.
Curt’s drug was the slot machine.
The North Dakota man could spend hours plugging dollar after dollar into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500. At one point, he began to develop carpal tunnel from hitting the button on the machine so much.
Curt may have told himself he was looking for a big payout, but today he knows better. When he gambled, any worry or pain was replaced by a merciful numbness.
“That’s not money. That’s not what you’re putting in there. It’s a feeling-changing medication that allowed me to slip into a numbing state,” says Curt, who shared his story on condition of anonymity.
Reality wouldn’t hit until Curt finally returned to his car, many hours after his gambling binge began. Then the endorphins subsided, only to be replaced by self-loathing and a realization of what he’d done.
Curt equates that chaser of post-gambling regret to an “instant hangover.”
His experiences reflect results of a new data analysis conducted by WooMi Phillips, assistant professor and hospitality management program coordinator at North Dakota State University.
The survey of 136 adults from throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota found that 77 percent of respondents believed their gambling was a way to escape personal problems or relieve uncomfortable emotions.
The results help give insight into the minds and motives of problem gamblers. It’s estimated that 1 in 20 people struggle with problem gambling, says Lisa Vig, director of Lutheran Social Services Gamblers Choice, a statewide gambling addiction treatment program.
Vig says the survey reinforces what counselors have taught for years: that gambling can act like a drug to dampen internal pain.
“Most problem gamblers describe positive euphoric feelings while gambling or they experience emotional numbing or ‘zoning out,’” Vig says.
An addict-in-training
During his strict Lutheran upbringing in a small North Dakota community, Curt believes he already was an addict-in-training.
He learned that if something bothered him, he shouldn’t show it. He grew proficient at talking his way out of almost any situation. And he learned how to put on a good front, even if he felt like a fraud inside.
“I never really felt as good as the people around me,” he says.
Curt struggled with a drinking problem in adulthood, but sobered up in 1979. But his interest in gambling surfaced as tribal-run casinos cropped up around the region. His work in sales created plenty of opportunities to travel and gamble.
“I should have made the connection that a double martini and putting $500 in a slot machine are both ways to change feelings,” he says.
Dual addiction is fairly common for problem gamblers. Nearly 30 percent of respondents in the NDSU study reported they had sought professional treatment for other addiction problems before seeking help for gambling.
Curt first came to Lutheran Social Services in 1999 after his gambling led him to borrow money from others and file for bankruptcy.
Through one-on-one counseling with Vig and Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings, he was in recovery for 3½ years.
But gradually, he stopped attending GA meetings.
Life as a closet gambler
Curt spent the next few years as a closet gambler, plotting how to visit casinos during business trips and how to make sure his wife didn’t see the tax forms that list gambling winnings.
Each time, Curt says he vowed that this was his last spree and he would never do it again. But then the feelings of restlessness or discomfort returned. He would think of his next casino visit, which filled him with the adrenaline surge of a drug user anticipating his next fix.
Curt also experienced “chasing behavior” — the attempt to recover one’s losses by further gambling — that is a hallmark symptom of compulsive gambling.
He recalls once driving down the road with $7,400 in gambling-related credit card bills on his car seat, next to a $7,600 commission check.
Many addicts describe an “aha” moment — that flash of clarity in which they realize they’ve bottomed out and need help. Curt says that moment hit when he contemplated suicide.
Curt returned to LSS in May 2011 and enrolled in the Gamblers’ Choice program. He learned that a drug he’d taken to treat restless leg syndrome, Mirapex, had reduced his inhibitions severely and amplified his already-pathological gambling problem.
Time to rebuild trust
The Gamblers Choice program offers services like gambling evaluations, group and individual counseling, family counseling and financial counseling.
That financial component is one reason why the program works, Vig says. Counselors may sit down with family members and make sure the compulsive gambler doesn’t have access to unlimited funds and isn’t listed on financial documents.
Curt does not have a checkbook and rarely carries cash. Instead, he relies on gift cards for necessities like gas or groceries.
He says he doesn’t resent this, as he understands ready cash is a dangerous trigger for him. “It’s like locking the liquor cabinet,” he says.
AP Photo Lisa Vig of Lutheran Social Services’ Gamblers Choice program says many problem gamblers describe positive feelings or a sensation of “zoning out” when gambling.
Curt’s drug was the slot machine. The North Dakota man could spend hours plugging dollar after dollar into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500. At one point, he began to develop carpal tunnel from hitting the button on the machine so much.
By: TAMMY SWIFT , Forum Communications Co.
Curt’s drug was the slot machine.
The North Dakota man could spend hours plugging dollar after dollar into the slots. In three hours, he could go through $500. At one point, he began to develop carpal tunnel from hitting the button on the machine so much.
Curt may have told himself he was looking for a big payout, but today he knows better. When he gambled, any worry or pain was replaced by a merciful numbness.
“That’s not money. That’s not what you’re putting in there. It’s a feeling-changing medication that allowed me to slip into a numbing state,” says Curt, who shared his story on condition of anonymity.
Reality wouldn’t hit until Curt finally returned to his car, many hours after his gambling binge began. Then the endorphins subsided, only to be replaced by self-loathing and a realization of what he’d done.
Curt equates that chaser of post-gambling regret to an “instant hangover.”
His experiences reflect results of a new data analysis conducted by WooMi Phillips, assistant professor and hospitality management program coordinator at North Dakota State University.
The survey of 136 adults from throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota found that 77 percent of respondents believed their gambling was a way to escape personal problems or relieve uncomfortable emotions.
The results help give insight into the minds and motives of problem gamblers. It’s estimated that 1 in 20 people struggle with problem gambling, says Lisa Vig, director of Lutheran Social Services Gamblers Choice, a statewide gambling addiction treatment program.
Vig says the survey reinforces what counselors have taught for years: that gambling can act like a drug to dampen internal pain.
“Most problem gamblers describe positive euphoric feelings while gambling or they experience emotional numbing or ‘zoning out,’” Vig says.
An addict-in-training
During his strict Lutheran upbringing in a small North Dakota community, Curt believes he already was an addict-in-training.
He learned that if something bothered him, he shouldn’t show it. He grew proficient at talking his way out of almost any situation. And he learned how to put on a good front, even if he felt like a fraud inside.
“I never really felt as good as the people around me,” he says.
Curt struggled with a drinking problem in adulthood, but sobered up in 1979. But his interest in gambling surfaced as tribal-run casinos cropped up around the region. His work in sales created plenty of opportunities to travel and gamble.
“I should have made the connection that a double martini and putting $500 in a slot machine are both ways to change feelings,” he says.
Dual addiction is fairly common for problem gamblers. Nearly 30 percent of respondents in the NDSU study reported they had sought professional treatment for other addiction problems before seeking help for gambling.
Curt first came to Lutheran Social Services in 1999 after his gambling led him to borrow money from others and file for bankruptcy.
Through one-on-one counseling with Vig and Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings, he was in recovery for 3½ years.
But gradually, he stopped attending GA meetings.
Life as a closet gambler
Curt spent the next few years as a closet gambler, plotting how to visit casinos during business trips and how to make sure his wife didn’t see the tax forms that list gambling winnings.
Each time, Curt says he vowed that this was his last spree and he would never do it again. But then the feelings of restlessness or discomfort returned. He would think of his next casino visit, which filled him with the adrenaline surge of a drug user anticipating his next fix.
Curt also experienced “chasing behavior” — the attempt to recover one’s losses by further gambling — that is a hallmark symptom of compulsive gambling.
He recalls once driving down the road with $7,400 in gambling-related credit card bills on his car seat, next to a $7,600 commission check.
Many addicts describe an “aha” moment — that flash of clarity in which they realize they’ve bottomed out and need help. Curt says that moment hit when he contemplated suicide.
Curt returned to LSS in May 2011 and enrolled in the Gamblers’ Choice program. He learned that a drug he’d taken to treat restless leg syndrome, Mirapex, had reduced his inhibitions severely and amplified his already-pathological gambling problem.
Time to rebuild trust
The Gamblers Choice program offers services like gambling evaluations, group and individual counseling, family counseling and financial counseling.
That financial component is one reason why the program works, Vig says. Counselors may sit down with family members and make sure the compulsive gambler doesn’t have access to unlimited funds and isn’t listed on financial documents.
Curt does not have a checkbook and rarely carries cash. Instead, he relies on gift cards for necessities like gas or groceries.
He says he doesn’t resent this, as he understands ready cash is a dangerous trigger for him. “It’s like locking the liquor cabinet,” he says.
AP Photo Lisa Vig of Lutheran Social Services’ Gamblers Choice program says many problem gamblers describe positive feelings or a sensation of “zoning out” when gambling.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Addiction: a gambler's hand
Addiction: a gambler's hand
By Brandon Becker
The hand dealt
On May 24 of this year, I stopped gambling. It is a date that I treasure and hold in a higher regard than any other date of the year. It is the day that marks the start of my journey to a new life.
For the last five years of my life, I have gambled almost everyday. My choice of gambling happens to involve something that I love dearly, and that is sports. I first started betting on sports at the age of 17 and became immediately hooked. It quickly replaced poker as my choice of gambling, because it combined two things that I loved: gambling and sports. Throw in the ability to do it over the internet, instantly and impulsively it spells trouble.
My friends had also started to bet on sports, which only increased my desire to gamble due to the social aspect of it. I loved talking with friends about games that night and whom they were betting on. By the time I graduated high school I had developed a gambling problem, but was far from ready to face it.
A lifestyle of self-destruction
Entering my first year of college I was excited like every freshman is. I lived in the dorms my first year and it presented a newfound freedom that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I abused the freedom I had and became lazy with schoolwork. I resorted to gambling to relieve my stresses, and mostly because it took my mind off of my responsibilities. Instead of focusing on a speech that was due or a research paper that I had to write, my focus was on who was playing that night and which team I was going to bet on. Gambling served as an effective tool to help me procrastinate.
Despite my gambling problem, I was able to maintain solid grades over my first two years at UND. Last year, last semester in particularly, is when everything fell apart. My gambling had spiraled out of control. I knew I had a problem but I couldn't stop. I chased the high that I got with placing a bet, the adrenaline that came with a win and a fantasy world where I would make a living off of gambling.
School became less important. Class became optional—I would estimate I missed over 60 percent of my classes this past school year. My bank account was dwindling; the lies I was telling started to pile up and my head felt like it was going to explode. The only relief I found was in the next bet. The desperation I was feeling after each loss grew deeper and deeper. I had jumped in a hole and kept digging. I was living a lifestyle of self-destruction. My worst enemy was the man that I saw in the mirror each and every morning.
The road to recovery
Seeing as things had hit rock bottom I decided to seek help at the UND Counseling Center. At first, my commitment to stopping gambling was genuine, but it proved to be frugal. Even though I failed to stop gambling I continued to see a counselor on a weekly basis. It was here where the groundwork of my recovery was laid, although at the time it didn't feel that way. Eventually, I attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting in hopes that it would help me abstain from gambling. It didn't. Even though I returned to gambling again I still attended meetings due to relationships that I had formed. It was in Gamblers Anonymous where I became informed of a gambling program called Gambler's Choice in Fargo, which was done through Lutheran Social Services.
I called to try and set up an appointment with the program directors, but was unable to reach them. Instead of leaving an email or a message I chose to continue to gamble. Finally, after the semester had concluded I decided that I couldn't keep on living the way that I was. After seven years of gambling compulsively, I had made an arrangement with Gambler's Choice to start treatment every Tuesday and Thursday night.
A life without gambling
To say all my problems have up and vanished since I've stopped gambling would be a blatant lie. It doesn't quite work like that, but I have now begun the process of
dealing with my problems and responsibilities rather than gamble to avoid them. I have met a lot of great people in recovery and it is because of them that I have abstained from gambling for a little over three months.
My intentions for writing this article are to spread awareness about a problem that has gone greatly underreported on our campus. As a society, it seems that we pay a greater attention to alcohol and drug abuse than to those that suffer from a gambling addiction.
Compulsive gambling is a silent addiction that can be extremely hard to detect, especially with computers and online gambling. For those that are currently battling a gambling problem, I challenge you to go to the UND Counseling Center to get help. It was the first step for me and helped change my direction in life.
By Brandon Becker
The hand dealt
On May 24 of this year, I stopped gambling. It is a date that I treasure and hold in a higher regard than any other date of the year. It is the day that marks the start of my journey to a new life.
For the last five years of my life, I have gambled almost everyday. My choice of gambling happens to involve something that I love dearly, and that is sports. I first started betting on sports at the age of 17 and became immediately hooked. It quickly replaced poker as my choice of gambling, because it combined two things that I loved: gambling and sports. Throw in the ability to do it over the internet, instantly and impulsively it spells trouble.
My friends had also started to bet on sports, which only increased my desire to gamble due to the social aspect of it. I loved talking with friends about games that night and whom they were betting on. By the time I graduated high school I had developed a gambling problem, but was far from ready to face it.
A lifestyle of self-destruction
Entering my first year of college I was excited like every freshman is. I lived in the dorms my first year and it presented a newfound freedom that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I abused the freedom I had and became lazy with schoolwork. I resorted to gambling to relieve my stresses, and mostly because it took my mind off of my responsibilities. Instead of focusing on a speech that was due or a research paper that I had to write, my focus was on who was playing that night and which team I was going to bet on. Gambling served as an effective tool to help me procrastinate.
Despite my gambling problem, I was able to maintain solid grades over my first two years at UND. Last year, last semester in particularly, is when everything fell apart. My gambling had spiraled out of control. I knew I had a problem but I couldn't stop. I chased the high that I got with placing a bet, the adrenaline that came with a win and a fantasy world where I would make a living off of gambling.
School became less important. Class became optional—I would estimate I missed over 60 percent of my classes this past school year. My bank account was dwindling; the lies I was telling started to pile up and my head felt like it was going to explode. The only relief I found was in the next bet. The desperation I was feeling after each loss grew deeper and deeper. I had jumped in a hole and kept digging. I was living a lifestyle of self-destruction. My worst enemy was the man that I saw in the mirror each and every morning.
The road to recovery
Seeing as things had hit rock bottom I decided to seek help at the UND Counseling Center. At first, my commitment to stopping gambling was genuine, but it proved to be frugal. Even though I failed to stop gambling I continued to see a counselor on a weekly basis. It was here where the groundwork of my recovery was laid, although at the time it didn't feel that way. Eventually, I attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting in hopes that it would help me abstain from gambling. It didn't. Even though I returned to gambling again I still attended meetings due to relationships that I had formed. It was in Gamblers Anonymous where I became informed of a gambling program called Gambler's Choice in Fargo, which was done through Lutheran Social Services.
I called to try and set up an appointment with the program directors, but was unable to reach them. Instead of leaving an email or a message I chose to continue to gamble. Finally, after the semester had concluded I decided that I couldn't keep on living the way that I was. After seven years of gambling compulsively, I had made an arrangement with Gambler's Choice to start treatment every Tuesday and Thursday night.
A life without gambling
To say all my problems have up and vanished since I've stopped gambling would be a blatant lie. It doesn't quite work like that, but I have now begun the process of
dealing with my problems and responsibilities rather than gamble to avoid them. I have met a lot of great people in recovery and it is because of them that I have abstained from gambling for a little over three months.
My intentions for writing this article are to spread awareness about a problem that has gone greatly underreported on our campus. As a society, it seems that we pay a greater attention to alcohol and drug abuse than to those that suffer from a gambling addiction.
Compulsive gambling is a silent addiction that can be extremely hard to detect, especially with computers and online gambling. For those that are currently battling a gambling problem, I challenge you to go to the UND Counseling Center to get help. It was the first step for me and helped change my direction in life.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gambling Addiction Program
Gambling Addiction Program
KXMBTV Bismarck It doesn't involve a substance..... But for a gambling addict, the anticipation and excitement of the win can be just as powerful as an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Megan Lowry tells us one man's story of addiction...
And we have concealed his identity. (Nat of gambling) (Ray) "There is nothing physical about it its a mental addiction." (nat of chips) A caculated risk that for Ray spun out of control. " I remeber one afternoon I was half way there before I even realized where I was it was just a black out and I couldn't turn around
Seemingly innocent fun that quickly turned into his number priority "I wasn't living I was existingin hell on earth. As the addication strengthened, Ray began skipping work and sometimes disapearing for days
"I knew I had a problem but I had no idea it was an addiction I just thought there was something wrong with me not that it was an addiction like alcohol.
(Lisa Voller) That it is the hardest thing for people to understand that they are not injesting anything but when person engages in that activity there is something that happens in the brain chemistry and its hitting that reward system and thats what they contine to seek and it initally works
Lisa Voller counsels gambling addicts through Gamblers Choice North Dakota
A state wide program geared to helping people get out from under their debt. "They have to aknowledge that there is a problem and then we can step in and help." For Ray, it took his son confronting him with his credit card reciepts before he could get a handle on his addiction. "For one thing you are always chasing your losses and you never make it up and once you quit and the big thing is all the time i lost I'll never get that back. He has been living a gambling free life for 14, leaving his past life on the table. "I thank god because now life has a meaning and a purpose. and that is something he can bet onwith the support he has of friends and family
Megan Lowry, Kx News
Ray attends weekly meetings with Gamblers Choice. He credits the support of friends and family for his continued success.
KXMBTV Bismarck It doesn't involve a substance..... But for a gambling addict, the anticipation and excitement of the win can be just as powerful as an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Megan Lowry tells us one man's story of addiction...
And we have concealed his identity. (Nat of gambling) (Ray) "There is nothing physical about it its a mental addiction." (nat of chips) A caculated risk that for Ray spun out of control. " I remeber one afternoon I was half way there before I even realized where I was it was just a black out and I couldn't turn around
Seemingly innocent fun that quickly turned into his number priority "I wasn't living I was existingin hell on earth. As the addication strengthened, Ray began skipping work and sometimes disapearing for days
"I knew I had a problem but I had no idea it was an addiction I just thought there was something wrong with me not that it was an addiction like alcohol.
(Lisa Voller) That it is the hardest thing for people to understand that they are not injesting anything but when person engages in that activity there is something that happens in the brain chemistry and its hitting that reward system and thats what they contine to seek and it initally works
Lisa Voller counsels gambling addicts through Gamblers Choice North Dakota
A state wide program geared to helping people get out from under their debt. "They have to aknowledge that there is a problem and then we can step in and help." For Ray, it took his son confronting him with his credit card reciepts before he could get a handle on his addiction. "For one thing you are always chasing your losses and you never make it up and once you quit and the big thing is all the time i lost I'll never get that back. He has been living a gambling free life for 14, leaving his past life on the table. "I thank god because now life has a meaning and a purpose. and that is something he can bet onwith the support he has of friends and family
Megan Lowry, Kx News
Ray attends weekly meetings with Gamblers Choice. He credits the support of friends and family for his continued success.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Problem Gambling Awareness Week
Problem Gambling Awareness Week Video
Juli McDonald
Thousands of people across North Dakota, and millions across the United States battle a gambling addiction, and only a small fraction seek help. This week, March 6 through 12 is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
"If they win $1,000, it`s not enough. If they win $100,000, it`s not enough. Never enough money," explained licensed addiction counselor Dick Elefson.
For many, gambling is simply a game. A fun, social activity. But to others, gambling is a disease, much like a chemical dependency. For many of those people who can`t stop gambling, it all started the same way.
"Very early to have a substantial win. That kind of sets the hook," said Elefson. "They figure, `If I won this much money, the next time I can win more.` That kind of establishes a pattern where they begin to become extremely optimistic about their skills as a gambler."
But those skills don`t follow through, and the wins are few and far between.
Elefson said, "As they begin to experience losses, they begin to do what we call chasing; going back as often as they can to try and win back the money that they`ve lost.
Elefson says gambling can be even more devastating than a chemical dependency, because abusers can hide it for longer. Credit card debt piles up, money is borrowed from any and everyone. Jobs are lost, and so are relationships. But there is hope in treatment.
"Number one, is the same as chemical dependency," Elefson. "The first thing they have to learn is to get honest with themselves. They have to be honest with themselves before they`ll ever be honest with anyone else."
Treatment involves determining factors that triggered the addiction. Addicts must work on self esteem, and gain control of whatever assets they have left. But by doing the work and being held accountable, relationships can be restored, and families can be put back together.
Gamblers Choice treatment and support services are available in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and Williston. To find a Gambler`s Anonymous meeting near you, visit gamblersanonymous.org/.
Juli McDonald
Thousands of people across North Dakota, and millions across the United States battle a gambling addiction, and only a small fraction seek help. This week, March 6 through 12 is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
"If they win $1,000, it`s not enough. If they win $100,000, it`s not enough. Never enough money," explained licensed addiction counselor Dick Elefson.
For many, gambling is simply a game. A fun, social activity. But to others, gambling is a disease, much like a chemical dependency. For many of those people who can`t stop gambling, it all started the same way.
"Very early to have a substantial win. That kind of sets the hook," said Elefson. "They figure, `If I won this much money, the next time I can win more.` That kind of establishes a pattern where they begin to become extremely optimistic about their skills as a gambler."
But those skills don`t follow through, and the wins are few and far between.
Elefson said, "As they begin to experience losses, they begin to do what we call chasing; going back as often as they can to try and win back the money that they`ve lost.
Elefson says gambling can be even more devastating than a chemical dependency, because abusers can hide it for longer. Credit card debt piles up, money is borrowed from any and everyone. Jobs are lost, and so are relationships. But there is hope in treatment.
"Number one, is the same as chemical dependency," Elefson. "The first thing they have to learn is to get honest with themselves. They have to be honest with themselves before they`ll ever be honest with anyone else."
Treatment involves determining factors that triggered the addiction. Addicts must work on self esteem, and gain control of whatever assets they have left. But by doing the work and being held accountable, relationships can be restored, and families can be put back together.
Gamblers Choice treatment and support services are available in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and Williston. To find a Gambler`s Anonymous meeting near you, visit gamblersanonymous.org/.
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