46. Gambling is risky for people in recovery

By Tom O'Connell

"Hey, I'm not drinking and drugging. Just placing a few bets. What's the big deal, huh? What am I supposed to do? Stop living?" The truth of the matter is that addicts, once they stop their primary addiction, tend to increase their "less harmful" addictions or experiment with new ones. And that is a threat to sobriety.

At one of the nation's leading addiction treatment centers, Hazelden in Minnesota, help is now provided for compulsive gamblers. Experts there say people in early recovery are looking for something to fill the void for their drug use. And when they go to casinos they can get the same excitement and high they once got from using chemicals.

The problem with gambling excitement, or any addictive pursuit, is that the higher the escalation of mood, the deeper the valley of despair when the crash comes. Some researchers say that the extremely addictive nature of gambling is similar to the impact of cocaine addiction, and they describe games like video poker as "electronic crack."

Actually, at any stage of addiction recovery people can find themselves caught in this dangerous compulsion. Although gambling addiction can happen to anybody, people who have been addicted to chemicals are at high risk for substituting other addictions.

A study conducted by Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery in Peoria showed that in a group of 62 patients diagnosed as pathological gamblers, 73 percent also were chemically dependent. In another study of Minnesota outpatient centers treating compulsive gamblers, it was learned that 36 percent of the clients had been treated for chemical dependency before getting help for gambling. And what about the countless others who haven't yet admitted they need help? Denial can be very powerful.

Hazelden reports, "As legalized gambling has blossomed from a blip in the U.S. economy to a booming $500 billion a year industry, compulsive gambling has greatly increased as well. Experts now estimate that slightly more than 5 percent of the U.S. population has a moderate or severe problem with gambling."

An example of that increase is in Iowa where the rate of problem gambling went from 1.7 percent of the people in 1989 to 5.4 percent in 1996. That's an amazing increase in just a few years, and shows what's going on right now with this widespread addiction.

Unfortunately, this "secret addiction" leads millions of people into burdensome debt, bankruptcy, lost jobs, disrupted family lives, lies, stealing, and overall desperation. One recovering compulsive gambler said, "Gambling made me act insane."

At first, gambling may seem like an innocent way to have fun, but for people who tend to be addictive it's as dangerous as the alcoholic's first drink, the marijuana addict's first joint, or the compulsive overeater's first chocolate.

But help is available. Compulsive gambling is being treated in residential facilities and in outpatient programs. For valuable information, contact the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling at (800)-426-1234; the National Council on Problem Gambling at (410)-730-8008; or Gamblers Anonymous at (213) 386-8789. If gambling is harming you or your loved one, these may be the most important phone numbers you'll ever call.

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