Gambling Disease

 

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Gambling Disease

 

Gambling Disease and Compulsive Gambling facts

Gambling disease affects everyone that has a disposition to compulsive and addictive behaviors, whether you are a Bingo Player, casino gambler, or have sports betting problems the solutions are the same.

All gambling produces adrenalin ( the fight or flight drug )and endorphins, self produced by your own bodies reaction to the risk taken. The body in turn becomes tolerant and  familiar with the drug as it is repeated Therefore compulsive gamblers need to experience a greater risk - higher bet  - to get the same high.

Nalmephene and other drugs may have some short term effect to slow down a gambling disorder but it is simply a replacement drug for the adrenalin. Root causes need to be addressed for long term success.

It is a well known and accepted fact that to recover fully from any addiction, three specific areas need to be properly addressed and effectively treated.

Chemical Abstinance

Firstly, chemical abstinence needs to occur. 

  • In the case of compulsive gamblers, the chemical is all produced by the gamblers own body. Hence, adrenalin and endorphins produced by the action addiction of gambling need to be avoided. Therefore, gambling is not case sensitive, ie, all forms of gambling will produce some levels of these substances.
  • Gambling may be also be a means of escaping from other problems in a marriage or at work, so it may go unnoticed as a significant problem itself. Compulsive gambling affects the gambler, his or her family, employer, and the community. 
  • As the gambler goes through the phases of addiction, less time is spent with family, and more of the family money is spent on gambling until bank accounts are depleted. 
  • Then the gambler may steal money from family members. At work, the pathological gambler misuses time in order to gamble, has difficulty concentrating and finishing projects, may engage in embezzlement, employee theft, or other illegal activities - thus creating even more stress and adrenalin  adding to the progressive nature of the 'action drug addiction'.
  • Withdrawal from these substances will not decrease until the body stops producing them. Attendance at GA meetings helps to place these normal withdrawal symptoms in their true perspective. 
  • It is important to see the withdrawal symptoms as simply a natural part of recovery, medicating these symptoms will only prolong the recovery process. 
  • A good GA sponsor can also be invaluable to the recovering member in the area of avoiding or dealing with the pitfalls of switching and/or other active addictions.

Emotional roots

Secondly, all addictions are well understood to have emotional roots. What's 'eating' us needs to be addressed. 

  • Again, attendance at GA meetings goes a long way toward rooting out fears and resentments. As well good feelings may have been stuffed down for years, and co-dependencies like 'people pleasing' and being a 'doormat' may have been prevalent in the gambling addicts relationships with others.
  • Also, many addicts righteously carry abuse issues with them.
  • Although these issues may be very true and definitely inappropriate, they are often embellished to provide a 'red herring' excuse for the gambling addict to continue in their addictive behaviors. 
  • To properly recover, these issues and feelings all need to be addressed and put in perspective. A GA sponsor can be a great asset in dealing with these issues. A good GA sponsor can also assist a GA member to work through the financial recovery, however, they are careful not to "bailout" the member, rather assisting by arranging for the 'pressure relief' formula as prescribed by Gamblers Anonymous.

Spiritual Values

Thirdly, all addicts benefit greatly by adopting a better understanding of spiritual values. The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, which is the grandfather of the GA program, defines a spiritual experience as simply 'an attitude change' necessary to recover from their addictive disease or disorder. According to some studies 44% of compulsive gamblers also abuse alcohol or other drugs.

GA provides an atmosphere where such an attitude change can occur in it's own time no matter what the individuals specific beliefs are.

 

Regular attendance at GA meetings and using the GA 12 Recovery Steps are the best treatment for recovering gamblers/ adrenalin addicts. 

The GA recovery steps are adapted with permission from the AA twelve steps, which were written in 1937 from an accumulation of spiritual principles from various recovery and religious organizations. 

These steps are non-denominational thereby opening  GA membership to all races, religions,  professions and social levels. 

Visiting Victoria BC? Stay at the Gingerbread Cottage Bed and Breakfast Gourmet Food, Cute rooms, Recovery atmosphere!

Gamblers Anonymous membership is open to anyone

  who has a desire to stop gambling compulsively. 

There are no dues or fees for GA membership.

 

 

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Gamblers Anonymous,  Victoria BC  Canada