WINNEMUCCA - The week of March 4 - 10 marks the 10th annual observance of National Problem Gambling Awareness Week. This year's theme, "Anyone ... Anywhere ... Anytime" was chosen to remind the public that problem gambling is not only an issue for any one subgroup or community. Gambling can shift from something to do during an afternoon or evening out to a dangerous pattern of behavior for anyone.
"For most people gambling is just a form of adult recreation that can be enjoyed without harmful consequences," explained Carol O'Hare, executive director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. "The social gambler who is merely having fun will set healthy limits on how much time and money they spend gambling and they will stick to those limits. Someone with a problem, however, will not be able to stick to their plan and that loss of control will eventually lead to serious financial and emotional problems that strain relationships and impair their ability to handle the normal responsibilities of life."
There are several warning signs that an individual's gambling has become a problem. Giving up other parts of life to devote more time and money to gambling is one clear sign. This can include missed work or classes, neglected school work and decreased job performance. Other recreational activities, hobbies and interests may be pushed aside. Neglecting to care for children, pets and oneself is both a red flag that the gambling has become a problem and a serious consequence of problem gambling.
Problem gambling also differs from social gambling in that a person who simply enjoys gambling has control over their gambling and is able to keep it as just one small part of life. A problem gambler will bet increasing amounts of money, "chase" losses by betting more in an attempt to win back the cash, make repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling and rely on money from others to pay expenses they have neglected due to gambling. They may even sell items they cherish or need, steal other's things in order to pawn them or steal money to finance their gambling.
Someone who feels helpless to stop gambling, depressed, suicidal or hopeless is not having fun, no matter what they claim. Lying to others about how much time or money is spent gambling, making excuses or justifications for their gambling and using gambling to escape other issues are further indications that gambling has become a problem.
O'Hare urged anyone who notices any of these red flags in their own behavior to reach out for professional help as soon as possible.
"The first step is to recognize that this is not a problem you can solve alone and that help is available," she said.
While it is often the person's friends, family members or co-workers who notice the problem gambling warning signs, O'Hare stressed the importance of encouraging the person to seek qualified assistance.
"First you should remember that it's not up to you to decide if the person has a gambling problem, so anything you say should be supportive and non-judgmental," O'Hare stated. "Give them information about problem gambling resources, such as Gamblers Anonymous meetings for gamblers and Gam-Anon for family members of problem gamblers. Professional group therapy provided by certified problem gambling counselors is also available."
O'Hare further emphasized the importance of education on the issue of problem gambling.
"Take the time to learn about problem gambling yourself before you try to talk to someone else, and if you have a close enough relationship with the person, let them know you're concerned about their gambling," she suggested.
O'Hare went on to dispel what she described as the two most common myths about problem gambling. The first is that problem gamblers are just addicted to money.
"Problem gamblers are no more addicted to money than heroin addicts are addicted to money," she explained. "Problem gamblers are addicted to the way gambling makes them feel. Whether winning or losing, the problem gambler is altering their mood and continues to gamble in hopes of maintaining that effect. The money is just the cost of their 'drug.'"
The other myth O'Hare encounters is the belief that gambling can't really be an addiction because there is no substance involved.
"Addiction happens in the person's brain, not in the substance or the activity itself," she explained. "It is the effect of the substance or the activity on the brain's neurotransmitters that creates the craving or the high the addict feels. The gambler's brain goes through the same process with gambling as it would with cocaine or alcohol."
The assistance and resources O'Hare recommended for both gamblers and those concerned for someone else can be found through the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling at www.nevadacouncil.org. The number for the Problem Gamblers HelpLine is (800) 522-4700.
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