Gambling Addiction

Students suffer from gambling addictions

noreply@blogger.com (Sunny Ng) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:57:00 +0000

The activity that put Las Vegas and Atlantic City on the map is quickly spreading to universities across America. While gambling is discounted as a form of entertainment by profit-seeking casinos, many university officials are discovering that, for some students, placing bets is no longer just a game — it is a debilitating addiction.

Marc Lefkowitz, director of training for the California Council on Problem Gambling, believes that there are many reasons for the prevalence of gambling addictions among college students.

“A major problem is that there’s tremendous access to gambling,” Lefkowitz said. “Not only are students getting their first credit cards, but they also have access to Internet gambling.”

Sophomore Shir Livne believes that it could be easy for students to fuel their gambling addictions by misusing their credit cards.

“With a credit card, it could be pretty hard to realize how much money is being spent,” she said.

While Internet casinos provide a venue for compulsive gamblers, the way society views gambling can also foster addiction. From ESPN’s broadcasting of “The World Series of Poker” to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” the media has taken strides to glamorize the activity.

“Gambling has become socially acceptable,” Lefkowitz said. “While everyone is told ‘Don’t do drugs and don’t drink,’ most people don’t know the possible dangers associated with gambling. Even though 90 percent of the people that gamble aren’t going to get in trouble, it’s the 10 percent that do.”

The roughly 10 percent of gamblers who become addicted are not just seeking riches. According to Lefkowitz, for compulsive gamblers, “it’s not about the money; it’s about the way it makes them feel. When they’re winning they’re happy, but when they’re losing, they don’t get out of bed.”

According to the University of New Hampshire’s Health Services Web site, nearly five percent of college students can be classified as having a gambling addiction.

Shaun Engstrom, a sophomore, isn’t surprised by this finding. “We’re all looking for something to do,” Engstrom said. “Some people get a thrill from taking risks.”

Unfortunately, the risks compulsive gamblers take aren’t just financial. According to a study conducted in 2003 by Richard LaBrie and Howard Shaffer of Harvard University, college students who gamble weekly are also very likely to engage in various reckless behaviors, most notably excess alcohol consumption.

Despite the consequences of compulsive gambling, many universities do not prohibit gambling. According to the National Center for Responsible Gaming, 78 percent of universities permit gambling. Currently, Tufts University is one of them.

However, according to the Student Affairs Web site, Tufts abides by provisions set forth by the towns of Somerville and Medford that prohibit gambling for money unless a permit is obtained.

Fortunately, there is hope for those looking to break from their gambling addictions. According to Lefkowitz, family members and friends play a critical role in initiating the rehabilitation process. “One little conversation will go a long way,” Lefkowitz said.

Specialists will confront the taboo topic of Asian-Americans with gambling addictions

noreply@blogger.com (Sunny Ng) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:50:00 +0000

I think the specialist and the world are focusing in this gambling issue,

Mental health and addictions specialists will gather to confront a taboo topic: recognizing and treating problem gambling among Asian Americans.

The conference is sponsored by the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Oregon Health & Science University, the Asian Health and Service Center and the human services departments of Oregon and Multnomah County. Its featured speaker, Eddie Yu-Wai Chiu, is director of the Asian Family Institute in San Francisco, which treats addiction through its problem gambling project.

Among the local speakers are Bounsang Khamkeo, a behavioral health counselor at the Avel Gordly Center for Healing at OHSU, and Dr. Paul Leung, director of OHSU's Intercultural Psychiatric Program and the Asian Health & Services Center.

Khamkeo and Leung talked to us about problem gambling among Asian Americans in Oregon. Their comments were edited for clarity and brevity.

Why are you concerned about problem gambling?
Leung: There's no data available in Oregon. But it's an open secret that when you go into the Asian community – Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian – you hear that a way people come together is to gamble instead of drinking or doing drugs.

For clinicians like myself, we all recognize there is an ongoing problem with gambling in our community. I have seen patients come in with depression, but as I inquire further into their history, the depression is a result of gambling away their whole salary.

Khamkeo: If you go to La Center Casino in Vancouver or Spirit Mountain Casino, you'll notice there are many, many Asians.That is the social recreation.

It is culturally acceptable to gamble at a birthday party or a New Year's party. Sometimes, parents give money to a child over 10 to gamble, just for fun. They don't see it could cause a problem.

What is considered problem gambling?
Leung: If you look at addiction, we are talking about a pathological situation. The person cannot get away from it or function. We're not talking about that.

Problematic gambling activities can mean someone is gambling, maybe secretly gambling, but it hasn't come to the point that they had to file bankruptcy or lose their family.

A significant portion of their salary goes to gambling. It may have caused some problems in the marriage, tension or conflict. But it hasn't caused a person to lose the ability to work or disrupted one's day-to-day schedule or life.
How do Asian American families cope with problem gambling?
Khamkeo: It's a loss of face. They feel shame coming for counseling. They ask me, 'Please don't tell my family.'

I ask them to bring in their spouse for family counseling, and even though they value family, they still don't want their family involved in treatment.

Leung: It is taboo. This is a shameful thing for any family to acknowledge that you have someone in your family because of his or her gambling destroying his or her life. Somehow, people still don't think gambling addiction equates to drug or alcohol addiction. They see it as a social thing, instead of a mental health or a pathological problem.

So families, they bail their loved ones out, they pay the debt, they continue to enable the person with the habit.

What does treatment for problem gambling look like?
Khamkeo: The problem is, they don't want to come for help unless they are mandated to by the justice system. The outcome of treatment is 50/50. It isn't easy. Attendance isn't good

We teach them how to take care of their money. You can not take your rent money to gamble. It's better to convince them to stop entirely. But even if they stop 50 percent, and gamble half as much, I'm happy, because many of my clients who come to see me have a long history of gambling so we can't solve the problem overnight.

Leung: Once the individual seeks help I can rally the family. You can look at medicine to ease anxiety. You can take financial control away from that person and give it to others. It's one step at a time, but you can curb the behavior.

Risk of Gambling on the rise!

noreply@blogger.com (Sunny Ng) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:55:00 +0000

This is a word from the therapist:

Matt Cihak, a gambling therapist at River Hills Recovery Center, said that although he hasn't seen any young people seeking treatment for a gambling addiction, he knows it's only a matter of time.

"Our gambling patients still tend to be in the late 40s or early 50s," he said. "But with an increase of poker on TV and a host of Internet sites available, kids have never been exposed to gambling more than they are now."

Warning signs may include a teen preoccupied with gambling, excited by the results and irritable after being asked to stop.

"Gambling is a form of risk-taking rebellion," Cihak said. "And like alcoholism and drug abuse, a family history may put a child at a higher risk."

But unlike alcoholism and drug abuse, Cihak said, gambling frequently flies under the radar.

"Obviously, if your child said he's going over to his friend's house to drink and do a lot of drugs, a parent would be outraged," he said. "But if your child said he's going to play cards with his friends, most parents would think nothing of it."

According to statistics compiled by the National Council on Problem Gambling in 2006:

-- 1 percent of Iowa's adult population struggles with pathological gambling -- the urge to gamble despite harmful, negative consequences or a desire to stop.

-- 2 percent of Iowa's adolescent population struggles with pathological gambling.

-- 2 percent of the state's population struggles with problem gambling -- a person gambles compulsively enough that wagering has a severe, negative effect on jobs, relationships, mental health or other important aspects of life.

-- 4 percent of adolescents in the state struggle with problem gambling.

"A person generally seeks treatment for a gambling addiction after some sort of financial devastation," Cihak said. "A teenager or young adult often doesn't have the same sort of financial means, but they may still have all of the other signs."

Cihak recommends monitoring sites children frequent on the Internet and asking questions if they have an unexplained need for money.

"If your child has a part-time job yet never seems to have money," he said, "there may be a problem."

Why Pathologic Gambling is a Suicide Bomb?

noreply@blogger.com (Sunny Ng) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:54:00 +0000

Here is what i think about pathologic gambling:

What is pathologic gambling?

People who are pathologic gamblers can't control their impulses to gamble. They end up losing a lot of money and get into financial trouble. Gambling usually causes problems with their work, school or relationships. However, in spite of these problems, a pathologic gambler will continue to gamble.

Men or women of any age can be pathologic gamblers. Depression, drinking and taking drugs often go along with pathologic gambling. Pathologic gamblers may also think about committing suicide.

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What causes pathologic gambling?

Many experts think that pathologic gambling is an addiction because of the "rush" you feel when you win and lose money. A person's experiences and personality type also play a large part.

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Can pathologic gambling be treated?

Yes. However, pathologic gambling can be hard to treat because you may not want to tell others about your problem. First, you have to admit you have a gambling problem by telling your family and friends. Second, you can join Gamblers Anonymous, a self-help group for problem gamblers. Your family and friends can join Gam-Anon. This is a group that helps family members and friends deal with a loved one who is a pathologic gambler. Your family doctor can work with you and your family during your treatment. It's important to complete the treatment program.

Your doctor may refer you to a mental health expert for more help. This help may involve talking about your gambling problem. It may also include advice about how to understand your gambling urges and how to handle them. Treatment for pathologic gambling may also include treatment for depression or substance abuse, if needed.

Action speaks louder than words.... do act as you read. Cheers!!