Gambling Addiction

Perhaps no mass addiction has been more affected by the rise of the internet than gambling. Legal gambling was only a vacation option in the past for most Americans if they chose to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.  But with the prevalence of gambling on the internet and poker on television, gambling has become as accessible as any form of addiction. As the top poker players are glorified like sports heroes in the popular culture, more and more individuals are being hit with the gambling bug. Soon many of them find themselves trapped in an expensive and dangerous spiral of compulsive gambling.

Gambling addicts often try over and over again to prove that they can gamble like other people. Their great obsession becomes that one day they will be able to control their gambling and stop the compulsion. Gambling addicts not only lose all their money, but also their families, careers and health.  A compulsive gambler is unable to accept the reality of their plight as they are overwhelmed with emotional insecurity and fear. They continue despite the consequences because gambling addicts believe that without their dream world, life would be intolerable.

Gambling addicts often enjoy losing more than they enjoy winning. The dream of winning always remains present, but the reality of losing drives their addiction forward like the next hit of crack. Losing provides them with the endless rush they long for as the big win stays just out of reach. ONE80CENTER recognizes the insidious nature of compulsive gambling, and we have experience helping addicts stop gambling. By attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings and discovering their own true make-up through the process of identification, these compulsive addicts can find recovery and remain sober. There is no question gambling addiction is difficult to overcome, but with determination and focus, the ONE80CENTER treatment team can lead the client on the path to recovery and freedom.