Gambling Issues? Guide to Assessment, Treatment & Recovery
Clinical Review by:
Published:
Sep 4, 2024
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08:11 p.m.
ET
Updated:
Sept 5, 2024
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09:04 a.m.
ET
Gambling issues come in many shapes and sizes. One person may never struggle with recreational gambling, while someone else may become addicted to gambling from the very first time they participate. Assessing gambling addiction is the first step in creating a treatment plan that gives patients the best shot at recovery.
After problematic gambling has been identified, there are various treatment options available depending on individual need. Options like inpatient treatment, telehealth counseling and self-help groups are common for gambling addiction. The information below can act as a guide to learn more about how to assess gambling addiction and what treatment and recovery can look like.
Assessing Your Gambling Behaviors
Gambling may seem innocent and fun in the beginning, but what happens when it turns into a more serious issue? Knowing the signs of gambling addiction can help you know when gambling habits may be going too far and becoming problematic.
Birches Health offers a free self-assessment that can help determine if you are at risk for gambling addiction. If you feel you or someone you know may struggle with gambling, taking the quick and easy Birches gambling addiction test can be a great first step.
Signs of Gambling Addiction
Are you unsure if you or a loved one is struggling with a gambling addiction? The signs of problematic gambling may be tricky to spot. Gambling addiction can be a “silent” illness because it may be easily hidden from others and the symptoms may not always be visible when someone is struggling with problematic gambling.
Certain behaviors and indicators that may indicate a gambling addiction can include:
Inability to stop gambling
Erratic moods
Lying about gambling behaviors
Continued gambling regardless of negative consequences
Withdrawal type symptoms when not gambling
Gambling disrupts daily life
Feelings of guilt or remorse after gambling
Legal trouble from gambling habits
Serious financial trouble due to gambling
Gambling Addiction Causes: Are Some People Predisposed?
While there is no one reason that someone may develop a gambling addiction, there are risk factors and traits that may predispose someone to developing a gambling disorder. Males have a higher likelihood of developing gambling addiction versus females, according to Yale Medicine. It was also found that younger adults, specifically college aged, are at a higher risk for gambling addiction. While around 6-7% of those under the age of 25 are diagnosed with gambling addiction, only 1-2% of older adults are.
Having a parent or guardian who struggled with a gambling addiction is another indicator for potentially developing a gambling addiction later in life. Being exposed to gambling at a young age and not learning the signs of gambling addiction play a part in problematic gambling as well. Certain mental health diagnoses are linked to higher rates of gambling addiction, these include mood disorders, ADHD, antisocial behavior and drug or alcohol abuse.
Click here to read more about how gambling addiction can be caused
Treatment Options for Gambling Addiction
When the time comes for gambling addiction treatment there are plenty of options to choose from. Each person may require different levels of treatment and should speak with a gambling addiction professional when deciding which option is best.
Virtual Therapy
Virtual therapy sessions are an attractive option for gambling addiction. Having support from the comfort of one's own home can make access to treatment more realistic. Birches Health offers 100% remote counseling sessions with gambling addiction specialists who use evidenced-based treatment methods to help someone with gambling addiction.
How you can get help from Birches Health:
For immediate assistance, contact Birches Health at 833-483-3838 or email hello@bircheshealth.com.
Inpatient
Depending on the severity of someone's gambling addiction, they may require inpatient treatment. This involves a certain length of stay in a facility with 24/7 support and therapies and usually leads to a step down in treatment like outpatient programs.
Outpatient
Outpatient treatment can involve individual, group and family therapies. The loved ones of someone with gambling addiction are typically affected as well and additional therapy to repair relationships may be necessary. Therapy techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing are common in treating gambling addiction.
Support Groups
Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step type program that follows the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. People participate in this meeting with the mutual goal of abstaining from gambling, with community support being a large part of it.
Gambling Addiction Relapse: Rates and Strategies
Although treatment and recovery from gambling addiction is possible, the risk of relapse exists as it does with any other addiction. The rate of relapse with gambling addiction is alarmingly high at 90%. One study found that relapse typically occurs within the first year and a half into recovery and is less likely to occur the longer one is in recovery.
Those with gambling addiction may experience the “Merry Go Round” of relapse. This phenomenon explains that those who gamble experience complex emotions and thoughts while trying to abstain from gambling. When the negative consequences of their gambling come to fruition, it triggers shame, anxiety, depression or stress, which they then want to use gambling to fix or avoid.
Relapse prevention is an ongoing task but typically starts during any formal treatment for gambling addiction. With helpful strategies in place, recovery after relapse is possible. Identifying triggers is a large part of relapse prevention and in turn avoiding those triggers. Being involved in other activities that help curb the desire to gamble is also a helpful tactic. Joining groups, picking up a new hobby and staying in some form of treatment can help someone maintain their recovery.
