Gambling: A Hidden Problem
Gambling differs from tobacco, drugs and alcohol because there are no obvious signs that a person is gambling too much. The negative consequences usually look the same as those related to any unusual stress in life. Examples include lack of sleep, medical problems, damaged relationships, absence from work, and mood swings. Gambling problems that develop later in life often coincide with other stressors such as loss of a loved one, employment problems, separation, or divorce. This often allows gambling problems to go undetected, even by those closest to us, because the symptoms are easily put off to other issues.
Loneliness and isolation often begin before a person begins to gamble. For older women, a casino is one of the few places where we feel we can go alone and not seem out of place. Other people may choose to distract themselves from everyday life by buying lottery tickets and hanging out in their car while they scratch them. The behavior may follow the desire get out of the house, to avoid conflict, or to escape boredom.
Underlying all of these rationales is a basic need to feel better. Few things promise a solution to negative feelings like thoughts of a big financial win. In fact, many people who develop gambling problems won big at the start of their habit. Money doesn’t solve our real life problems, but it certainly can give us a temporary boost. Sometimes our need for emotional relief from difficult circumstances is so great that we gamble too often and lose more money than we can afford. Often we don’t realize it until it is too late. Once we are gambling to recoup our losses, we are sliding down a slippery slope that has devastating consequences. Research on problem gambling tells us that between 1 and 3 percent of the population is at risk for or engaged in some form of problem gambling. Many people we know buy lottery tickets or scratch tickets, frequent the casinos, or play fantasy sports. Gambling has quickly become an everyday occurrence in our culture, and most of us don’t think about who defines the cultural norms surrounding it. So people who do experience problems related to gambling often try to pass their behavior off as normal, without really knowing what that is.
In a culture that places so much importance on money, we commonly believe we can only identify whether someone has a problem with gambling when the financial consequences are revealed. It is more likely that disordered gambling is not really about money at all. Financial problems are not the cause of disordered gambling; they are only one of the many negative consequences. A more accurate measure takes into account how well we balance all of the responsibilities we have. We should consider our overall health, our employment, our social responsibility and community involvement, and our family life to better assess our own relationship to gambling.
My goal here is to get you, the reader, to think about your own behavior with regards to gambling, and to empower you to take control. Early signs of problem gambling include gambling alone, lying about your whereabouts, being absent from school or work, ignoring worsening health conditions or spending more money than you intended to. It is easy to make excuses to yourself for not doing what you intended when engaged in an activity like gambling. Maybe you’re tired, or had an argument, or your boss is difficult. Most of us need a break from our responsibilities occasionally.
Taking a break from responsibility without knowing the real risk of the game we are playing can contribute to the development of gambling problems. One of the things that makes problem gambling so invisible is that it happens to many people for whom it out of character. It is crucial to our health and recovery that we understand this at the earliest possible opportunity. The longer we make an exception for our behavior while gambling, the more difficult it is to overcome the consequences. We are very fortunate to live in a state where excellent, confidential, grant funded services are available to help people overcome problem gambling. Think of it as something positive you are doing to improve the quality of your life. If you have any questions about problem gambling prevention or treatment, please reach out to us locally at Bettor Choice Problem Gambling Treatment Program, UCFS at 860-823-3094.