Gambling Addiction

By P. Casey Arrillaga, LCSW, LCDC

Gambling addiction, also known as Gambling Disorder, is one of the most acknowledged process addictions. If you’re not familiar with that term, check out our previous blog post, “Process Addictions” that was published on May 27, 2024. Like any other addiction, gambling addiction can take over a person’s life, destroy their hopes and dreams, and can be fatal. The good news is that like any other addiction, there is hope for anyone with gambling addiction, not only to stop the addictive behavior, but also to live a happy, joyous, and free life.

What We Know So Far

Gambling has been a part of various cultures for thousands of years, and for all that time, there have undoubtedly been people who have done it compulsively. There would be no way to list all the things that humans have bet on, but countless games of chance have been invented specifically for the purpose of betting. Some involving an element of skill or knowledge as well, such as poker or betting on horse racing, giving the players the feeling that they have more control over a situation in which they still stand to lose money through chance. All offer the idea of being able to increase wealth, usually without great effort. In reality, most games are set up in ways that make it more likely that the player will lose instead. For some gamblers, the knowledge of this adds to the thrill of the game, offering the possibility of “beating the house” by coming out ahead when they were more likely to come out behind.

Gambling addiction was the first process addiction to be officially recognized by mental health professionals. This came in 2013, when the American Psychiatric Association included Gambling Disorder in its section on f ‘Addictions and Related Disorders’ in the fifth edition of its authoritative diagnostic manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. This book sets the standard for diagnosis of mental health disorders, so the inclusion of gambling disorder in the section on addictions changed the way many professionals looked at the problem. The World Health Organization followed suit with the new thinking, hosting a presentation on gambling disorder at their forum on addictions in 2017. Prior to all this, it was recognized that gambling could be problematic, but it was thought of as more of an impulse-control issue.

The reason for this change in how gambling addiction is viewed is that there is an increasing body of evidence showing that people who are compulsively gambling have brain reactions that are remarkably similar to those who are compulsively using a drug such as alcohol or cocaine. Additionally, people in the grip of a gambling addiction experience tolerance and withdrawal, just like those who use drugs. Most importantly, the kind of wreckage people experience in their life as a result of gambling addiction is similar and often even worse that what people go through with alcohol or other drugs. People gambling compulsively lose marriages, jobs, friendships, self-respect, physical and mental health, and go against their own values. One of the most visible effects is that they often not only lose all they have financially, but may get tens of thousands of dollars in debt. This can bring despair that all too often leads to suicide, making gambling disorder a deadly disease.

How Can We Help?

At Windmill, we recognize that gambling addiction is just as serious and potentially deadly as any other. Therefore, we treat it like the addiction it is. Luckily, many of the same techniques that we use to help people recover from other addictions can be applied to gambling disorder. This includes connecting people with gambling addictions to recovery fellowships including Gamblers Anonymous, which was formed in 1957 using the principles and techniques that had been so successful in Alcoholics Anonymous. Additionally, we help clients find hope and help in SMART Recovery, where they find they can apply those tools to gambling disorder just as well as they do to other addictions and mental health challenges. We have literature specific to gambling addiction available and provide therapy that targets the compulsion to gamble. In short, we are able to offer hope to anyone who has a problem with gambling.

The Bottom Line

Gambling addiction is a serious and potentially fatal disease. It matches chemical addictions in symptoms and severity, but there is similar hope available through some of the proven techniques that have helped so many other people with various addictions. If you or someone you care about seems to have a problem with compulsive gambling, seek help immediately. There is hope.

About The Author

P. Casey Arrillaga is the Team Leader for Education at Windmill Wellness Ranch, and he is the author of books including “Realistic Hope: The Family Survival Guide for Facing Alcoholism and Other Addictions”.