Dear "Excess Gambler":
Thank you for writing and sharing your story. I'm sorry things have been so rough and hope that you are seeking help for your pathological slot problem. You are what we call an "escape-relief" gambler.
This is how it works: The interaction between you (your brain) and the machine causes a release of brain chemicals called beta-endorphins--which is the brain's morphine--to be released. This results in a powerful trance with feelings of numbness and relief over which you have absolutely no control. It is a process that becomes addictive because it allows escape from all life's pain. The real downside, however, is that it also creates a NEURAL RE-WIRING OF THE BRAIN!!!! This is the reason why you cannot walk away--whether you are winning or losing. The brain is hooked-in. Since there is no off-or-on switch, you have no control over this. You are powerless of this process---as long as you are in the casino.
The key, is finding out why you are ESCAPING into the casino in the first place. You sound very depressed. If you have been hospitalized, you may be on psychiatric medication. If you are not, you should talk to your doctor about a psychiatric med evaluation. You mentioned playing the machines made you "manic"--perhaps, you have been diagnosed bipolar. Research shows that 75% of gamblers, and especially escape-relief gamblers like yourself have a mood disorder. Question is whether the mood disorder exists before the gambling problem or because of it---we do not know. There is not much funding for research nationally and absolutely NONE available in California.
Finding the source or underlying cause of your gambling---and for pathological gamblers THERE IS ALWAYS AN UNDERLYING PROBLEM--like depression, grief, loss, divorce, death, loneliness, health issues, financial issues, boredom, etc.--can only be discovered in treatment. GA is not the answer---because GA is a support group. I don't know where you live or what treatment resources are available to you but I would be glad to help you find them. You can contact me via the website: spikephd@sandiego-rx4gambling.com
January 1, 2008 I began to offer online gambling treatment via live chat on our San Diego Center for Pathological Gambling website by appointment for a small fee. Initially, this was available only to California residents because other than SDCPG, there are VIRTUALLY NO GAMBLING-SPECIFIC OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAMS in the State of California---AND NO STATE OR COUNTY TREATMENT FUNDS!!! I wanted to make treatment available and affordable to people suffering from gambling addiction who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it or find it. In the next few months, this online service will be made to available to gamblers across the US---open to ALL gamblers. I will offer brief cognitive-behavioral therapy with a relapse prevention focus in an online chat format for a nominal fee by appointment through PayPal. For more information, please see out website: www.sandiego-rx4gambling.com
"Excess Gambler"---you might be interested in this new program. Please do not give up hope--help is available---escape-relief gamblers have an excellent prognosis if treated by mental health professionals who are certified gambling counselors. Please stay in touch, and let me know how you are doing.
I have an article called "Brain on Video" that shows an fMRI of a gambler's brain which I will post. It shows the effects of gambling on the cingular gyrus section of the right hemisphere of the brain. Most certainly a "scared straight" kind of video. Stay tuned.
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4 comments:
Excess Gambler here.
I am so happy that I am finally finding a few new websites about pathological gambling. I have received treatment for depression and have even taken medication for major depression but it does not help with the gambling problem. I started to gamble compulsively after the depression treatment and all my therapists and psychiatrist can come up with is "gamblers anonymous". I have told them that the group does not work for me -- I have attended meetings at various location -- but they seem to take my dislike of GA for my problem (not the organization, itself - they do good work) as a form of noncompliance on my part or as an unwillingness to seek help. I used to go to regular group therapy but no one seems to understand gamblers. They regard it as a lack of will or a character flaw - something that a person could change if he/she really wanted to. They continue to tell me that I just haven't reached bottom. But I HAVE reached bottom but I cannot stop. In fact, in many ways, it is true I do not want to stop. I like to gamble. But when I gamble, although it starts out as fun, it begins to turn into work and then into drugery and then into "forced labor". I cannot leave the casino. I do not eat. I do not sleep. I have to press the button on the slot machine. I have to do it. Then, I am confronted by the horrendous consequences. But I never face the consequences. I just become more depressed. Then, when I am feeling a little better, I go gambling again. I would almost rather die than not go gambling again and that is exactly what is happening to me -- I am dying. I am practically penniless and in grave debt but all I can think about is --I wish I had money to go to the casino.
Same here. A psychiatrist once told me I might be bipolar. I read that for pathological gamblers, the "manic episode" ends when they leave the casino--not for me. I am still manic for days even though I am broke and seriously overdrawn on my bank account. Very depressed, but still manic.
Dear Anonymous:
I do not necessarily believe that for "pathological gamblers, the manic episode ends once they leave the casino". My "bipolar" patients tell me that for action gamblers, those that play the tables, ie, blackjack, poker, the "action" or adrenaline sometimes keeps the mania going. Since the autonomic nervous system that releases the adrenaline during the "action" doesn't always turn off when you stop gambling, this means that the "wired" feeling could continue outside the casino--and even into the next day. It depends, of course, what you consider "manic". For the escape-relief gambler, playing the slots is a calming, numbing experience--actually places them in a trace-like state--clearly, an attempt to self-medicate the uncomfortable feelings. I hope the psychiatrist prescribed some medication for your affective disorder since it's highly unlikely that you are going to be able stop without some help.
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