|
| |
There are now some 20 million problem gamblers in America,
with the highest new concentrations in those states
that have recently legalized gambling... |
| Last
year gamblers lost $92 billion ! |
|
SEE THE OASAS Public
Service Ad on Gambling !
 |
|
NATIONAL
PROBLEM GAMBLING AWARENESS WEEK
Week: March 5 – March 11, 2007
March 5th through March 11th is National
Problem Gambling Awareness Week and the Council on Alcoholism and
Addictions of the
Finger Lakes
would like to address the fact that problem gambling is not a bad habit
or a moral weakness; it is a serious condition that can destroy lives.
In 2005, Americans lost a reported 70 billion dollars from gambling, and
this is just the figure reported from legal gambling venues.
Although gambling is not problematic
for everyone, there is an increasing number of problematic gamblers
because of easy accessibility to multiple gambling venues. Those who
suffer from problem gambling do not suffer alone; families and
communities suffer as well from the social, economic, and psychological
implications of problem gambling.
There has been an alarming increase
of bankruptcy, depression, and domestic violence that stems from problem
gambling. A few warning signs to look for include preoccupation with
gambling, loss of control - being unable to stop, bragging and
exaggerating wins but minimizing losses, “chasing” i.e., gambling to
win back lost money, borrowing money to gamble, lying to hide the amount
of time spent gambling or about unpaid debts, frequent unexplained
absences from work, school, or social events, and committing crimes to
obtain money to gamble with. The majority of problem gamblers eventually
turn toward crime, mostly white collar crime, which affects our economy
and increases costs to businesses and taxpayers as a whole.
“Gambling is not just in Casinos
and OTB outlets anymore,” says Billie Lohr, Environmental Prevention
Specialist for the Council on Alcoholism, “it is in our homes,
schools, and convenient stores, and is constantly within our grasp.”
Internet gambling sites are making it easy not only for adults, but
children as well, to become addicted and it is very easy to hide the
addiction until it begins to destroy lives.”
“Communities are working hard to
provide the help that problem gamblers need, with programs such as
Gambler’s Anonymous, and the DePaul Gambling Treatment Program.
We run science based education programs in schools, parent focus
groups, and throughout the faith based community, along with any group
or organizations seeking our services.” says Stephen Capozzi, Gambling
Prevention Specialist for the Council on Alcoholism.
But according to Capozzi the best thing to remember is that,
“The laws of probability always rule. The house always wins, so when
it comes to gambling don’t bet your life on it.”
|
|
A
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM A MEMBER OF GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS
(Paul W.)
My name is Paul W.
I am an arrested compulsive gambler.
When I was actively gambling there was nothing more important in my
life than being able to continue in the gambling action regardless of the
consequences that resulted. In
my life, those consequences included divorce, bankruptcy, loss of my
family home, loss of many good jobs, hospitalization, physical ailments of
the heart and lungs, nervous breakdowns, and thoughts of suicide. There
even was an attempt on my life for monies I borrowed but could not repay!
To further my gambling action I became a compulsive liar, a thief, a
writer of bad checks, an abuser of my wife and children, and a person who
was slowly entering the gates of prison, insanity, and death.
The events I
describe did not happen overnight. They
took many years of pain, misery, and suffering.
To continue gambling, compulsive gamblers endure many disastrous
experiences, always thinking that the “big win” is just around the
corner. The excuse we invent
about having to continue gambling to get our lost money back is known as
the “BIG LIE”. The thought
of not being able to continue gambling is our greatest fear. Unlike
addictions to drugs and alcohol, compulsive gambling is referred to as the
“hidden disease”. It is
estimated that there are 20 million compulsive gamblers in this country
today. Most compulsive
gamblers will never seek help for their problem and will die in regret,
remorse, and pity for their wasted lives.
As a member of Gamblers
Anonymous, I have abstained from gambling for over five years!
My last bet was July 7th, 2000.
To continue my recovery I faithfully attend Gamblers Anonymous
meetings on a weekly basis. That
commitment to recovery is essential to maintaining recovery by remembering
my past gambling insanity and not repeating that insane behavior. That
means not making the next bet, or the thousands of bets that would surely
follow. My life and my thinking have changed dramatically for the better
since I have stopped betting. I don’t gamble on anything.
I live life to the best of my ability “one day at a time”.
I don’t wallow in the past or project myself into an unknown
future. I focus on today which
is the only day I can do something about.
The credit for this new freedom and hope I have discovered is given
to the life-saving program of Gambler’s Anonymous.
Gamblers Anonymous teaches me that honesty, open-mindedness, and
willingness are the key words and principles in my ongoing recovery.
There
are Gamblers Anonymous groups in our area.
If you suspect you too may have a gambling problem you can call for
help and guidance. You can
stop gambling if you desire to, and therefore stop destroying your life
and the lives of your loved ones. But you will need help!
We must seek and ask for help! You can call 1-877-543-7580 for
referrals to the gambling treatment programs and meetings in our area.
That phone call could be the most important phone call you have
made in your life, and best of all, you will have “nothing to lose”. |
|
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM A
MEMBER OF GAM-ANON
(Mrs. Paul W.)
All the signs were there: unpaid bills (even though we had two good
incomes), unexplained financial crises, strange phone calls, unexplained
time away from home, missing important family events (or preoccupation
so that he was away even when present), lies, arguments, my feelings of
isolation, confusion, resentment, impaired thinking, embarrassment (bad
checks written at local stores, emotional outbursts, etc.), rage,
anxiety/panic, hopelessness, helplessness, and on and on.
I simply could not name what was happening! I had never heard of
compulsive gambling!
When our home was being foreclosed and we
were facing bankruptcy, I reached the point of one last confrontation
– one in which he would tell me what was wrong and we would face it
together, or I would file for divorce and sole custody of our two
children. After much
evasion, he “confessed” that “it” was gambling and that he owed
a great deal of money. That
did not seem like much of a problem to me! He should just stop gambling,
and we surely made enough to pay off the money. Little did I know either
the severity of the problem or the amount of the debt! Nor did I know
that stopping was not an easy task – that he indeed had an illness
that could not be cured but arrested – or that this was a family
illness that I, too, would have to learn about – that we would have to
be a family in recovery.
Somehow I remembered that a young
babysitter had once mentioned Gamblers Anonymous while explaining to me
about her father belonging to Alcoholics Anonymous.
I called a main number in
New York City
, and sure enough, there were several meetings in the city.
The man on the phone told me that we should both come to the
meeting on Friday night – that in addition to the Gamblers Anonymous
meeting, there was a Gam-Anon meeting (for family members of gamblers)
at the same time and that I should attend.
My life – our lives - changed
drastically from that time on. In
Gam–Anon, I learned of my powerlessness over the problem in our
family, but more importantly, I learned that I had a great deal of power
over myself and the direction to take to leading a more normal way of
life. I did not any longer
feel responsible for making excuses or for paying any of his debts.
I returned to college, got a higher degree,
turned more attention to our children, established credit in my
own name, obtained a
mortgage for a new home, and
attended meetings on a regular basis.
All of this – and more – was made possible through living the
Gam–Anon way of life.
According to the National
Gambling Impact Study Commission Report (1999),
“Millions of families throughout the nation suffer from the
effects of problem and pathological gambling.”
To say that any family member can escape being affected by this
illness would, to me, be a form of denial.
But, what I can say is that family members and friends of
compulsive gamblers can greatly reduce the effects on their lives by
learning as much as possible about this illness and that there is no
better place to learn and practice the principles than in Gam–Anon
groups across the country.
|
|
