ACT Counseling & Education
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FAQ
What is Pathological (Compulsive) Gambling?
“Pathological Gambling is believed to be a progressive behavior disorder which has the trademarks of out of control thinking about gambling and urges to gambling. This leads to gambling beyond limits. The result of this out of control gambling is the loss of time and money. The gambling grows to the point where it disrupts, or destroys the gambler’s personal life, family life and job pursuits. These problems in turn lead to more and more problem gambling. The most important traits are emotional dependence on gambling, loss of control, and problems with normal activities.”
“Are there phases related to problem gambling?
“There are four phases described as: the Winning Phase, the Losing Phase, the Desperation Phase and the Hopelessness Phase. As the gambling addiction or disorder gets worse, there is often an increase in betting, increase in time spent gambling AND an increase in feeling depressed, ashamed, and guilty.
“What would I look for if I suspected someone close to me was gambling?”
Several things may indicate some problem such as the time spent gambling, increase in gambling time and places, increase in size of bets (sudden and dramatic), working up special occasions for gambling and even cancelling other plans to gamble, boasting bout winning, evasive about losses, exaggerated display of money and other possessions, gambling when there is a crisis, drop off in other activities, frequent absences from home or work, excessive phone use, withdrawal from family, personality changes (increased irritability/hostility) and diversion of family funds.
Client Perceptions
“I’d make up excuses to keep gambling. I kept thinking the ‘big win’ was right around the corner.”
“Once I started gambling, it was all over. I kept gambling until I was broke. I even got cash advances from my credit cards until they were maxed out. I just couldn’t stop.”
“The rest of the world faded away when I was gambling.”
“The more I continued to gamble, the bigger the mess I found myself in.”
“I never believed in God, but when I realized that my compulsion to gamble was more than I could handle, I just had to believe something or someone out there could help me.”
I recognized that my ability to make positive changes in my behavior today and in the future depends on honestly recognizing and accepting responsibility for my past behaviors.”
If there is one thing I learned when I first stopped gambling, it is that people should find out all the facts about their legal and financial situations.”
“Don’t be afraid to learn the truth, no matter how bad it might be. Once all the facts are known, you can begin to dig out. If you hide, you just get buried deeper.”
“I’ve always hated to ask for help. It seemed so wimpy. Yet when I began to try to understand my addiction, my recovery began to take giant steps in the right direction.”
