One of the challenges of addiction recovery is the risk of exchanging one dependence for another. Individuals in recovery from substance and alcohol abuse sometimes seek new highs in other activities, such as gambling. Providers and individuals within the recovery space stand to gain valuable insights by expanding their understanding of problem gambling — considering …
Category: Gambling Addiction
The Secret World of Online Gambling: Q & A With a Recovering Problem Gambler
The following is an exclusive interview with a problem gambler, now in active recovery from his addiction. We want to thank Tim for his candor and willingness to share. Can you share a little bit about yourself? I grew up in Eagan to loving parents with 2 siblings. Like most boys growing up, I was …
Addressing Problem Gambling Requires a Whole Person Approach
The impacts of problem gambling can be devastating. And the effects of a gambling disorder are not only economic – it can lead to damaged relationships and high rates of substance abuse, depression, and suicide. In fact, studies show problem gambling has the highest rate of suicide of any addiction. That’s why it’s essential for …
The Lure of Gambling, Online Gaming, and Sports Betting
When kids turned eighteen in Minnesota, a favorite way to highlight the occasion, especially in the early 2000’s, was with a night out at a nearby casino. They celebrated their milestone birthdays with all the exuberance of youth who’ve reached the legal age to participate in an adult activity. Most adults continue to enjoy occasional …
Ask the Expert: Katie Richard of Vinland National Center
We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Katie Richard of Vinland National Center about helping those with problem gambling. What is your role at Vinland National Center and what inspired / led you to work with compulsive gamblers? Currently I am Vinland’s …
Problem Gambling Prevention Efforts Always a Smart Play
About 22% of Minnesotans, regardless of their own participation in gambling, have been negatively affected by the gambling behaviors of others. Problem gambling is not simply a bad habit: It’s an addiction that isolates people and leaves them feeling despondent and hopeless. Problem gambling affects families and communities through unemployment, loss of housing, and more. …
Addiction is Addiction is Addiction
This article about gambling addiction was produced by the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling. For more information about gambling addiction in Minnesota, visit mnpga.org. The term “addiction” is defined as the state of being compulsively committed to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, such as narcotics, to such …
Betting Without Boundaries Has a High Cost
The Phoenix · Betting Without Boundaries Has a High Cost Bray Ash had a good family, a good life, and a good future. When online gambling took over his mind, he could have lost it all. Fortunately, he got help, but not before a small fortune ― even his student loan money ― was lost …
Peer Support Specialists Play Vital Role in Problem Gambling Recovery
There is great power in learning from someone who has “been there before.” People with similar lived experience may be able to listen and provide hope and guidance in a way that is uniquely received. So-called “mental health peer support” has existed for decades. Since the 1990s, the concept of “consumers as providers” has become …
From MN DHS: As Sports Betting Goes Mainstream, So Must Problem Gambling Awareness
If you watched football this past season, you’re likely aware of the growing presence of sports betting culture. Pre-game segments where the hosts give gambling tips. Point spreads displayed next to the score. Advertisements for online sportsbooks during every commercial break. Three years after the Supreme Court ruled that states could allow legal sports betting, …