Treatment

[shinningstar]

Do you think there's a treatment for gambling addicts? What are the ways to prevent gambling addiction?

I think it's an advantage of staying in a Muslim country simply because casinos are banned.

[schatzi]

No wonder that Muslims in our place here are always waiting for their luck in Lotto...

[aima123]

I think keeping yourself busy is a good treatment for that. And have a good desciplined and determination in life. Because I beleive that no one succeed in the world of gambling.

[shinningstar]

You've got a very good point aima123. I remembered my friend in the school campus. He surrendered all his money including ATM and credit card to his mother inorder to avoid gambling. How can you gamble if you don't have any money on your pocket? For him it's very effective way.

[britjojo]

I think that the most effective treatment would be that by professionals trained to deal with this. Psychologists who are familiar with this would know how to look for the underlying causes of the addiction, and it is this that gets treated, not the gambling itself. The gambling is just the outward projection of the inner problem, it is merely a symptom.

[The Ogre]

A lot of the problem gamblers I've seen have other things going on. An interesting point... brain imaging shows the gambler's brain is more active when they are losing than it is when they are winning.
There aren't a lot of treatment programs out there but there is a 12-step Gamblers Anon. that helps. Most providers will treat addictive gambling like other compulsions, such as internet addition.

[ozzie]

My sister is a gambler. She found that addressing some of the upsetting issues in her life has helped her to avoid gamble. That included some counseling. Her husband also totally controls the checkbook and credit cards now because he can't afford to take a chance that she will have a relapse. (she is disabled and doesn't work)

[QuietLunatic]

I find it extremely ironic that some of the money taken in here in Nova Scotia via video gambling and other forms of gambling, goes toward treating gambling addictions. Crazy.

[mtajim]

You can stop that addiction buy just not letting that person have enough money to gamble

[addiction]

There is cure for every addiction in this world. Just staying in muslim countries won't help you to avoid addiction as there are online casinos available. I think the most effective and simple way of treating the gambling addiction is to keep yourself busy in some other recreational activity.

[james]

Do you think there's a treatment for gambling addicts? What are the ways to prevent gambling addiction?

I think it's an advantage of staying in a Muslim country simply because casinos are banned.

There are treatments for gambling addicts, and it has sadly been a growing area recently. Try this organisation who may be able to point you to a national affiliate:

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/

[james]

I think keeping yourself busy is a good treatment for that. And have a good desciplined and determination in life. Because I beleive that no one succeed in the world of gambling.

Casino owners have succeeded very well. But gambling is a zero sum game which means that unlike, say, investing, you are only winning from someone else's misfortune.

[easternbrain]

I think the basic philosophy in the treatment of any kind of addiction is in two ways: Firstly, giving anti-drugs to the patients for suppresing the desire or craving for that drug or habit and Secondly behavioural treatment which makes a person believes that he can do it without the drug and he or his life is not dependent on it.

What do you guys think?

[attagirl]

I think one way is to move to a place where gambling is not readily available. And to make sure that you do not spend time online if that is where you gamble. Making sure that you close all accounts related to gambling and get rid of any cards that allow you to gamble online can be helpful.

[easternbrain]

The idea is very good and actually too good to work everytime. This would work in the case of strong willed persons but not everyone. The addicts are in, first hand, weak willed and that is the reason they get addicted.

[websurfpro]

QuietLunatic I totally agree with you, maybe this way they promote their gambling games even more, God knows. There are many treatments for gambling addiction, but first the person has to consult a psychiatrist , so he can put a diagnosis for the gambler. Of course if the person is happy with it and can afford to loose money he surely won`t be as depressed or anxious as someone that just got enough money to live decently but he gambles it all to the last cent. Usually treatments consist of a antidepressant and some sedatives for the begining, and of course the patient has to consult a psychologist and do some group therapy specialized on gambling problems