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Problem gambling is a serious condition that conservatively affects 4 million Americans over the course of their lifetime, with estimates as high as 10 million. Since roughly 1 to 1.5% of the population meet criteria for the most serious types of gambling problems, it is not unexpected that the condition will be found among clergy and religious. Just as abstaining from alcohol is difficult in a culture that drinks socially, abstaining from gambling is difficult in a country where 86% of its citizens will gamble sometime over their lifetime. In any given year 68% of Americans gamble and in the past 25 years rates of women gambling have doubled men's so that frequency of gambling for men and women are equal.
Although men and women gamble at the same rate, women are up to ten times less likely than men to enter treatment. The reasons for this disparity are not totally clear. Social stigma may prevent women from admitting they have a problem, the amounts women gamble may make it less likely that their problem will be discovered, or existing treatment programs may not meet the needs of women.
To answer the question why gambling and not another addiction, there is no relevant research. One might reasonably speculate both an environmental factor (gambling parents or family members) as well as a personality factor (being higher on impulsiveness than drug addicts.)
Signs and Symptoms
The signs of pathological gambling are fairly straightforward:
Preoccupation with gambling: An increasing amount of time is spent gambling, thinking about gambling, or thinking about ways to obtain money in order to gamble.
Gambling with increasing amounts: A tolerance to the effect of gambling develops so one gambles more and more often to achieve the desired excitement.
Mood Changes: The individual becomes restless or irritable when unable to gamble.
Inability to stop, cut down, or control gambling: The individual speaks about 'managing' gambling while going further in the hole financially.
Gambling in order to escape personal problems or negative emotions: The problem gambler heads to the casino when bored or lonely, stressed or overwhelmed.
"Chasing" losses: After losing money, the person returns another day to get even, to chase and win what they lost, throwing good money after bad.
Lying to family, friends, employers and therapists to conceal gambling: The problem gambler often minimizes any problems, and/or underestimates debt, even by thousands of dollars
Taking money from others in order to finance gambling: Problem gamblers may embezzle or commit fraud to finance gambling.
Jeopardizing a significant relationship, job, educational, or career opportunity: There is a serious loss of trust by others: family, co-workers, community or diocese.
Needing money from others to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling: Financial situations can be so bad, others (dioceses or communities) are forced to bail out problem gamblers to avoid high interest payments over the long haul.
Treatment
The following guidelines provide a minimum foundation for the recovery process. Problem gamblers need:
help to monitor finances closely. Discretionary funds are to be kept at a minimum, with no access to credit cards, loans, or savings of their own or anyone else's.
to attend Gambler's Anonymous, a self-help group that operates in the 12-step tradition.
to enter individual therapy to develop alternative strategies to deal with negative feelings and what underlies their addiction. After evaluation, psychiatric medication may be prescribed to address mood disorders that are common in this group.
to develop some means to pay back money used or stolen. Even if the sum seems to be a token amount without possibility of complete recompense, the regular reminder could serve as a deterrent to future relapse.
to think about gambling the way recovering alcoholics think of liquor, namely with the intention of abstinence.
Until therapy begins it is impossible to know what other issues will emerge that are linked to problem gambling. For example, a 63-year-old high school principal and member of a religious community embezzled funds from the school to play cards at the casino. After the public scandal and while in treatment, he revealed that he was terrified of facing retirement. He had led a faithful celibate life but was frightened about slipping into terminal loneliness once he no longer had meaningful employment.
The positive news is that treatment for pathological gambling can be quite effective. Many can return to active ministry and, in some cases, manage their own finances. Individual or group therapy, attending Gamblers Anonymous, meaningful ministry, and a supportive community provide the best hope for combating this potentially devastating but quite treatable addiction.
Joseph W. Ciarrocchi, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist, is Professor, and Director of Doctoral Clinical Education, Graduate Programs in Pastoral Counseling, Loyola College in Maryland
Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, MSW, LCSW-C, is a staff therapist at Saint Luke Institute
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