brownbaggerfeb09

Brown Bagger

This section is set up to provide a ready-made Brown Bag Session for you to use with employees and/or managers. Use as is, or adapt this information for a general employee group. You may reproduce as many copies as needed.

Helping the Problem Gambler f you don’t think you know a compulsive gambler, don’t bet on it! While gambling represents honest fun for a lot people, for one in 20 persons it leads the individual on a path to personal and financial ruin. Moreover, when someone has a problem with gambling, everyone in the family is affected. It is important to be aware of this impact and to understand there are resources available to assist — which includes the EAP. This article is separated into several areas: assisting the family who may be living with a compulsive gambler; separating gambling misconceptions from facts (see also the Handout section); and presenting assessment tools in determining who might be a problem gambler in the workplace. (These tools include the model at the bottom of this page, which is also described on page 3 in this month’s Brown Bagger.)

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Assisting the Family The family member should answer the following questions to help determine if he/she is living with a problem gambler: 1. Do you find yourself constantly bothered by bill collectors?

2. Is the person in question often away from home for long, unexplained periods of time?

3. Does this person ever lose time from work due to gambling?

4. Do you feel that this person cannot be trusted with money?

5. Does the person in question faithfully promise that they will stop gambling; beg, plead for another chance, yet gamble again and again?

6. Does this person ever gamble longer than they

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intended, until the last dollar is gone?

Does this person immediately return to gambling to try to recover losses, or to win more?

Does this person ever gamble to get money to solve financial difficulties, or have unrealistic expectations that gambling will bring the family material comfort and wealth?

Does this person borrow money to gamble with or to pay gambling debts?

Has this person’s reputation ever suffered due to gambling, even to the extent of committing illegal acts to finance gambling?

Have you come to the point of hiding money needed for living expenses, knowing that you and the rest of the family may go without food and clothing if you don’t?

Do you search this person’s clothing or go into their wallet when the opportunity presents itself, or otherwise check up on their activities?

Do you hide this person’s money?

Have you noticed a personality change in the gambler as their gambling progresses?

Does the person in question consistently lie to cover-up or deny their gambling activities?

Does this person use guilt as a method of shifting responsibilities for their gambling?

Do you attempt to anticipate this person’s moods to try to control their life?

Does this person ever suffer from remorse or depression due to gambling, sometimes to the point of threatening self-destruction?

Has gambling ever brought you to the point of threatening to break up the family?

Do you feel that your life together is a nightmare?

Separating Gambling Misconceptions from Facts  Isn’t problem gambling just a financial problem? No. Problem gambling is an emotional problem that has financial consequences. If you pay all of a problem gambler’s debts, the person will still be a problem gambler. The real problem is that he/she has an uncontrollable obsession with gambling.

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 Isn’t problem gambling really the result of irresponsible or weak-willed people? No. Family and co-workers have experienced many responsible people who have developed addiction problems.

Precipitating factors often lead to a change in behavior, such as retirement concerns or job-related stress.  What types of people become problem gamblers? Anyone who gambles can develop problems if they are not aware of the risks and do not gamble responsibly. When gambling behavior interferes with finances, relationships and the workplace, a serious problem already exists.  Do casinos, lotteries, and other types of gambling “cause” problem gambling? The cause of a gambling problem is the individual’s inability to control the gambling. This may be due in part to a person’s genetic tendency to develop addiction, his/her ability to cope with stress, and their social upbringing and moral attitudes about gambling. The casino or lottery does provide an opportunity for a person to gamble. However, it doesn’t “create” the problem any more than a liquor store creates an alcoholic.  What types of gambling cause the most problems? Again, the cause of a gambling problem is the individual’s inability to control the gambling.

Therefore, any type of gambling can become problematic, just as an alcoholic can get drunk on any type of alcohol. Some types of gambling have different characteristics that may exacerbate gambling problems. While these factors are not really understood, one theory is that a “fast speed of play” can be a strong risk factor. In other words, the faster the wager to response time with a game, the more likely players may be to develop problems with a particular game.  Can you be a problem gambler if you don’t gamble every day? The frequency of a person’s gambling does not determine whether they have a gambling problem. Even though the problem gambler may only go on periodic gambling binges, the emotional and financial consequences will still be evident in the gambler’s life, including the effects on the family.  How much money do you have to lose before gambling becomes a problem? The amount of money won or lost does not determine when gambling becomes a problem. Gambling becomes a problem when it causes a negative impact on any February 2009

Brown Bagger area of the individual’s life.  How can a person be addicted to something that isn’t a substance? Although no substance is ingested, the problem gambler gets the same effect from gambling as someone else might get from taking a tranquilizer or having a drink. Gambling alters the person’s mood, and the gambler keeps repeating the behavior attempting to achieve the same effect. But just as tolerance develops to drugs or alcohol, the gambler finds that it takes more and more gambling to achieve the same emotional effect as before. This creates an increased craving for the activity, and the gambler finds he/she has less and less ability to resist as the craving grows in intensity and frequency.  Are problem gamblers addicted to other things too? It is generally accepted that people with one addiction are vulnerable to develop another.

Some problem gamblers also find they have a problem with alcohol or drugs. This does not, however, mean that if you have a gambling problem you are guaranteed to become addicted to other things. Some problem gamblers never experience any other addiction because no other activity gives them the same feeling as gambling. There also appears to be evidence of family patterns regarding dependency as many problem gamblers report one or both parents having a drinking and/or gambling problem.

Presenting Additional Assessment Tools A number of assessment tools and approaches exist to assist the EA professional in determining if an individual is experiencing problematic gambling behavior. They include:

v CAGE: Terri Ohlms, counselor, interventionist, and executive director of the Ohlms Institute (http://olms-institute.com), finds the CAGE assessment particularly useful. If the CAGE uncovers a potential problem, Ohlms recommends following up with a South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS).

v SOGS: Due to space limitations, the following is a brief sample of this assessment. With the following options as a response: “Not at All,” “Less than Once a Week,” or “Once a Week or More,” the respondent is asked to answer how often he/she…

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plays cards for money; bets on sports; bets on horses or other animals; goes to casinos (legal or otherwise); plays bingo; or plays slot machines or other gambling machines. The complete assessment is available at www.stopgamblingnow.com/sogs_print.htm. Results are then scored and compared to a DSM-IV questionnaire. (CAGE and SOGS are also described in the cover article in this month’s newsletter.)

v The Custer Gambling Curve: This tool uses a graph to depict how gambling can escalate from occasional to problematic behavior — but also to eventual recovery. In this assessment, the respondent is asked to fill in circles adjacent to ALL behavior describing his/her OWN experience. (See page 1 of this month’s Brown Bagger.) v The Cotter Model: This method blends intervention into the entire treatment process, rather than as an isolated event. This is in stark contrast to a group “surprise party” intervention that can deteriorate into “threats” and “sermons.” The identified person may go passively into a treatment center, but the road to recovery begins with negative motivations. However, the Cotter Model postulates that true recovery needs to be the identified person’s idea “and one to embrace.” For more information on this method, visit www.whentheywontquit.com.

Summary The EAP needs to leave no stone unturned when checking on a prospective employee for addiction problems. Create an atmosphere in which every employee can feel comfortable in stepping forward to acknowledge a problem with himself/herself or with a co-worker. Finally, when someone does come forward with a gambling issue, offer understanding, respect, support, and treatment.

Additional source: Nevada Council on Problem Gambling (www.nevadacouncil.org). Editor’s note: This article should not be construed as a substitute for identification and diagnosis of a gambling problem. Consult a professional who specializes in treating people with problem gambling behaviors regarding the applicability of recommendations appearing in this article.

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Brown Bagger H A N D O U T Gambling More Questions and Answers  What are some characteristics of a person who is a compulsive gambler?

4 Inability and unwillingness to accept reality — Because the cold hard facts of gambling losses are difficult to face, the gambler will often escape into a “dream world” of gambling.

4 Emotional insecurity — A compulsive gambler finds that he or she is comfortable only when “in action.” It is not uncommon to hear a Gamblers Anonymous member say: “The only place I really felt like I belonged was sitting at the poker table.

There I felt secure and comfortable. No great demands were made upon me. I knew I was destroying myself, yet at the same time, I had a certain sense of security.”

4 Immaturity — A desire to have all the good things in life without any great effort on their part seems to be the common character pattern of problem gamblers. Many Gamblers Anonymous members accept the fact that they were unwilling to grow up. Subconsciously they felt they could avoid mature responsibility by wagering on the spin of a wheel or the turn of a card, and so the struggle to escape responsibility finally became a subconscious obsession.

A compulsive gambler also seems to have a strong inner urge to be a “big shot” and a feeling of being powerful. The compulsive gambler is willing to do anything (often of an antisocial nature) to maintain the image he or she wants others to see. There is also a theory that compulsive gamblers subconsciously want to lose to punish themselves. There is much evidence to support this.  What is the dream world of the compulsive gambler?

This is another common characteristic of compulsive gamblers. A lot of time is spent creating images of the great and wonderful things they are going to do as soon as they make the big win. They often see themselves as quite philanthropic and charming people. They may dream of providing families and friends with new cars, mink coats, and other luxuries.

Compulsive gamblers picture themselves leading a pleasant gracious life, made possible by the huge sums of money they will accrue from their “system.”

Servants, penthouses, nice clothes, charming friends, yachts, and world tours are a few of the wonderful things that are just around the corner after a big win is finally made.

However, there never seems to be a big enough winning to make even the smallest dream come true.

When compulsive gamblers succeed, they gamble to dream still greater dreams. When failing, they gamble in reckless desperation and the depths of their misery are fathomless as their dream world comes crashing down. Sadly, they will struggle back, dream more dreams, and of course suffer more misery. No one can convince them that their great schemes will not someday come true. They believe they will, for without this dream world, life for them would not be tolerable.

Source: Gamblers Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org).

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