I was recently interviewed by Lucy Donoughue from Happiful Magazine as part of the I am I have podcast series. We started our chat with an explanation about what a gambling addiction might look like and how it could impact the person living through it, or those closest to them. We also talked about the scenario about someone who wants to stop gambling, what’s the first thing they can do to help themselves? The interview also mentions the tools or support that someone can access when seeking to stop gambling. I mention the blocking tools such as self exclusion from shops, casinos and websites, blocking software and removing the risks associated with having access to money (ATM), but I also mention that these can tend ultimately to be like sticking plasters in the initial days of recovery. The bigger issue to be addressed therapeutically can be why the need for the addiction in the first place. Most, if not all, behavioural addictions are an attempt to escape difficult feelings. Therefore, getting to know the impact of past trauma and how the past has impacted on your ability to cope with stress can be the transformative process and therapy can help to heal such wounds. A regularly searched question for gamblers is whether it might be possible to quit gambling ‘cold turkey’. This deals with the concept of dependence and whether we apply similar terminology of the substance abuse treatment model such as concepts of personal powerlessness, increased obsession, pre-occupation and negative consequences on other parts of life. We speculate in the interview whether there are such things as denial, withdrawal and tolerance in gambling addiction as akin to chemical addictions.
In the podcast we also discuss whether it is safe to completely stop suddenly, whereas alcohol and narcotic withdrawal often necessitates medical supervision through safe detoxification. Unlike other addictions, gambling has no physical addiction – except perhaps endorphin release – which may be replaced with a healthy exercise routine along with a healthy diet and perhaps another (healthy) intense hobby. Another regularly searched question is whether going ‘cold turkey’ from gambling is actually required for recovery. I state that ‘cold turkey’, even if it is an appropriate term in the first place, is not necessary for recovery to take effect from gambling addiction. Individuals who are recovering from a gambling problem without abstaining from all their gambling activities altogether (see research data by Slutske, Piasecki, Blaszczynski, & Martin, 2010) can enjoy a form of taper affect and ultimately quit by weaning themselves off their compulsive activity gradually. Relapse prevention strategies are crucial for successful addiction recovery but that said relapse can be a common feature of the route towards complete abstinence.
The professional addiction rehab culture wants you to believe that it in the absence of attending expensive in-house treatment facilities, with the attention and oversight of medical experts, recovery is not possible without their expert care and without complete abstinence. But this can be misleading. Most people who recover from a gambling disorder do so without any kind of formal treatment (see data from Slutske, 2006), and they often achieve complete abstinence gradually. Most people stop as they realise that their life is suffering from adverse consequences. They know they need to stop and, guess what, they do. They are not powerless. They realise that they need to change their behaviour and they apply their own cognitive restructuring to make more positive choices in their lives.
However, to stay stopped and to overcome negative emotional and mental states it can be necessary to address why the need for the addiction in the first place. This is where therapy can be most insightful. Individuals with gambling problems invariably have past emotional wounds which they are seeking to soothe. These wounds can loom larger in their lives when they stop compulsive behaviours. Uncovering these historical wounds and identifying internal parts can be a transformative journey towards leading a more contented life. Gamblers may be seeking escape but they can also be seeking emotional comfort and the part of them requiring connection and relief. Resilience may be seen as the ability to return to your untriggered and peaceful state of emotional regulation without recourse to addictive behaviours.
Click here for the podcast link.
Noel Bell is a UKCP accredited psychotherapist based in London and can be contacted on 00 (44) 07852407140 or noel@noelbell.net
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