What many people may not realize is that gambling addiction is classified as an impulse control disorder. Individuals with impulse control disorders feel increasing stimulation before participating in the act of gambling. While gambling they probably will feel a sense of satisfaction; however, they may feel remorse or shame afterward. Compulsive gamblers can’t control the urge to gamble, even when they know it has negative consequences that will hurt themselves and their families through strained relationships and financial problems. Unpleasant feelings can worsen the disorder, such as:
Compulsive gamblers continue to gamble though they know the odds are against them, and they can’t afford to lose. These individuals may or may not plan to gamble, but it generally fulfills an immediate, conscious need; however, they often feel anguished and a loss of control over their lives from their actions. Problematic Gambling According to an article published in the Scientific American, four in five Americans say they have gambled at least once in their lives. With the exception of Hawaii and Utah, every state in the country offers some form of legalized gambling. And today you do not even need to leave your house to gamble—all you need is an Internet connection or a phone. Various surveys have determined that around two million people in the U.S. are addicted to gambling, and for as many as 20 million citizens the habit seriously interferes with work and social life. Studies have shown that individuals who anticipate winning while gambling appear to react much like a person reacting to euphoria-inducing drugs. During one study subjects who were gambling had blood flow to the brain change in ways similar to that seen in other experiments during an infusion of cocaine in subjects addicted to that drug and to low doses of morphine in drug-free individuals. The changes varied in accordance with the amount of money involved and a broadly distributed set of brain regions were involved in anticipating a win. The more money involved, the more excited the person became. Signs of a Gambling Addiction With gambling, the odds are never in your favor whether it is poker, blackjack, lottery tickets or entering a raffle; gambling is a successful industry because the house always wins. Common signs of gambling addiction include, but are not limited to, the following:
Other addictions frequently co-occur with gambling addiction as they serve as coping mechanisms for individuals stressed out by their activity. Many gamblers turn to drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, and other behaviors to alleviate the anxiety brought on by the gambling lifestyle. Even if a person never experiences a financial loss because of gambling, they may struggle with a substance addiction for the rest of life due to self-medicating to deal with the stress brought on by the lifestyle. Also, relationships are often permanently damaged as a result of gambling. How To Get Help For Gambling Addiction Just as alcoholics and drug addicts develop a tolerance to alcohol and drugs, the gambler will need to gamble more and more to achieve the same effect. The continuous search for that “high” ultimately develops into an addiction. At The Meadows, we utilize cutting-edge therapies and other techniques to help clients change unhealthy gambling behaviors. Problem gamblers learn how to control their urges, deal with uncomfortable emotions and resolve underlying issues that brought about the addiction through individualized gambling addiction treatment. To learn more about our program or to seek help for yourself or a loved one, please call 866-331-3102 or visit our website today. All communication is kept strictly confidential. Content Source Gambling Addiction Treatment In Arizona
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I once heard a client’s family member refer to their loved one’s inpatient addiction treatment as a sort of summer camp.
The family member made this pronouncement with what sounded like envy; they wished they too could have some “time away.” The thought intrigued me as a therapist. Soon after that session, I presented the idea of inpatient mental health treatment as “summer camp” to the group I was leading, and within moments I was dodging hypothetical tomatoes being thrown my direction. Over the years, having spent more time in inpatient treatment as a therapist, I can tell you that there are many reasons why the notion that inpatient treatment is like summer camp doesn’t fly with those in recovery. One of the biggest distinctions, however, is in the returning home. Returning home from summer camp, and returning home from treatment are two entirely different things. As a kid, you go to summer camp to experience new things and meet new friends with the knowledge that you will return home to your parents and your usual mundane surroundings within a few weeks. Nothing at home is likely to change. That is what often makes the idea of being away so appealing. Your new friend’s primary interest is in coaxing you into the lake after lunch so that they have a swim partner. In fact, at summer camp you may not even think of home very often. Your mind typically stays on the burnt marshmallows, and the weird lanyard thing you work on at night before bed that you plan to present your parents as a token of your love and gratitude. None of this sounds like inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment. What Going Home Means After Inpatient Treatment You probably will make friends during your inpatient addiction treatment. However, unlike summer camp, the friends you do make will be made by sharing your innermost, and most painful personal failures and struggles—struggles that you thought could be kept secret forever. When you do think of home, you may feel a sense of loss or confusion. Your thoughts might range from “Where is home?” to “Will I ever really be home again?” After inpatient addiction treatment, home is a place where you carefully put on your life vest of newly acquired coping skills to keep from drowning in the old habits and patterns of behavior that your brain so strongly associates with drinking or using. Building a New and Better ‘Home’ The home you return to after inpatient or residential addiction treatment must be built on the foundation of a solid relapse prevention plan. Before you leave treatment, you should have a plan in place for…
“Relapse prevention” is a term that frequently gets thrown around during an inpatient treatment stay. While in treatment, each patient begins to identify what their own relapse prevention plan will be. However, no one can possibly identify every potential trigger beforehand. It is critical that patients talk about and even practice their plans before leaving treatment. But, practice is never exactly the same as real-life experience. That’s why, in addition to having a relapse prevention plan, you should also get familiar with the stages of relapse, so that you can identify who the best people to reach out to would be if you, unfortunately, found yourself in one of these stages. If you are prepared, you will find that slipping into one of these stages doesn’t mean the end of your recovery. Rather, an expected slip can be an opportunity to apply one of your newly-acquired coping skills and pull yourself back into a manageable place. The three, progressive stages of relapse are: 1. Emotional During this stage, you may start reacting to the same triggers that lead to your drug or alcohol misuse with feelings of anxiety, anger, isolation, mood swings, and changes in eating or sleeping habits. The most important thing you can do at this stage is to reach out to your support system. Contact your sponsor, therapist, or visit your support group, or attend your 12-step meetings. 2. Mental In this stage, you start to fantasize and rationalize. You might start to dream about using again. Then, you will start to come up with reasons why using again would be “no big deal.” Once you’ve reached this stage, it’s absolutely critical that you talk to your sponsor or addiction counselor. 3. Physical This is the stage where you give in and reach for the substance or process that you have worked so hard to quit using. This is why it’s so critical to recognize when you’re in stage one or two of a relapse and get help before you go down this dangerous path. Knowing—but not anticipating—that relapse is often part of a successful recovery will help you to maintain and restore hope if you find yourself struggling through any these stages. Maintaining your primary focus on the better life that lies ahead through recovery keeps us taking that “next best step,” “one day at a time.” As you continue on your journey “home” remember that awareness plus action is change. This change can be applied no matter where you are on your journey. If you find yourself slipping, take action, reach out, and push forward towards your new home sweet home in recovery. Ease the Transition Home in an Outpatient Program An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is often recommended when an individual requires a “step down” from one level of treatment to the next before they are ready to return home and apply their recovery skills to everyday life. At The Meadows Outpatient Center, we teach time-tested recovery skills and help remove the blocks that produce a life full of joy, gratitude, and acceptance. These skills promote loving, healthy relationships free from active addiction in an ongoing, permanent and successful recovery. We are a comprehensive outpatient program that offers 18-20 hours of services and treatment per week—more than twice the amount of services provided in a typical IOP. We are also in-network with both Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about our program and help you determine if The Meadows Outpatient Treatment Center is the right place for you. Give us a call at 866-562-9559. Content Source Welcome Home: Preventing Relapse after Inpatient Treatment
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