For many gamblers this check feels like, "free money," and an opportunity to win more.  Many individuals with addiction to gambling have a hard time not gambling their tax return checks. 

Some suggestions that might prevent this from happening:
1) Develop accountability with your check.
    Find someone else to tell when you get it and tell what you plan to do with it.  Ask them to go with you when you take it to the bank and have them sit with you while you write out the checks to those you owe money or for your bills.
2) Most businesses will take your payment in advance.  
    If you decide you want to put the money toward your rent or mortgage or toward another debt, don't wait.  Pay it now.  They don't mind taking your payment early.
3) Have someone else hold the check for you, or deposit it into their account.
    If you don't have access to the money it is not likely to be gambled. Make sure you trust the perosn who will hold your money, make sure that the person is also not going to make you beg for the money when you need it.

If you need additional help to prevent money you don't want to gamble from being gambled please give Peace and Power Counseling a call, we can help.

Sports Related Problem Gambling – Who is at Risk?

Anyone can develop a gambling problem – young, old, male, female, rich or poor. All games of chance are a potential threat to a person at risk for gambling addiction. However, sports gambling is becoming more invasive in today’s society and is reaching younger audiences. The 2010 National Annenberg Survey of Youth showed that sports betting is the most popular form of gambling among youth 14 - 22.

Nearly a quarter of adolescent males bet on sports in an average month. According to the NCAA, 92% of male college athletes reported that they started gambling [on sports or any other gambling] in high school or earlier. Many students are first introduced to wagering on sports by completing an NCAA tournament bracket or buying a Super Bowl square, suggesting these forms of gambling may serve as a gateway to more expensive and dangerous forms of betting, according to a study conducted by Tim Otteman of US News & World Report. The NCAA estimates that 1 in 10 Americans will complete a tournament bracket, and CNBC estimates that $6-12 billion is wagered on March Madness.

While betting on a tournament or football game does not automatically cause a problem or put someone on the path towards addiction, its popularity does create the need for education and encouraging responsible gambling practices.

Much of the recent research shows a higher interest, and thereby higher risk, to males and youth.

According to the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University, boys develop more gambling problems than girls because they are more competitive and enjoy feeling important when they win. Also, boys are more susceptible to develop gambling problems than girls because they participate in gambling activities that are more problematic, such as sports betting. They believe that because they know all the teams and the players, they have a good chance of winning their bet. Many teenagers have developed a gambling problem due to their participation in betting on sports events.

Athletes are at a high risk for sports gambling for many reasons including unreasonable expectation of winning, competitive personalities, need for action and excitement, ability to play through pain and perception of social norms. Some other risk factors of problem gambling in general include being an athlete, belief in one’s own skill, racial and ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of developing a gambling addiction, easy access to money, and having a family history of addiction.

National Problem Gambling Awareness Week is an ideal time to raise awareness of problem gambling and responsible gaming. While anyone is at risk, there are specific risk factors to be aware of. Know the risk factors, and know your limits before you place a bet.
Public service message provided by he National Council on Problem Gambling.

Free CEU presentation for LMHP and LCSW
“Basic Information About Gambling Addiction.”

April 7, 11:30 to 12:30 at Peace and Power Counseling 6901 Dodge St., Suite 101.

Program Content: Participants will learn about compulsive gambling/pathological gambling.  They will learn about resources in the community for low to no cost gambling evaluations and treatment.

Objectives:
1. Participants will learn the difference between problem gambling and pathological gambling.

2. Participants will learn the two different types of pathological gamblers.

3. Participants will learn the similarities and differences between pathological gambling and drug dependence.

4. Participants will learn about the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the Lie/Bet Screening.

5. Participants will learn how to score these screening tools.

6. Participants will learn a harm reduction/way to address clients in the precontemplation stage of the change process.

7. Participants will learn where to refer clients for low to no cost gambling treatment services in Omaha.


Please contact Gina Fricke for more information and/or to register at 402-515-7412

Please join us on March 22, 6:00pm at the Swanson Library at 90th and Dodge Street for a free event that will help acknowledge March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
 
Speak with a counselor who specializes in treating those suffering with gambling problems and their family members.  Find the answer to your      questions.

· How to help someone you care about who has a problem.
· Youth Gambling: How to protect your children.
· Financial Problems: How to protect your money.
· Gambling in the workplace: How to protect your business.

You would not open up your local newspaper and expect a price list of illegal drugs for sale. Yet you open up your paper to the sports pages, you see lines and point spreads on sporting events. The only legal place to place a bet in the US is Las Vegas. These same papers carry ads for 800 and 900 numbers that sell information to gamblers - “Get game of the month free”, “We pick 75% winners”.

Illegal sports betting is a huge industry in this country. CNBC estimates that 80-100 billion dollars is bet on NFL football, 6-10 billion dollars on the Super bowl, 60-70 billion on college football, 50 billion on college basketball and 6-12 billion on March Madness.

Sports betting is a big problem for compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gambling is deemed an impulse control disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Something as simple as reading the lines can often trigger a gambling binge. Some recovering gamblers cannot even buy a newspaper because of the anxiety it causes. Recovery from a gambling problem entails not testing or tempting oneself, for many gamblers the published betting lines become such a temptation.

March 6-12, 2011 is National Problem Gambling Awareness week, a grassroots program designed to create public awareness about the dangers and ramifications of compulsive gambling. Our focus this year is on sports gambling. Wouldn’t it be appropriate for newspapers to do something to different during the week? Something that newspapers and other publications can do to help problem gamblers is share an important message alongside point spreads and other sports betting-related information: “Need help for a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 800-522-4700”. The media, in some way, entices people to gamble, how about some responsible gambling messages from the media during awareness week?
Information provided by the National Council on Problem Gambling for Gambling Awareness week.

On Saturday January 22, I did a 4 hour presentation to about 14 adolescents at Morning Star Luteran Church.  The presentation was about gambling addiciton and substance abuse and how those things can impact a person's hopes and dreams in a less than positive way.  As part of this presentation I shared this video that I found on YouTube.  Please check it out and share it with the kids and teens in your life to help them get a different perspective on problem and pathological or addictive gambling.  Let me know if you have any questions.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2tdCdKqvoU

I am looking for someone who is a gambler or the family member of a gambler who would be willing to be interviewed on a special I am preparing for that will be aired on CTI 22, public access channel.  I would ask the individual to share parts of his or her story.  If you or someone you know is interested please have them call me at 402-515-7412.  If you have any questions you can respond to this blog or you can email or call me directly at ginafricke@peaceandpowercounseling.com.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Peace and Power Counseling is starting an Intensive Outpatient (IOP) Treatment program for gamblers.  This program consists of five hours of programming each week.  4 hours of group and 1 hour of individual therapy.

·         12 structured weeks of gambling treatment o   1 no charge gambling evaluation

o   24 two hour groups

o   12 individual sessions

o   Affordable cost

§  $15.00 per group session

§  $30.00 per individual session

§  Cost per week is $60.00 total

§  Payment is due at the beginning of the week client plans to attend treatment.

 

·         Group topics include:

      o   6 sessions of Early Recovery Skills

      o   8 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy

      o   4 sessions Family Group: family members will be invited to this group with the client

      o   6 sessions Relapse prevention

For more information please contact:

Gina Fricke, LCSW, CCGC, NCGC II at
402-515-7412 or ginafricke@peaceandpowercounseling.com

Peace and Power Counseling LLC
6901 Dodge St., Suite 101
Omaha, NE 68132

 Why might it be important to learn more about gambling addiction?  Are you the loved one of a gambler, a professional working with a gambler or family member affected by someone else’s gambling?  It might be helpful for you to learn more about gambling as a problem.  If you learn more then you will be more confident in approaching the gambler or talking with your clients about their gambling behavior or how to protect themselves from the gambling behavior of others.

 Why is learning more about gambling addiction important to me?

 Between 1-3% of adults have an addiction to gambling what professionals call “pathological gambling” or what Gamblers Anonymous calls “compulsive gambling.”  More adolescents are developing a problem with gambling than adults.  In Nebraska between 2-4% of adolescents have an addiction to gambling.  Those with a gambling problem are more likely to commit suicide than the general population.  A study was done in Oklahoma that stated 48% of those in their Gamblers Anonymous program had considered suicide and 13% had made serious attempts at killing themselves. 

 How can I learn more about gambling addiction?

 Peace and Power Counseling is happy to speak with you individually or in a group setting about gambling addiction and its impact on you and/or those around you.  We do these speaking engagements for no charge.

 For those working with gamblers and/or family members of gamblers in a professional setting as case managers, therapists or other helping professionals, students planning to work in the helping professions, Peace and Power Counseling is offering Free CEU presentations focused on learning more about helping family members of gamblers and older adult gamblers.  **Please check out the information previously on this blog about the Collateral Damage and Lost presentations!