Keys to Successful Gambling Addiction Recovery - Part 1

Types of Gamblers/Gambling Problems

• Action:  thrill, excitement, competition
• Escape:  emotional pain, self-medicate
• Process Addiction vs. Substance Addiction

Biological basis for pathological gambling

• Changes in brain chemistry, addiction to the adrenaline/euphoria, pleasure pathway
• Support for total abstinence
• It's not just "Willpower"
• Triggers and carvings are strong
• Total lifestyle change:  thinking and behavior, retraining

*From Holland Hospital Behavioral Health Services - Mark Bombara