Easy access makes Internet gambling a dangerous addiction

“On the Internet, gambling and paying with credit cards--which doesn’t really feel like you are handing out that $20 bill--is a powerful mix,” O’Neill says. “You think, ‘What’s $20 on my credit card? I will pay it off.’ Next thing you know it is $50, then $100 and then you don’t care how much you spend. You’re focused on winning it back.”

Like any addictive substance or behavior, Internet gambling can pack a powerful high. Once the initial high wears off, players gamble more and more to try to recreate that rush.

“In the back of their minds there is always that possibility that the next time they gamble they will strike it rich,” O’Neill says. “That’s pretty exciting. All of us want to win.”

Many people who gamble on the Internet don’t think they have a problem until they fall seriously in debt. O’Neill says the screening process used by the Menninger Professionals in Crisis Program often uncovers gambling problems in patients who were admitted for other psychiatric or behavioral problems, such as depression. They begin gambling over the Internet to cope with their depression and escape the stress and struggle of their daily lives.

Treatment for patients with gambling problems may include attending Gambler Anonymous meetings and therapy to determine what triggers their gambling. To reduce temptation, patients at Menninger are not allowed access to the Internet during their treatment and are taught strategies on how to develop a plan to use the Internet once discharged.

Involving the family in the treatment process is also crucial to the success of recovery from a gambling addiction. Therapy can be a struggle if the individual goes back home to an environment in which family members also gamble.

Do I have a gambling problem?
To find out if you have a gambling problem, ask yourself whether any of the following criteria for problem gamblers, published by The National Council on Problem Gambling, applies to you:
·You have often gambled longer than you had planned.
·You have often gambled until your last dollar was gone.
·Thoughts of gambling have caused you to lose sleep.
·You have used your income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid.
·You have made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling.
·You have broken the law or considered breaking the law to finance your gambling.
·You have borrowed money to finance your gambling.
·You have felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling.
·You have gambled to get money to meet your financial needs.
If you or someone you know answers “yes” to any of the statements, seek further screening and help from a mental health professional that specializes in gambling or addictions.

The Menninger Clinic is an international specialty psychiatric center, providing innovative programs in treatment, research and education. Founded in 1925 in Kansas, Menninger relocated to Houston in 2003 and is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital. For 14 consecutive years, Menninger has been named among the leading psychiatric hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of America’s Best Hospitals.