Problem Gambling Awareness Week is coming up in March so it seems an appropriate time to put forth some information about Problem Gambling.

Like other addictions or dependencies, be it alcohol or drugs; exercise or compulsive eating, gambling will often start off as a simple way to spend some free time, or as a form of entertainment, or to socialize. For a majority of people that doesn’t change much over time and gambling doesn’t create distress or drama in their lives, or if it does then the distress or drama is often minimal.

For 3-5% of people that gamble, that isn’t the case. For that small percentage of people gambling begins to mean more than just a way to spend some free time. It begins to cost more than the $20, $50, or $100 dollars that they allowed themselves to spend when they started to gamble. For some it means spending their entire pay check, or unemployment check, or maybe even a per capita check, or an inheritance. For some people it might mean borrowing money from friends or family “just to get by til the end of the month” or “to pay my light bill”, or any number of other excuses one uses to borrow money to gamble. Money that most of the time doesn’t get paid back.

Problem or Pathological Gambling, like addiction to alcohol, drugs, tobacco or even some behaviors is caused by a complex set of factors, many of which are out of control of the addicted or dependent person. Like the individual who is dependent of other substances, the pathological or problem gambler doesn’t believe that they have a problem; they believe they can control their gambling, they can stop any time but they choose not to. That denial of a problem is an integral part of the addiction.

The PTHA Treatment Center, located upstairs in the Kwawachee building, offers information, assessment and counseling for any tribal member or clinic eligible person that has or believes they might have a problem with gambling. If friends or family have said to you: “you have a gambling problem” or if you think you might have a problem with gambling then ask yourself these two questions:

• Have I ever lied to people important to me about how much I gamble?
• Have I ever felt the need to gamble more and more money?

If you answered yes to either one of those questions, then it’s very likely that you have a problem with gambling. Please, don’t wait for things to get worse. Please contact PTHA’s Treatment Center at 593.0247 and make an appointment.

Treatment and counseling are available. Treatment and counseling can work.