Gambling Addiction Hard To Overcome | Video

Jenny Castro | 8/1/2012

For the majority of people who gamble it`s for entertainment, but for a small percentage of gamblers it`s a consuming addiction. And one that`s easy to develop with the increasing number of gaming venues in North Dakota.

It`s hard to describe the intrigue behind any sort of addiction. For Dominique Davis, he says that gambling gets his blood pumping.

"I enjoy the rush of not knowing what`s going to happen for the cards, the dice or anything. I guess just the rush and excitement of not knowing I guess.”

It`s that big win that a gambler has experienced before and what counselor, Will Bachmeier, says this is the first stage of the addiction.

"What we call the hook that brings them back and makes them delusionally think that they can be very successful in gambling.”

When things are going good it`s an adrenaline rush, but when they go bad it`s tough to handle.

“They win, they get super excited, they get happy about it and then as soon as the loss happens you`ll see them, the complete down part of them. They`re starting to drink heavily or they start crying, they get the shakes, they`re nervous and they don`t know what to do because that could have been rent money,” said Jayme Conners, a blackjack dealer for eight years.

“That feels like, feels like you lost your best friend it just leaves you empty inside, just knowing you had something and you could have stopped,” said Davis.

Bachmeier says that the addiction has many correlations with drug addictions, ”You would find that the person who is gambling, if you took a picture of his brain when he`s gambling and you took a picture of another person who is taking cocaine, there would be a lot of similarity, so they can get the pleasure out of it that`s similar."

Like a shopping addiction, gambling is a process addiction which isn`t exclusive to any certain type of person, and the addict never intends the action to become a problem.

"There`s such a range, such a variety you could have anyone from the streetwalker to the million dollar man,” said Conners.

"They`re responsible people, surprisingly, and people that make good money, and it`s also people who are very strict with themselves and it`s just like this got away on them,” said Bachmeier.

"I’m one of these people who don`t just go to a table with two or three hundred dollars and say I lose. I have to lose double that, then say ok I really lost so that`s why I have an addiction I really do,” said Davis.

Bachmeier says gambling addiction has the highest rate of relapse, and it`s more common that people realize because most people don`t seek help.

If you`d like an evaluation or treatment for gambling addiction there are several centers in Minot that provide these services. You can also call the Lutheran Social Services at 701-838-7800.

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