Essay about Gambling Addiction - 868 Words

Gambling addiction has become very real, very quick, to me and my friends and family. My best friend’s mother, Beverly Roan, is currently incarcerated at Sandy Mush Correctional Facility in Merced, California after allegedly embezzling over $350,000.00 from her employer to fund her gambling addiction. Beverly is a 58 year old mother of three, and grandmother of eight; no one ever suspected this level of addiction or criminal activity based on our daily interactions with her. We were shocked and appalled when she was arrested at her work back in February. We were completely unaware that her penchant for going to Chukchansi to play the slot machines had evolved into a full-fledged gambling addiction. Pathological gambling has become a†¦show more content†¦Although more men than women are thought to suffer from pathological gambling, women are developing this disorder at higher rates, now making up as much as 25% of individuals with pathological gambling (Dryden-E dwards). Some other facts about the disorder are that it can happen in multiple venues from a casino to someone’s living room. With the advances of online gambling and the increase in websites that promote and host gambling the number of people exposed to gambling increases. It is thought that those at risk for gambling addiction are people being treated for Parkinson’s disease or restless leg syndrome with medications. Also people diagnosed as bipolar are higher risk. Most experts agree that gambling addictioin is mostly likely the combination of several biological vulnerabilities (Dryden-Edwards). Diagnostics for gambling addiction is based on ruling out other psychological disorders. The doctors would want to do complete physical, run blood tests and do a full psychological evaluation. It is believed that most people who have a gambling addiction also suffer from some other mental disorder. The only way for a gambling addict to ever recover is for the addict to admit th ey actually have a problem. If the patient is in denial there is no possibility of recovery. They must first acceptShow MoreRelatedGambling Addiction : Illegal Gambling2199 Words   |  9 PagesGambling Addiction Walking into the flashing lights, the happy people and seeing people win; are all the start of a bad beginning. Gamblers have a different mindset them some and they need help most of the time. The worse thing for a person just starting out is to see people win because they believe they are going to do the same thing and even more. That is almost never how it turns out; it usually starts with betting small, but gamblers always raise their bets over time even if they are winningRead More Gambling Addiction Essay1116 Words   |  5 PagesGambling Addiction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gambling addiction is an issue found in numerous areas where gambling is legal. 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Y1308 Words   |   6 PagesGambling Addiction In Gen. Y Gambling has become a growing issue concerning the generation y. According to a survey done by Ctcclearing.com1, 80% of teenagers claimed to have gambled in some form. With a percentage that large, is the problem simply that gambling is a right of passage or are teens more susceptible to the temptations that casinos have. The Addiction Compulsive gambling is a disease among many people. The American Psychiatric Association classifiesRead MoreEssay about Gambling Addiction2683 Words   |  11 PagesWhat is Gambling Addiction? While it may appear that addictions are solely pleasure-seeking behaviors, the roots of addiction can also be traced to a wish to suppress or avoid some kind of emotional pain. In the broadest sense, addictive or pathological gambling is gambling behavior which causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social or vocational. Addictive gambling is sometimes referred to as the hidden illness, because there are no visible physical symptoms