Does Gambling Impact Recovery?

Is it possible to gamble in a healthy manner while staying solidly in substance abuse recovery?

You’re successfully recovering from drug and/or alcohol abuse, but now you’re starting to gamble too much. Is this really such a big deal?

For some, betting on March Madness basketball games, dropping a few quarters into a slot machine, or playing a hand of black jack doesn’t present much of a problem. For others, especially those with a substance abuse problem, this may not be the case.

March is Problem Gambling Month…. An opportune time to look at the connection between drug and alcohol abuse and gambling.

Let’s explore a couple of links you may not know about:

Very concerning to the Kiva Recovery Community is the finding that gambling impedes recovery success. In his study of pathological gambling and substance misuse, Barry Spunt, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at John Jay College/CUNY, found gambling to be a potential reinforcer of drug use and an obstacle to success in treatment.

We also know that those who pair drugs or drinking with gambling are likely to have an even higher risk of developing a substance abuse issue. In fact, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reports that the rate of drug or alcohol abuse is six times higher among those who gamble pathologically, when compared to people who don’t gamble.

On the flip side of this coin, research suggests that roughly 14% of patients being treated for substance abuse also have a significant gambling problem. Further, a study conducted at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions reports that problem drinkers are 23 times more likely to have a gambling problem than individuals who do not have an alcohol problem.

On the surface, gambling and substance abuse may not seem to have a lot in common. The connection becomes clearer when you look at changes that take place deep within the body and the brain when a person engages in one or both of these behaviors. Gambling is often compared to drug use because of the adrenalin rush associated with both, and evidence has shown that both drug abuse and gambling affect similar parts of the brain. Research published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine states that gambling can affect levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, as well as the GABA neurotransmitters. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has also indicated that these parts of the brain are altered through drug abuse and addiction to drugs.

Because of this connection, these addictions are often substituted for one another. Dr. Flora Matheson, a research scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital’s Centre for Research on Inner City Health, with colleagues from the Centre for

Addiction and Mental Health, reviewed existing literature on drug use and

problem gambling. According to Dr. Matheson, substance abuse and problem gambling are conditions that both wax and wane, and may become substitutes for one another. “In the absence of illegal drug purchasing, and the many behaviors that go with it, gambling can provide an alternative form of excitement,” she said. “Substitution of one behavior for another has long been identified as a key issue in the field of addiction.

This last point takes us back to my initial question: Is it a big deal if some who is successfully recovering from drug and/or alcohol abuse starts to gamble? My answer is found in two words: sequential addiction. All too often someone who has had a history of alcohol dependence often with many years of recovery develops a gambling problem…… and the cycle begins again.

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The trusted resource in addiction treatment, Kiva Recovery’s groundbreaking model focuses on the individual and the strengths within each of us. Kiva’s treatment approach aims to replace addiction with solution-focused, growth-oriented strategies focusing on Lifelong Recovery through Holistic Health, Positive Character Building through Continuous Character Growth, and Life Satisfaction through Contentment. The Kiva Recovery treatment center is located 35 miles from downtown Chicago in the beautiful northern suburbs of Lake County, IL. To learn more, please visit www.KivaRecovery.com.