GAMBLING FOR ESCAPE

Mental Health Tidbits and Tools

Cindy Anderson, LCSW, ICGC-I

Some days I wish I had the eject button! Not sure where I’d land but I want to be anywhere but my current circumstance.  We humans don’t like to feel pain, whether physical or emotional. And so, we do many things to avoid pain.

We experience a bad day at work, some customer became angry, or we couldn’t solve a problem.  We may have just had a fight with our partner.  Maybe a bad memory came to mind.

In response to the bad feelings, we remember the casino. Everything there looks wealthy, inviting.  Ever notice the floors, the chandeliers, the decor? There are friendly and professional staff who ask you how you are doing.  The dealers are friendly and may recognize you.  You feel a sense of camaraderie at the casino, you no longer feel alone like you did at your home.  Your emotional pain or physical pain is in the rearview mirror.

The slot machine or blackjack table calls you – and you respond.  The whir, the electronic sounds, the sound of many people talking.  The familiar feel of the button, the slick new playing cards.  You enter this whole other world, you settle in.  Feeling happier now.

Fast forward a few hours, and suddenly you’re broke.  How could this have happened?  It’s time to go home, and back to the problems, with another new problem – being broke.  You may have been in a trance with the slot machine or may have been focused playing blackjack or poker.  Either way – you went to escape.  But the escape route became the problem.

We all need ways to cope with our pain. Identifying what leads us to gamble, drink, shop, exercise too much, eat too much – will help us realize what we are doing.  Then, we can find other ways to cope with the pain, without major consequences.

Here are some alternatives:

1. Talk to yourself – tell yourself you can survive this painful moment or set of moments.
2. Go for a walk or get outside for a few moments.
3. Turn on music which is either comforting, or mood shifting. It can be either relaxing or expressive of the pain we are feeling.  We can feel less alone hearing a sad song, realizing others feel the same way.
4. Put your hand over your heart and imagine your heart healing.
5. Call a friend, someone who is willing to listen.

If you feel overwhelmed with your problems, please don’t hesitate to call Peopleworks.  We have counseling available free of charge for persons experiencing problems with gambling. If gambling isn’t the issue, we can still help since we bill insurance.   Next time press the phone buttons for help, and not the eject button!