Treatment for Problem Gambling
Voluntary Exclusion
Some casinos and state lottery programs offer a Self/Voluntary Exclusion program. When a person signs up for one of these programs, they are effectivley banned from the casino, and will be arrested upon entry; in the case of a state lottery program, they are not permitted to cash out winnings, thereby removing the positive incentive to gamble. Once a person signs up for a Self Exclusion program, the ban is permanent.
Counseling
Gambling counselling is usually delivered by professional counselors who are often either qualified psychologists or social workers. In many jurisdictions services are free or subsidised by government agencies. Telephone counselling services are also available in many countries. Examples of services include GamCare (UK) and Gambler's Help (Australia).
Step-based programs
One step-based program for gambling issues is Gamblers Anonymous. Gambler's Anonymous uses a 12 step program adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and also places an emphasis on peer support. Other step-based programs (some commercially operated) that are both specific to gambling and generic to addiction have also be used to treat problem gamblers.
Peer-support
A growing method of treatment is peer support. With the advancement of online gambling, many gamblers experiencing issues use various online peer-support groups to aid their recovery. This protects their anonymity whilst allowing to attempt to self-recover often without having to disclose their issues to loved ones.
Self-help
Research into self-help for problem gamblers is showing promising results. David Hodgins research into the use of workbooks followed up with telephone support has shown benefits.[1]
References
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
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