Gambling Awareness 101

The normative and pervasive nature of gambling behaviors in the United States can desensitize us to the problems that can occur when a person’s view of gambling shifts from entertainment to fixation. Recently reassigned in the DSM 5 from an impulse control disorder to a behavioral addiction, disordered  and problem gambling affects 2-5% of adults and twice as many young people.  Confounding the issues of problem identification, referral, and treatment is a lack of awareness on the part of service providers, clients, family members and the general public that, for some people, gambling can become an addiction even more devastating than alcohol or other drugs.  As state governments turn more to legalized gambling as a source of revenue, studies indicate that vulnerable populations: the poor, disenfranchised, and people in recovery from mental health and substance use disorders, are disproportionally impacted in harmful ways.  This training will address the social and environmental factors which influence gambling; gender and race considerations; and how our biology creates conditions conducive to the pursuit of risk and reward.   Training will include lecture, large and small group discussion, activities and media.