COUNCIL INTERESTED IN FORMING WOMEN’S PROBLEM GAMBLING GROUP

 by Karen Sicher, Administrative Manager, Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

My name is Karen and I am a compulsive gambler.  I have been in recovery for compulsive gambling since 2007 and feel very lucky to have found support from friends, family members and the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.

When I hit rock bottom, I contacted the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling and I was given caring, compassionate support on how to handle what I was going through and referred to a wonderful, trained clinician who really understood my addiction.

Following is my story: 

I started gambling when I was in my early 40’s and it quickly became a way of life for me.  No one in my family or in my circle of friends knew that I was gambling because I was too embarrassed to tell them.  I gambled because it made me feel good and had filled a void in my life.

I was so drawn into the thrill of winning and the excitement that surrounded it.  I was heavily in debt and found myself taking money from an employer.  I said to myself on many occasions, I will take it and win big and put it back, but unfortunately I never did.  It came to the point were it was overwhelming and it consumed me – my every thought.  I hurt my friends and family and became an embarrassment to many but no one really understood what I was going through. 

Ultimately, I was incarcerated in federal prison for 27 months. There, I had the opportunity to get to know many women just like myself - professional women who got lost along the way – women who got caught up in gambling problems.  After serving my time, I returned to Boston and selected to do my community service at the Council.

I am proud to say that I was recently hired by the Council. I have started to rebuild my life. Yet, not a day does not go by where I do not think of the women out there who are still in the same position that I once was.  I believe strongly that women need to support one another – especially women who have experienced problems with gambling … For this reason, I am interested in forming a women’s group for women in recovery (or interested in recovery) for problem gambling. Does this sound like something you might want to be a part of? If so, please contact me at 617-426-4554 / karen@masscompulsivegambling.org. I look forward to hearing from you!

GAMBLING-FREE WEEKEND

Your First Step to Change: a Gambling-Free Weekend by Victor Ortiz, MSW, LADC II, Intervention and Treatment Support Director, Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

Friday, November 18 through Sunday, November 20, 2011, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling hosted Your First Step to Change: a Gambling-Free Weekend retreat at the International in Bolton, MA.

The retreat provided much needed support to individuals directly impacted by gambling disorders. Each of the 9 participants was accompanied by a support person throughout the course of the weekend, which featured workshops, meetings and activities aimed at introducing, addressing and encouraging recovery from problematic gambling.

Workshop topics included: Decision Making, Whose Problem is it Anyway? and Not Betting No Matter What.  In addition, all participants, along with their support persons, were offered the opportunity to participate in clinical consolations aimed at connecting individuals to recovery resources.

Gambling-Free Weekend allowed the Council to provide recovery awareness and direct support to people struggling with problem gambling and their families. Following are just a few comments shared by participants:

From the beginning, I felt I was in a knowledgeable, nurturing, caring and non-judgmental environment.  I felt welcomed and that I was among people who encouraged me to be open and honest about my gambling addiction.

The retreat was very beneficial for me, I am in recovery and after this weekend I can honestly say that I will stay this way.

Everything, from the rooms to the meetings, were the greatest. The group from Mass. Council was  so great. Thank you so much.

The staff was exceptionally kind, intelligent, sensitive, and motivating. Thank you!

The Mass Council staff exceeded my expectations in all areas. I am very thankful for the experience.

I am so grateful for the compassion and the commitment of the presenters and the Council. The facilitators were way beyond my expectations I feel very comfortable with my journey to recovery now, taking it one day at a time due to this retreat. I would love to come again and know about other events.

I feel like the weekend was a great success.  Thank you to all of you for your hard work on behalf of individuals and their family members who struggle with gambling disorders. We are looking forward to next year’s retreat.

GA MINI CONFERENCE

by Margot Cahoon, Communications Director,
Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

On Saturday, November 5, 2011, Gamblers Anonymous held their annual Mini Conference on the campus of the Brockton VA Hospital.

There were about 60 attendees at the all-day event, and spirits were high. People were happy to reunite with old friends, as well as spend some time being introspective about their own lives and recovery.

I attended as a representative from the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling to show our support to those in recovery, learn from their stories, and let them know that the Mass. Council is committed to helping people experiencing problems with gambling, as well as their family members, professionals treating the disorder, and the community.

The first workshop I attended offered suggestions about what people could do if they had the urge to gamble.  People shared their own experiences about what they did, or in the cases of those who had relapsed, what they wish they had done in place of gambling. The gentleman who facilitated the meeting offered a typed list of 16 ideas. Some of the most interesting to me included “Rat yourself out.” – He explained that this meant – if you gamble, go to a meeting and confess to the members that you gambled and tell them that you need help. Another suggestion he offered to people was to repeat The Serenity Prayer “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”  

The second workshop that I attended was about youth problem gambling. It was facilitated by a college-age man who described his upbringing and the factors in his life that led him down the path of compulsive gambling. He talked about his early exposure to gambling, and how the high he felt while gambling fueled his obsession. He talked about how his gambling problems harmed his family relationships and his reputation and eventually led him to seriously consider taking his own life.  Participants at the workshop shared similar experiences – some talked about gambling on games of marbles as young boys or their graduation to high stakes card games while in the service. It was interesting to me how many of the people expressed having started gambling young. I know through my work that research has identified early exposure to gambling as a contributing factor in the development of gambling problems; especially among males.  This was confirmation.

The luncheon part of the day was also terrific. It was nice for me to have a chance to chat with people and ask them about their journeys toward recovery. It was interesting to hear people’s personal stories. While some of the suffering I saw – mainly from people in very early recovery – definitely broke my heart and has invaded many of my thoughts since that day, it was a very good reminder to me about why the work I do is so important and why it has become part of God’s plan for my life. 

# # #



RISK OR REWARD?

The Impact of Technology on Treatment, Research and Responsible Gaming

October 2-4, 2011, Las Vegas

by Haner Hernandez, PhD, CADACII, LADCI, Deputy Director, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

I had the pleasure of representing the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling at the NCRG conference in Las Vegas.  I must say that while I have been to Las Vegas (always for conferences) in the past, I am always struck by slot machines at the airport.  However, this was the first time I went to Las Vegas for a problem gambling conference and the experience made me a little more reflective and observant of human behavior and the use of technologies in gambling.

At the conference I attended many workshops and presentations with a focus on problem/compulsive/disordered gambling and technologies. I was really impressed with a workshop entitled, “¡Brain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Brain” presented by Dr. Gary Small, MD.  Dr. Small began the session by asking all in the room to turn off our smart phones. He noticed that several people turned them off; while others refused (he asked us to notice what we felt and said we would come back to the exercise).  As I sat there with my phone turned off, I thought: what if someone calls? What if I need my email? What if some sends me an important text? It was hard to focus with my phone off (ironic!). Nevertheless, I decided to keep it off and participate in the exercise.

Dr. Small then continued by talking about the differences between “digital natives” and “digital migrants.”  There are a large group of young people that have grown up with technology and these are considered the digital natives.  Dr. Small said that their brains are still developing, are very sensitive, and are most exposed to technologies.  Moreover, we don’t know what the impact of the exposure will be into the future. What we do know is that many young people are exhibiting difficulties with social interaction, particularly face-to-face communication. Not to mention that family communication and interaction dynamics have been profoundly changed by these technologies.  Young people also report the ability to multi-task and this behavior has also created some problems and challenges for them and society in general.  The fact remains that technologies are ever evolving and humans adopt and evolve with them (or are we changed by them?). 

I fall into the category of digital migrants because I didn’t grow up with access to the technologies we have today (smart phones, tablets, video games, personal computers, etc.). I have been using computers, cell phones and other technologies for a long time, but I fondly remember a time when I didn’t have to worry about so many gadgets taking over my life.  Now go back and consider my questions regarding the exercise proposed by Dr. Small (turn off your phone).  It was instantly obvious that I too have been impacted by the technologies.  These days I can’t even leave the house without my smart phone and laptop computer.  And, I no longer have a landline; I cannot remember phone numbers; I have access to all sorts of data; I rarely get lost; I regularly keep in touch with friends and family; and I don’t wear a watch.  And these just are a few ways that technologies have changed me.

Dr. Small and others at the conference also talked about the use of technologies for gambling, their current impacts and what we have to look forward to.  More and more there are many opportunities to gamble and the technologies have facilitated these behaviors. The technologies include slot machines, video games, personal computers, smart phones, tablets, and others.  Hence, we are seeing more youth and adults with Internet Addiction Disorder, problem gambling disorders, and mental health problems. At the same time these individuals and their families have very little understanding about how the technologies have enabled the behavior and contributed to their problems.  For example, according to the New York Times, 97% of teens play video games and many spend more time playing than doing homework or reading.  Among other things, this phenomenon has also contributed to the growing and alarming problem with childhood obesity in the United States. 

All that said, technologies have many great qualities that enable us to be “more efficient” and “more connected” to others.  In other words, technologies are not bad; we just have to question and understand how we use them and how they impact us.  From my own public health perspective and experience I know that technologies can be very useful in supporting prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support.  Dr. Small talked about the use of technologies to help youth read, write, perform complex mathematical exercises, while making it fun and interactive.  Others talked about how technologies are helping prevent gambling problems, while some folks with gambling disorders are engaging in recovery and recovery support. That said, those of us in the problem gambling field have a great deal to learn about how technologies are impacting problem gambling and how we can use them to advance our work.  As with every research conference, we were left with an understanding that more research is needed to understand the impact of technologies on digital natives and digital migrants. Moreover, that all of us have a role to play in this research endeavor.

At one point in the workshop we were asked to turn our phones on and think about what we experienced. I immediately checked my voice mail, text, and emails!  “I felt relieved” and “back in control.”  I didn’t turn my phone back off until I was at the airport and on the plane.  As I walked by the slot machines at the airport I thought, “Control is only an illusion!!!”



CT COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

by Margot Cahoon, Communications Director

On Thursday, October 20, 2011 The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling put on their Annual Conference at Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

I was joined at the event by fellow Mass. Council staff members Marlene Warner, Karen Sicher, and Amanda Poggenburg, as well as 180 other individuals interested in learning more about problem gambling. The location was just beautiful – I enjoyed watching the rolling and crashing waves from the windows of the resort.

We said hello to our colleagues in the industry and helped ourselves to the light breakfast. Afterwards, everyone in attendance was welcomed by Willie Coleman, Ph.D., Vice President, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) Board of Directors; Marvin A. Steinberg, Ph.D., Executive Director, CCPG; and Mary Drexler, MSW, Assistant Director, CCPG.  

The conference’s morning discussion was entitled, “Gambling and the Criminal Justice System.” Expert panelists include: Attorney James McCray, Public Defender, Middlesex County; Attorney Susan Brown, Office of the Chief Public Defender; Donna Zaharevitz, Peer Counselor and Recovering Gambler, Wheeler Clinic; and the Honorable Judge Patrick J. Clifford, Superior Court, New London.  It was a fantastic panel and I was intrigued.  I found it very interesting to hear from the judge about all of the contributing factors that come into play as he determines sentencing. He talked about needing to balance understanding about addictive disorders with sending a message about breaking the law and justice for the victim. And all of the panelists seemed to agree that treatment for gambling problems was probably a more effective route than imprisonment, but felt that resources for adequate treatment services were not readily available in the state.

After the panelist shared their expertise, Dr. Steinberg presented the keynote Address, “Assessment of the Progress in Addressing Problem and Underage Gambling since the Introduction of Legalized Gambling in Connecticut in 1972.”  He shared 35-years of perspective and outlined landmarks of progress and suggestions for lifting barriers to prevent problem and underage gambling.”

During the lunch (which was delicious), the Connecticut Council presented Dr. Steinberg with a touching video tribute in honor of his upcoming 2012 retirement. Colleagues from across the country were featured telling Dr. Steinberg how much he had impacted their careers and their lives.

The afternoon agenda included a presentation by Lisa Najavits, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; Lecturer, Harvard Medical School; Psychologist, VA Boston Healthcare System and McLean Hospital, entitled “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Problem Gambling.”

It was followed by another informative panel presentation in the afternoon entitled, “DigIn: a Statewide Project to Infuse Problem Gambling Awareness and Prevention into Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment.” Expert panelists included: Lori Rugle, Ph.D., DMHAS Problem Gambling Services; Tom Broffman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, ECSU, Consultant; Carrie Small, LCSW, Morris Foundation;  Antoinette Morgillo, , BS, MATS, Recovery Network of Programs; and Amy Sedgwick, MS, LADC, CCDP, SCPG, Program Director, MCCA.

Mass. Council Executive Director, Marlene D. Warner commented afterwards about what a unique, ground-breaking and successful project “DigIn” is, and that she hopes that the Mass. Council can learn from this project and eventually duplicate it in our own state.

All in all, a top rate conference from a top rate Council.

# # #



Collaborating with the FBI

by Jim Wuelfing,

Director of Prevention and Recovery

Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling

I have often stated that I am happy that I got into recovery long before the age of YouTube, Facebook and cell phones with cameras.  As is true of many folks who were once addicts, the dirt on me was not buried too deep!  I spent many years looking over my shoulder and covering my tracks wary of “the law”.

So it was an interesting full circle experience for me when I called the FBI in Washington. I was interested in talking to someone who had some experience with investigating college athletes and gambling.  Everyone I dealt with at the FBI was very helpful and after following a few protocols, I was put in touch with Special Agent, Randy Sealby.  A few phone calls later and we sent Peter Swanson, a filmmaker with Global Visions and Associates Inc., out to Chicago to create an educational video to augment our college athlete training program.

An education is exactly what we got!  Agent Sealby, who has investigated college gambling crimes, informed us that most of the organized college gambling is on men’s football and basketball and to a lesser degree on men’s hockey and baseball.  Women’s sports are not often involved but there has been activity on women’s basketball in the past.  Agent Sealby told us some details of particular cases where athletes got involved in minor betting, twenty-five dollars on a game.  They quickly got to a point where they were several thousands of dollars in debt and it was a short trip to the slippery slope of throwing games by missing a few hoops or a purposeful fumble.

The NCAA has regulations against gambling for any NCAA athlete. There are two basic rules: (1) A student-athlete may not place or take a bet of any kind on the outcome of any collegiate or professional sports event in which the NCAA conducts a championship and (2) A student-athlete may not exchange information about his or her team with anyone who gambles on college or professional sports. 

Agent Sealby believes that these were not bad students, just students who made some bad decisions.  The consequences of these decision can be quite severe; loss of the right to play the sport in college, loss of scholarship and loss of reputation. 

And so my collaboration with the FBI was an eye-opener for me and gave us a great 10-minute video to use in our programming. We hope to have the video available soon and will keep everyone posted. Or if you have any questions, you can contact me directly at jim@masscompulsivegambling.org / 617-426-4554.



The Council Welcomes Amanda Poggenburg

 

Hi!

I'm Amanda Poggenburg. I’ve recently been hired by the Mass. Council as Program Specialist with Prevention and Recovery.

I recently moved to Boston from Buckhannon, West Virginia, and let me just say that the differences are staggering! I worked as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Upshur County Family Resource Network for a year (July 2010-July 2011), and before that I was a student at West Virginia Wesleyan College. My work as a VISTA was prevention-focused and that is what led me to this position with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.

My previous prevention work was with alcohol and drug use disorders, as a Prevention and Wellness Coordinator. I worked with youth programming on the National Youth Leadership Initiative, which helped high school students learn leadership skills to better work on prevention programs in their own communities.

As Program Specialist at the Mass. Council, I will provide assistance for Prevention and Recovery Department projects (such as assisting in the development of the up and coming teen website http://www.teensknowyourlimits.org/ and completing the curriculum for the Leisure Time and Healthy Choices training for older adults); represent the Council at prevention and recovery-related conferences, trainings, and other programs (like the Recovery Coach Academy this past week and the upcoming Ounce of Prevention Conference); and I will also manage resources for the Council (our resource library, files, program materials, and database).

I am looking forward to working with the Council. Working within the topic of problem gambling is a new experience for me, and I know that there is so much to learn, and I’m excited for this great opportunity!

A little more about myself: I love working on computers and working with Excel and PowerPoint. I enjoy presenting workshops on Zentangles (a form of meditation that is recovery-oriented and focuses on using artistic expression), Social Networking, Financial Literacy, and how to use PowerPoint creatively. In my spare time, I crochet, make jewelry, go to the movies, cook, listen to music, and dance around the living room.

Add caption

Photo taken in Charleston, WV at a statewide youth meeting, we had a community service day where all the kids and advisors had to go out into different communities in the city and either do roadside trash pickup, work in community gardens, or clean the city parks.

The Council Welcomes Victor Ortiz

Hello, my name is Victor Ortiz; I have been a social service provider for over twenty years. I have worked in various systems of care targeting issues related to addiction and mental health disorders. 

Most recently, I was hired to serve as the Intervention and Treatment Support Director at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. I’m excited for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

As the Intervention and Treatment Support Director, I am responsible for many projects aimed at raising clinical awareness of gambling disorders, eliminating stigma, creating access to care, and establishing a continuity of care for individuals and their families.

Offering training opportunities for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to clinicians and other people who work in the human services field is an important part of the work that the Council does. We teach people about the latest problem gambling research and treatment options for helping people impacted by the disorder.  We are happy to announce our exciting 2011-2012 training calendar.

Some of our featured half-days trainings will be:

Sept. 23     

Incorporating Financial Literacy into Clinical Practice

Dec. 9         

PTSD and Gambling Disorders

March 16      

Recovery Oriented Systems of Care - Where Does Gambling Fit?

June 8        

Countertransference in Problem Gambling Clinical Work

We also offer two online training courses: The Gambling Brain in April and Countertransference in Problem Gambling Clinical Work in February.

These and other training opportunities can be found on our website www.masscompulsivegambling.org and registration is underway. Please feel free to contact me with questions at victor@masscompulsivegambling.org / 617-426-4554.

Photo of Victor blowing out his birthday candles. He recently celebrated his birthday.

The Council’s Side of the Story

by Marlene D. Warner, Executive Director

Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

As the Executive Director of an organization that walks a very fine and complicated line around the issue of legalized gambling, I would like to respond to a recent editorial piece that criticized the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, the only organization dedicated to helping people with gambling problems in this state, for commending legislators on their efforts to write legislation that takes into account the individuals and families who will be hurt by expanded gambling. The fact is, the Council never has, and never will, support the legislation to place casinos or racinos here.

Our position is that we are neither for nor against legalized gambling (we are against any illegal gambling); we simply exist to help build and provide services to prevent, intervene and treat gambling disorders within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  This is the same answer we’ve given for over 28-years.

During our 28-years of service, we have answered tens of thousands of calls on our 24-hour Helpline, trained thousands of clinicians, and provided hundreds of programs and conferences about problem gambling.  In addition, we have advocated to the state legislature for increased services to address the problems created by people playing our State Lottery, the state-supported racetracks, and the casinos in our neighboring states.

Many people are already suffering in this state with this devastating disorder.  These individuals are worried about casinos coming to Massachusetts.  We listen, we help, we refer.  We would not be an effective advocate if we were radical in support or opposition of expanded gambling.  We must remain neutral in order to be accessible to the people in need; however, I direct people to the work of both sides for their own personal advocacy.  The work of Kathleen Conley Norbut and Les Bernal and others in opposition to gambling is important and admirable, as is the work of the responsible gambling individuals working within the industry.  Their positions allow us to stay in the middle and provide a voice and services to those whose personal struggles with this disease often go unnoticed and unheard.

The Council will continue to be clear about our message: The Commonwealth does not currently do enough to prevent or combat gambling problems.  We hope that if the casino legislation does come to pass, that it will only strengthen current services and that strong provisions will be made to help people experiencing problems with the disorder.  

Respectfully,

Marlene Warner

Executive Director

Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

Recovery Open House Blog

by Margot Cahoon, Communications Director

In honor of National Recovery Month, the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling willhost a “Recovery Open House,” on Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at our   office at

190 High Street, Suite 5, Boston, MA 02110

. Anyone in recovery or who is interested in recovery is welcome to attend!

National Recovery Month is a reason to celebrate. According to the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR), “Recovery Month celebrates people in recovery, and the work of treatment providers. Recovery Month highlights that all individuals have the fundamental and inherent value to be accepted and treated with respect, dignity and worth.”

The first hour of the Mass. Council’s Open House, from noon to 1:00 p.m., will be an open Gambler’s Anonymous Meeting. The group welcomes you to attend and learn more about how its important 12-step self-help program operates, and why it has been such an important tool in the lives of people in recovery for gambling problems.

The second hour, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., join Council staff members for free lunch, and visit our new Recovery Room.  The room is open to all people in recovery, every M-F, during normal business hours, and it offers a computer that people may use, meeting space and a library full of books and articles about problem gambling.  In addition, during the Open House, if you wish, you may add your voice to Council programs and plans, and /or consider scheduling time to record your very own “Wisdom Exchange” interview.  Learn more at the event!

During the last hour of the Open House, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., you are invited to participate in an All Recovery Meeting, led by Council Prevention Director, Jim Wuelfing. Jim’s a dynamic presenter who has been in recovery for more than 25-years himself.

We hope to see you there for the whole event or any part of it that you’re available to attend!

A Video for T.A.G.

A VIDEO FOR T.A.G.

by T.A.G members Kris Toomey, Chris Fiske and Andrea Cimbrelo

T.A.G., Teens About Gambling, is an organization started by the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and the North Brookfield Youth Center with the intent of informing teens about gambling.  It is believed that if teens know the risks and consequences of gambling they will be more likely to make smarter decisions involving gambling in the future.  The T.A.G. group is directed by Jim Wuelfing, Prevention Director with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, and Marty Toomey, the Executive Director of the North Brookfield Youth Center.

Recently, in the world of T.A.G., we have been working on a video for use at conferences and as a public service announcement.  We hopefully can use this video in order to make teens aware of the risks of gambling. Of course, we are not making this video by ourselves.  We are smart, but not that smart.  The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling has hired an expert movie editor in order to guide us in the right direction.

Peter Swanson has worked with many organizations, including the United Nations.  In addition to working with the UN, he worked filming Rowan LeCompte in his journey of creating the stained glass window for the Washington National Cathedral.  Peter is such a genius in video editing that these two prestigious organizations and many more have requested his expertise in the creation of their documentaries.

Peter has had to put up with us throughout the last four months.  He helped us begin our video by brainstorming ideas.  So, we thought about what we would like to include, and after a few long, long meetings we came up with our ideas and basic plan for the video project. 

This then evolved into editing the responses of the teens who we talked with about gambling, and subsequently recorded last year.  Editing these small clips took a very long time.  However, thanks to Peter’s video editing device, it was made smoother than doing it by hand.  Next, after the tiring editing process, we began to write the script for our video.  Luckily Peter had picked up a small bunny in a hat like magicians use, which sparked our imagination.  This then allowed us to create B.W. Bunny, which was our inspiration for the basis of our video.  We decided that he would approve of what we say and inform us of facts about gambling.  So, we wrote our script with B.W. as our mascot.  It took us a very long time to write the script and review it.  The script was then approved by Jim Wuelfing, the Prevention Director for the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, with only a few errors.  This then was brought to Peter who agreed that we had done a good job.  So, we planned for filming in April.

Before we filmed the video, we thought that it was going to be easy.  However, while filming, we realized it was not going to be an easy task.  Peter had met us at our filming site, and we began to set up.  We had originally thought that Peter would be using only a camera and green screen, but he completely surpassed our expectations.  He had brought with him a camera that shot HD video, large tripod, portable green screen, four large lights that lit up the green screen from all angles, and an expensive, and fancy audio editing kit.  When we had set up everything, we began to film after some minor adjustments of the lights. 

The first person to film was Andrea.  She was filmed by herself reciting her lines in front of the camera.  We had filmed each line about four or five times until we got it perfect.  Plus, we had filmed each line a few more times in order to allow us choices in our editing part.  In doing this, the editing process is most likely not going to be easy either.  After Andrea finished reciting all of her lines, we moved onto Kris’s lines.  He had to do the same thing as Andrea, repeat each line plenty of times.  Then, after Kris completed going through his lines, Chris went up and began to take his turn.  He went through all of his lines as well.  Following Chris, we had B.W. Bunny speak his lines.  All of our turns had slight interruptions by the woman who lived above our filming site.  We would have very small noises that would be picked up by the very sensitive audio equipment.  The filming, overall, went great and exactly as planned.  Actually, we finished in a shorter amount of time than we had originally estimated.  This is as far as we have gotten as of now, but we’ll keep you informed as the process continues.

We hope this video we are creating will be used throughout the Commonwealth at schools and as a public service announcement for the general public.  The video, we hope, will help teens to understand more about the risks of gambling, will be enjoyable to watch, and will keep this information with these teens for the rest of their lives. 

# # #  

An Obsession to Win: The Compulsive Gambler's Perspective

The session titled ‘Obsession to Win’ starts unlike any other at the National Conference on Problem Gambling; while most look at treatment options, changes in the gaming industry, and high-level looks at communication, research, and interventions, Mac looks inward.

He remembers winning a chess championship in Kindergarten, and how his feelings of worth skyrocketed. He remembers losing to his father at Scrabble, and later biting the Qs and Zs so he’d know where the good letters were in the mix, and win.

“When I got older, I knew I wasn’t cut out for sports. I knew I could use my mind. And eventually, the goal became being the best at whatever that mind game would be.”

The mind game that eventually revealed Mac’s problem with gambling was poker (although he contends, in hindsight, that it’s been a problem since that first chess championship). It became a study for him; he read books voraciously and examined systems that promised wins. He says eventually he believed more in those systems than anything else he’d ever been taught.

When he reaches the point in his story at which he says he was most lost in the world of compulsive gambling – splitting his time between casinos and online poker, at one time taking a $130 cab ride to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut – Mac lets out a long sigh.

“When you leave the casino, you say never, never, never again. But somehow, you find yourself driving there with an unemployment check in your hand.”

He wanted to be great at something, he says. He didn’t want to be normal. And in time, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to stop – and if he did, he’d be miserable. 

After several false starts and relapses, Mac says he credits Gamblers Anonymous and his wife, Jackie, for keeping him grounded and away from his addictions. But he says the obsession to win is never far from his mind.

“Even now, five years into recovery, I know it has a hold over me. Seeing poker chips is like a magnet. I sell software for a living, and the amount of sales I make affects my commissions. That’s hard for me to think about.”

Moving forward, Mac says his new goal is not perfection, but progress. His honesty is raw, but measured, his emotions visible but controlled. His new passion, as it seems, is adding a human piece to discussions about compulsive gambling.

Fielding questions with ease, with occasional glances toward Jackie sitting in the audience, Mac’s progression seems to be underway.

TIme to Get Social, One Conversation at a Time

 

Social media – it’s here to stay. Anyone reading this blog knows that, even if perhaps only subconsciously; reading a blog? You’re getting social. The same goes for interacting on Facebook, twitter, flickr, via your smartphone, and via myriad other social networks and social media tools.

Social media and networking can augment the work of problem gambling prevention experts in much the same way as other industries – it can stretch resources, extend reach to new audiences, and include the public in the information-sharing process.

Leading session titled ‘Face(book) the Facts: Social Media is Here to Stay,’ Julie Hynes, problem gambling prevention coordinator for Lane County, Oregon, took the pulse of the crowd at the National Conference on Problem Gambling and revealed that government and social service entities are slow to join the social revolution, due largely to fear – fear of inappropriate communication, that a lack of understanding may cause issues, and more.

“People are looking for you online,” says Hynes. “That, simply, is why we need to be there.”

So why the trepidation? Hynes went on to take the pulse of her audience, comprised of problem gambling counselors and agency leaders, as well as members of the gaming industry. Time, the crowd agreed, is the largest constraint on implementing social projects and campaigns to spread the word about responsible gambling, with the ever-changing learning curve coming in a close second.

Jumping into social media and networking is key, but it’s also OK to jump – carefully – into the shallow end of the pool. Hynes recommended beginning with one or two services that are more focused on receiving information that giving it, including setting up Google alerts and RSS feeds to track relevant industry news, or using survey tools such as Survey Monkey to glean statistics.

From there, Facebook is the next frontier for most, but Hynes says moving slowly is still OK at this stage; upkeep and timeliness in social media networking, she says, is equal to credibility.

“This is your storefront. Before you set up a page, figure out what you want to share and what you want to gain. Determine if you have the manpower and time to keep the page going. If you don’t, hold off. If you aren’t visiting your page, no one else will.”

Hynes has posted the bulk of her presentation at www.Preventionlane.org/gambling.

Gaming Partnerships: Can the Whole be Better than its Parts?

Collaboration was the word of the session as six representatives from gambling entities across the country converged to share new ideas for partnerships in the battle against compulsive gambling.

While each suite of programs differs from state to state based on a number of factors, ranging from funding to state laws, the need to work together with state and federal government as well as gaming businesses is key to success. A diverse panel of speakers shared a wide range of best practices and new innovations aimed at creating responsible gaming practices at all points of the industry.

Gary Gonder, for instance, director of communications for Lottery Missouri, notes that gaming partnerships are all about innovation. “Seven heads are better than one,” he says. “We hold each other responsible, so there’s a big accountability factor there.”

Similarly, Dr. Lori Rugle of the Connecticut Council of Problem Gambling, adds that creating new partnerships within the gaming industry has only helped move responsible gaming practices forward in her state. “Bashing and blaming the game or the industry as the cause is never a productive discussion,” she says. “We need to instead take personal responsibility for what we can do.”

Speaking from the industry side, Chip Tuttle, COO of Massachusetts’ own Suffolk Downs, the Commonwealth’s only remaining thoroughbred horse racing venue, said the track has long worked with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. “New initiatives have been spurred in part by the debate over casino and gaming expansion in our state,” he explains. “The mission is three-fold: increase awareness, promote responsible practices, and encourage programs for prevention, intervention, and treatment.”

Bob Vincent, senior vice president of corporate affairs at GTech, a gaming technology and services company based in Rhode Island, also has an intriguing view of the gaming industry and problem gambling. On Friday, July 1 while the National Conference on Problem Gambling is underway, his firm took over day-to-day operations of the Illinois state lottery. This is the fist time this has happened in the country, and many states are watching this situation closely. “People will be looking at how are we going to implement responsible gaming practices to make certain that Illinois lottery grows responsibly,” he says.

Finally, Dr. Jeff Derevensky, director of the Youth Gambling Research and Treatment Clinic, offers his clinical research perspective. “The collaborations I’ve seen has been between the industry and research bodies,” he notes. “Standards for internet companies have been developed. Responsible design of scratch tickets so underage youth are not attracted to them is happening. The whole – is it better than its parts? There is no doubt in my mind.”

The National Conference on Compulsive Gambling is underway throughout the July 4 weekend in Boston, Mass. Watch this space for further updates.

The Thrill of the Chase

Follow our updates on FB and Twitter

According to Howard Shaffer, PhD, who delivered the keynote address at the National Conference on Problem Gambling today, there are several behaviors common to pathological gamblers that are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the population. Understanding this, he says, is the first step in creating effective treatment options.

“We focus on types of cases now, but not effectively. Our predictors don’t necessarily identify the same people every time they’re used. It’s important for us to understand the person.”

Shaffer explains further that pathological gamblers exhibit symptoms that are sometimes at odds with the conventional understanding of an addiction progression.

“Problem gamblers often become more conservative as they progress,” he says.

So, how do we identify people with a problem? One way is to look not at how a gambler plays or what they are playing, but rather what their focus may be. One constant seen over and over again among problem gamblers, Shaffer says, is chasing losses.

“When [problem gamblers] gamble more, they lose less. But it’s not about the win; it’s about regaining what has been lost.”

The more we understand that problem gambling is a complicated issue with statistics that can sometimes stymie even the most involved of experts, Shaffer adds, the more we can do to address the problem in revolutionary ways.

“We will work toward identifying risk factors that lead to problems. We are improving our understanding of a confluence of issues that create pathological problems and how we experience games. We need to understand the psychological makeup of the player the social setting they find themselves in.

“We’ve learned that the more games you play, the more involved you are, but specific games don’t seem to create additional symptoms,” Shaffer continues. “Still, treatment should be matched to patients. Addiction treatment doesn’t usually do this – treatment plans are often identical across the board. When it comes to working with pathological gamblers, treatment plans should not be identical.”

The National Conference on Problem Gambling is underway now in Boston, Mass. Check this space for further updates.

A Call to Action: Examining Problem Gambling in the Military

Source:www.brandonblog.Homestead.com

Issues related to problem gambling in the military are something that we, as a country, knew little about until fairly recently. However, new research is leading to a greater understanding of problem and pathological gambling among military personnel and veterans, and providing new opportunities to address the issue.

Kamini Shah, ScD, MHS, has studied gambling as an addictive behavior extensively throughout her career, and has also taught in universities and performed secondary data analysis. She served as project manager and data analyst for the study ‘Pathological Gambling: Courses, Consequences and Causes,’ conducted on behalf of the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry, a network composed of approximately 7,000 middle-aged, male-male twins, both of whom served in the military during the time of the Vietnam conflict. Armed with this experience, she’ll present a breakout session at the National Conference on Problem Gambling titled Warriors at Risk: Gambling and Problem Gambling among the Military.

Shah contends that, to combat problem gambling among military personnel and veterans, one must first understand the unique circumstances facing this societal group. Military personnel are given often given frequent access to gambling opportunities, and while the military acknowledges and addresses several addiction and mental health issues, as well as problems associated with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, Shah adds that interventions and treatment for problem and pathological gambling have not yet been intrinsically integrated into the system.

During her presentation at the National Conference, Shah will explore information in support of the conclusion that minimizing the harmful consequences of gambling among military personnel will require improved awareness and targeted internal and legislative efforts. The breakout session will also aim to identify circumstances surrounding gambling in the military, how the prevailing military reaction to problematic gambling behavior differs from the ways in which other addictive behavior is addressed, and identify opportunities for improving the response to gambling problems within military settings and in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Dr. Kamini Shah received her bachelor’s degree in behavioral biology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences, a Masters of Health Sciences in health finance & management, and a Doctorate of Science in social and behavioral sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For more information, visit the conference breakout page at the National Conference on Problem Gambling’s website.

Dr. Bo Bernhard: Taking a Global View of Problem Gambling

Dr. Bo Bernhard

Las Vegas, Nevada is well known for its high-stakes gaming culture, and this is a culture Dr. Bo Bernhard knows a thing or two about. He’s been researching the impacts of gambling in the state of Nevada for years, where problem gambling runs rampant. Still, the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas follows closely behind, with Bernhard at the helm – he’ll share some of his insights and research at the National Conference on Problem Gambling this July. 

This research and analysis that first began at Harvard University 15 years ago was soon expanded to a worldwide view, with Bernhard, director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute, reaching people on six continents. His research has not only been published in numerous business and social sciences journals, it has garnered several awards, as well—the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling’s Bybee Award, the Boyd Distinguished Research Professorship, and a Brookings Institution Lincy Fellowship. On top of all this, Bernhard is editor of a peer-reviewed journal – Gaming Research and Review. 

Bernhard, along with eight research assistants at the UNLV Institute, has spent the past two years analyzing problem gambling around the world—they refer to it as a “global scan,” a “glocal” approach. More than 75 unique jurisdictions were studied—from Alabama (where Bernhard says illegal bingo machines have proliferated, leading to widespread concerns about social impacts) to Zurich (where European Union exceptions allow the gaming industry to operate, with significant concessions for problem gambling and social programs). As the world and technology continue to evolve, people have access to more ways of gambling than ever before. 

Problem gambling has grown as rapidly as the globalizing gaming industry, the research finds, and its impacts are as different for each locale as the cultures surrounding them. So as one may surmise, a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with problem gambling just won’t cut it. Bernhard sees a more creative and innovative approach to dealing with the issue as the best road to take. 

Bernhard and two members of his research team, Brett Abarbanel and Kahlil Philander, want to share findings and analysis of the UNLV International Gaming Institute Global Problem Gambling Scan in a conference with those who could ultimately make the biggest impact in handling problem gambling—from recovering gamblers and their family members to counselors and clinicians; from legislators and policy makers to fellow researchers and the media. Presenting the information in a beginner training format, participants will learn to understand and incorporate varied anthropological and cultural perspectives into their own work, recognize compelling international approaches to problem gambling, and come to understand micro-macro-meso approaches to the social sciences. 

Want to learn more? Contact Dr. Bernhard at the International Gaming Institute at UNLV – bo.bernhard@unlv.edu; (702) 340-2508; 4505 S. Maryland Parkway/Box 456037, Las Vegas, NV 89154.

Considering The Casino Debate in Massachusetts

With the National Conference on Problem Gambling on its way to Boston, the flurry of activity across Massachusetts related to casino laws is hard to ignore.

Not only is it one of the most hotly debated issues in the Commonwealth, but also one of the hottest buttons on Beacon Hill. Having been volleyed across the aisles for years, Governor Deval Patrick has voiced his support for some casinos or slot parlors in Massachusetts, proposing a bill that would allow the creation of three separate casinos in September, 2007. But the details have kept the process moving slowly, and the Governor has yet to sign off on a formal resolution.

That said, casino proposals of varying sizes currently pepper the Commonwealth’s landscape; in southeastern Mass., members of the Native American Wampanoag tribe have made a move in Fall River, while in western Mass., Mohegan Sun – based in Connecticut and created by the Mohegan tribe – is actively pursuing a project in the town of Palmer and Paper City Development is proposing a casino for the Wyckoff Country Club off Interstate 91 in Holyoke. Former dog-race track Wonderland in Revere and horse-race track Suffolk Downs, both close to Boston, have proposed revitalization projects, and the city of Marlborough and town of Milford are also receiving keen attention from developers.

Proponents say casino resorts could revitalize the state’s economy, provide a tourism kick-start, and generate jobs, while opponents contend that the social costs such as addiction, bankruptcy, and crime are too high.

The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling neither supports nor opposes gambling, recognizing that most people gamble for entertainment, and do so with minimal interruption to their lives. It also recognizes that there are those for whom gambling becomes problematic.

That said, the council has been very active in legislative arenas regarding gambling laws and guidelines. In the last few decades, it has successfully secured legislation since 1987 that provides funding from state gambling revenue to address problem gambling, formed the Massachusetts Partnership for Responsible Gambling , and worked with the National Council on Problem Gambling to advocate for the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009 with federal legislative offices and key Massachusetts stakeholders, among other milestones.

The council’s involvement at many levels reminds us that casino gambling is not a reality in Massachusetts alone. At least a dozen states including Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota are considering proposals to expand casinos or other forms of gambling.

With any expansion of gambling in the U.S. comes a need for greater ancillary services, and this includes problem gambling assistance and counseling. The council has long advocated for treatment for problem gamblers that has resulted in a progression of treatment availability in Massachusetts, from one site in 1987 to 17 sites in 1998. As such, it’s poised to continue to work with various stakeholders as the gambling landscape in the Commonwealth changes, to develop and implement new programs and resources.

Undoubtedly, the issues facing the Commonwealth as it moves forward in the casino debate will provide for rich conversation at this year’s conference, and opportunities to bring new ideas to the national stage.

Read more here:

• http://www.masscompulsivegambling.org/services/advocacy.php

• http://www.boston.com/news/specials/casino/

• http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/mohegan_sun_officials_visit_wa.html

• http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x1152090741/Casino-developer-expected-to-hand-over-cash-to-start-Milford-study#ixzz1O4ZKdCKu