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. 

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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.

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