Gambling has always been an issue in the United States, both legal and illegal gambling. And as the country moves towards more avenues of legalized gambling, such as casinos being opened in more states or the rise in popularity of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) organizations like FanDuel and DraftKings, the propensity of gambling addiction issues for many Americans is escalating.
Annually, March is dedicated to Problem Gambling Awareness Month. This initiative is meant to bring awareness and resources about gambling, problem gambling, gambling disorder, and gambling addiction throughout the country. It is a grassroots campaign spearheaded by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), in partnership with other healthcare organizations and providers, state health agencies, gambling companies, and gambling recovery groups.
The 2021 theme for Problem Gambling Awareness Month is “Awareness + Action”, which has two defined goals for the campaign. First is to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The second goal of the national campaign is to encourage healthcare providers to screen clients for problem gambling. In fact, the date of Tuesday, March 9th has been designated as “Gambling Disorder Screening Day.” The National Council on Problem Gambling has partnered with the Cambridge Health Alliance Division on Addiction, which has developed a free Gambling Disorder Screening Day Toolkit, to aid healthcare providers to increase gambling disorder screening and create more accessibility to resources like education and treatment.
Gambling disorder or gambling addiction often is a co-occurring disorder that is prevalent alongside substance use disorder or drug and alcohol addiction. Similar to drug addiction or alcoholism, gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system, leading to problematic behaviors and the inability to stop gambling despite negative consequences and the toll it takes on the life of the gambler. Treating gambling addiction can be difficult, but treatment and recovery support has helped millions of Americas that have had a problem gambling problem.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorders, please give us a call. Innovo Detox offers the latest in evidence-based medical, psychiatric, and clinical care for those in need of detox and medical stabilization in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or a loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a detox, rehab, treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (717) 619-3260 or email our team at info@innovodetox.com. For more information on our company or services, please visit our website at www.innovodetox.com.