Dear Jane,
Hi, I have been a compulsive gambler since I was seven, I am now 44 and my life is in such a mess because I cannot stop going to the betting shop and gambling on greyhound races. I waste all my money and even money I don't have. I have tried going to Gamblers Anonymous but it hasn't worked and I gamble just as much as I ever did. I started gambling on greyhound races when I was 26, my first bet gave me quite a large win and I haven't been able to stop since. Before that I used to play fruit machines and was addicted to that too. I have no friends or girlfriend and just can't find anything else to do or anywhere else to go. I also tried to get help with my problem from the charity Gamcare but it was limited to 4 or 5 sessions of therapy and although it was helpful it wasn't enough. The addiction has made me very depressed at times, often suicidal. Thanks For Being There To Write To.
Mike
Dear Mike,
Gambling is such a waste, but you know that only too well. But, as always with habits whose roots go deep, your conscious sensible brain is fairly powerless.
However, there is a way out of gambling, and there are three main components. Putting all three together has an excellent chance of freeing you. And it’s the THIRD component, the METABOLIC one, which is crucial. Is there a pill for gambling? There may well be ...
The first, as you know, is arranging your life so that your needs are met outside gambling. You may care to stay with Gamblers Anonymous just because it’s a place to meet people. All the opportunities you can manage to have a drink and a chat are important … they are the first steps to friendship. And as your gambling reduces you need to fill the time. I strongly suggest you remind yourself of interests and pleasures unrelated to gambling … maybe from boyhood … and find ways to involve yourself again. Some kind of study course is excellent. It fills time, uses your brain, and you meet people as well. Plus, of course, it could help your job. Maybe look for volunteer activities to use your energies and skills. Contributing, helping, is a major self-esteem boost, a real win-win!
Second is targeted therapy to remove stresses and trauma. Not just talking about your gambling habit. Here I recommend you find a Human Givens therapist, but NLP, hypnotherapy (there are excellent hypnotic tapes available for download to help deal with many problems, including gambling, use the search facility below) and EFT (tapping) can all be seriously helpful.
But START with your metabolism. Many gamblers have a genetic variant in the brain’s dopamine system which makes them very susceptible to the lure of the betting shop. Can such a habit as gambling have important biochemical roots? Yes, and part of the evidence comes from people with Parkinsons. Some are treated with drugs which enhance the action of the dopamine receptors in their brains. People who’ve practically never gambled in their lives suddenly find themselves hooked. When they are put onto a different type of drug, the habit fades away almost as fast as it came. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
So read the information on treating addiction from the Essence Recovery Center and seriously consider the amino acids they suggest. I have some experience with adding amino acids into the treatment of compulsive behaviours of all sorts, ranging from obsessive rumination to drug and alcohol addiction to binge eating. Even just using one amino, glutamine or L-glutamine (same thing) (any health shop -- half a teaspoon in water twice a day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon, plus more under your tongue for rapid release when cravings strike) -- it stabilises blood sugar -- can sometimes be enough. The Essence recommendations include 5-HTP (the raw material from which the brain, if it chooses, can make the anti-depressant neurotransmitter serotonin), plus GABA, the brain’s natural anti-anxiety neurotransmitter. Extra B vitamins are a good idea since without enough B6 you can’t make serotonin. And zinc, essential for so many body processes, at least 15 mg a day - ideally take this in a good multi-mineral. A couple of Omega-3 capsules a day are important.
To these I would add rhodiola rosea and E3 Phenalmin, to boost another amino acid (phenylethylamine) which may relieve depression (mind you, just about everything I’ve mentioned has some anti-depressant effect), relieve cravings and increase feelings of joy and pleasure so that you don’t find life flat without the gambling buzz. (Chocoholics -- chocs have something of the same effect, but E3 Phenalmin is less fattening and more powerful! No reason not to eat chocolate as well, of course ...) Also, try and eat more red meat, a source of another important amino acid, tyrosine, which again relieves depression and aids motivation.
I suggest, if you decide to try this approach, since you're in the UK that you order from Nutrilink, 08704 054 002, quoting my therapist’s number 304 for a discount. Their GABA formulation, to use to calm yourself, is called ZEN, and you can safely start with up to six a day, let your feelings guide you.
Nutrilink can supply just about any other supplement as well and what is really important is that you can speak to a helpful knowledgeable person. Of course you should consult a health professional, especially if you are taking any medication or have any medical condition (essential also for a woman who’s pregnant or trying to be). I am not a doctor or qualified nutritionist and can only make suggestions for you to follow up with a health professional. But if your doctor is not knowledgeable in this area, Nutrilink can advise. Your doctor may say he doesn’t know of evidence, this is outside ordinary medicine … there’s years of experience with this approach, but since the nutrients it uses can’t be patented the drug companies, who are the main source of information for most doctors, are very anti. You might like to read Julia Ross’s The Mood Cure, she’s had powerful results with addictions for years.
Mike, seriously, compulsions can be dealt with using this three-pronged approach. They just fade. You are not facing a lifetime of battling and self-control, you are facing a lifetime of freedom. Divert a little gambling money to two or three Human Givens or other effective therapy sessions, after a couple of a couple of weeks on the supplements, and you could win big ...
Jane
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