Gambling Rehab for New Mexico

Get Help for Problem Gambling in Albuquerque at Icarus NM

Gambling addiction is an often hidden but devastating mental health issue that impacts thousands of people throughout greater Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and counties across the state.

All too often, what begins as a harmless form of entertainment quickly spirals into an endless cycle with devastating consequences on finances, mental health, relationships, and professional lives.

In Albuquerque and for many cities and towns in New Mexico, the cry for help couldn’t be louder, as legal casinos have many scrambling to break free from the grip of compulsive gambling.

Enter our gambling rehab for New Mexico programs.

For those struggling with problem gambling, Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico offers a second chance. With specialized programs that focus on gambling addiction treatment, Icarus provides individualized care to help those with gambling addiction reclaim control of their lives.

In this article, we explore the importance of seeking assistance for compulsive gambling, the treatment options available at Icarus New Mexico, and how to make strides toward recovery.

Understanding Problem Gambling

Problem gambling, otherwise known as gambling addiction, is the uncontrollable urge to participate in multiple forms of gambling despite the disastrous consequences.

Gambling addiction can have a devastating impact on not only your life but the lives of those around you and even the community as a whole.

Gambling addiction comes in many forms and doesn’t always include a deck of cards, sports, or slot machines. By definition, gambling is taking the risk of losing something of value to gain something with higher value in return.

The Difference Between Recreational Gambling and Problem Gambling

To be fair, not everyone who participates in gambling has a gambling addiction. There’s a significant difference between those who gamble for fun and those who have a severe gambling addiction. There are even people who make a living as professional gamblers who don’t have a gambling addiction.

Recreational Gambling

Recreational gambling is generally a harmless pastime that includes individuals risking a disposable amount of money on slot machines, sports betting, or card games. Some of the trademarks of recreational gambling include:

• Recreational gamblers only risk money they can afford to lose.
• They typically reserve a designated amount they plan on using for gambling.
• They can walk away with a profit if they win a substantial amount.
• Otherwise, when they spend the designated amount, they can quit.
• It’s done as a form of entertainment instead of a compulsion.
• Recreational gamblers might go long periods without any gambling.
• Many times, recreational gamblers make small wagers to extend their entertainment period.

Gambling Addiction

When an individual suffers from problem gambling, there’s a distinct process that plays out in the brain. Each time someone with a gambling addiction makes a bet on a card game makes a sports betting pick, or mashes a button on a slot machine, it causes a massive dopamine release in the brain.

This compulsive behavior causes the same actions in the brain as individuals with substance use disorders. The dopamine release causes an intense rush of euphoria, in addition to the thought of possibly winning a substantial sum of money, and the chas becomes perpetual.

Characteristics of problem gambling include:

• Those with a gambling addiction often include an element of risk or gambling in everyday activities.
• They tap into funds they often can’t afford to lose.
• After losing their initial bankroll, they make subsequent trips to the ATM to withdraw more money.
• When they win, they’re unable to take their profits and walk away.
• After a loss, they begin making reckless wagers to “chase” their losses.
• Increased risk of making bets they can’t afford.
• Their gambling addiction impacts their financial situation.
• During a losing streak, they continuously claim they are one bet away from “winning it back.”

If someone you know or love is at risk of developing a gambling addiction, you must understand the signs and symptoms of problem gambling behavior.

Common Traits and Symptoms of Gambling Addiction

There are several indicators and side effects of gambling that should alert you to the fact that someone needs gambling addiction treatment:

• Individuals suffer from severe financial hardship.
• They may begin taking out loans to pay for gambling or cover living expenses.
• If you are a loved one, spouse, or other family member, you may notice they begin lying compulsively.
• They might attempt to hide their gambling.
• The individual could develop a substance use disorder.
• They start missing important events or obligations because of gambling.

Because gambling is such a unique mental health disorder, it takes a specialized effort from treatment centers to assist. Let’s take a look at the therapy provided by mental health professionals for compulsive gamblers.

The Importance of Professional Treatment for Gambling

Access to professional help is crucial for anyone who has a gambling addiction. Because of the potential for disastrous collateral damage, finding help at the right treatment center is critical.

However, the importance of seeking professional help that provides therapy specifically for gambling can’t be overstated.

The Difference Between Gambling Addiction and Substance Use Disorder

There’s a stark contrast between the mechanisms behind gambling addiction and substance use disorder. First, substance use disorder centers around a chemical dependency that can often translate to physical addiction.

Those who struggle with gambling tend to require treatment that’s solely based on behavioral modification and cognitive function. This isn’t to say that substance abuse doesn’t need the same form of therapy at times, just that drug addiction often entails several alternative forms of mental health therapies.

Substance use treatment often requires residential solutions in addition to withdrawal management and medical detoxification efforts.

Treatment Efforts for Gambling

There are a handful of therapeutic efforts prescribed during recovery from gambling addiction. Most often, this disorder is treated with:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Group therapy
• Individual counseling

Support groups like Gamblers Anonymous can have a profound impact on those addicted to gambling. Gamblers Anonymous is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous in the scheduling and structuring of support groups.

Treatment centers that specialize in gambling recommend intensive outpatient (IOP) for those seeking help. Rarely is inpatient a potential solution, as clients must still be able to remain present for daily activities so they can immediately apply the things they’ve learned at intensive outpatient treatment.

What are the Consequences of Untreated Gambling Addiction

If a gambling problem goes untreated, individuals run the significant risk of facing a plethora of collateral damage in various areas of life. Those who refuse treatment are at risk of the following:

• Developing additional mental health challenges.
• Memory loss and depression.
• Severe financial consequences, many times to the point of poverty.
• The loss of family, friends, and career.
• High risk of developing drug or alcohol addiction
• Severe emotional instability

In addition, those who continue the path of perpetual gambling become at high risk for possible suicide attempts. During substance abuse, many of those who suffer lose everything, but over a long period.

It’s not uncommon for gamblers to lose everything they have financially in one outing, leading to the decay of everything dear to them as a collateral impact.

This magnitude of loss in such a short time is difficult for most to cope with, leading to the inherent risk of suicide.

Providing Solutions for Gambling and Co-Occurring Disorders

Icarus Behavioral Health has different therapy segments staffed by a mental health professional who deals with that specific discipline. Because of our focused expertise, we can offer comprehensive solutions for several other challenges, specifically when it comes to co-occurring disorders.

Clients deal with a mental health professional or a team of professionals focusing solely on cognitive behavioral therapy. If we believe there is an additional mental health disorder or substance use issue, a specialist from the appropriate background is added to the treatment team to deal with each issue—but in a collaborative manner.

Getting Help for Problem Gambling is Within Reach at Icarus

The standard of gambling treatment is usually intensive outpatient. At Icarus Behavioral Health in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we have a well-reviewed intensive outpatient program, with additional care levels offered as step-down options to ensure you receive the intensity of treatment required.

You or your loved ones will complete the program with resources that help you continue your efforts long after treatment is finished, making long-term recovery more achievable.

If you or someone you love suffers from gambling addiction, we strongly encourage you to contact a member of our admissions team today. Your life is worth more than a bet or a spin—take back control with Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada.