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Goal Treatment for the Compulsive Gambler
A basic issue in treatment is what the goal of treatment should be.
Some counselors take the approach that the goal of treatment should be the complete cessation of gambling activities.
This is essentially the goal of Gamblers Anonymous, which seeks to help compulsive gamblers live free of gambling.
In effect, the goal is to replace gambling with not gambling as the dominant feature of the compulsive gambler's life.
Other counselors stress the need to deal with the motivations for gambling, the problems related to gambling, and the psychodynamics of gambling behavior.
A related issue in compulsive gambling treatment is whether total abstinence from gambling is essential, or whether it is possible for compulsive gamblers to scale back their gambling and become 'controlled' (recreational) gamblers.
GA takes the position that abstinence is essential.
The vast majority of compulsive counselors also hold this perspective. John Rosecrance, a critic of the conventional 'medical model' interpretation of compulsive gambling, has argued that, for many problem gamblers, abstinence may be an unrealistic (and unnecessary) goal.
Other researchers, both sociologists and psychologists, have taken the position that the 'loss of control' implied by the terms compulsive gambling and pathological gambling is overstated and misplaced.
Research on gamblers in natural settings and experiments designed to teach problem gamblers to gamble in a controlled way suggest that there are other options than total abstinence in treating compulsive gambling.
The strategies used by counselors and treatment programs are varied, and particular counselors and programs use different approaches with different clients.
There are four main approaches to treatment: aversion therapy, behavioral counseling, desensitization, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
There are concise overview of these approaches and has summarized the small amount of research that has been done on their effectiveness.
The research evaluating these treatment strategies shows mixed and inconsistent results, due in large part of to the small size of the samples used.
Following are some of the main characteristics along with features that are common to most treatment strategies and programs.
An early part of treatment involves educating the compulsive gambler about the nature of this disorder . Compulsive gamblers are often confused about what has happened to them. They lack a vocabulary that can help them understand the nature of their behavior and the attendant problems.
'Why did this happen to me?', or 'What's wrong with me?' are common reactions of compulsive gamblers.
An important part of this educational process is emphasizing that 'you are not alone';, that other people are experiencing the same kinds of problems with their gambling.
