It is common practice for companies to offer support for employees being distracted by substance addictions, such as alcohol abuse and smoking too much, but little exists for a problem that is often difficult to notice – and treat effectively - a gambling addiction.
It is not uncommon for people who are in danger of developing a gambling related addiction to spend in excess of 60 hours per week thinking about their next bet or how to create the stake to be able to place their next bet.
Gambling is often found out to be the root cause of many individual and family related hardships including financial distress, relationship difficulties, poor parenting, absenteeism, criminal behaviors, depression, suicide, poor eating habits, and isolationism.
With the increase of easy access to gambling such as through local casinos, scratch and win lotteries, and the internet the problem of gambling too much is currently plaguing approximately 5% of all employees, in North America, today.
When a troubled gambler, begins to realize that they have a problem it is important that the support measure they call upon as a source of help does not further stymie the problem, or prolong the process of treatment and recovery oriented intervention.
Unlike alcohol addictions, which often take years to drain a family’s financial security, gambling addictions can bankrupt a family’s savings account and credibility in less than a week!
During recent years the EAP support infrastructure, has stepped up to offer help to employees and their family members who are being adversely affected by gambling with gambling cessation literature, call center help, and problem gambling assessment.
So what happens next? After the EAP client realizes, that they are gambling too much and that gambling is causing a loss of financial security and undermining their productivity at work and contributions at home.
The 21 Steps to STOP Gambling Tools including workbooks and online support have been engineered specifically for EAP application.
At the onset of 21 Steps intervention the EAP client is required to schedule three appointments with their EAP counselor, and then as he/she works through the remaining 20 workbooks – one step at a time – through to Step 21 “Enjoying Life without Gambling”, their EAP counselor holds them accountable to progression and the process of working through the point of full recovery, successfully.
Each of the 21 workbooks are designed to serve as tools to help guide the treatment and recovery process. They include specific and detailed information on how to help the troubled gambler to control their addiction, teach him or her responsible financial practices, rebuild confidence, and channel his or her addictive energy into productive behavior.
Anyone who uses the 21 Step method also receives access to a global 24/7 online support community at the www.21steps.net , Recovery & Beyond website, where he or she can connect with other recovering gamblers from around the world who are working through the same step.
The steps take from one to three days each to complete, or about 60 days to finish the whole program.
Gambling addictions are not easy to spot in the workplace. Warning signs that an employee has an addiction are often subtle, such as habitual lateness, long lunches, absenteeism, exhaustion and declining productivity.
Other signs to watch for include vacation days taken in isolation rather than a week or two at a time; employees who owe money to colleagues; employees who request salary advances, or pay, instead of vacation days; or employees who volunteer for lots of overtime.
It is also important for onlookers and EAP support providers to be aware of why it is that a troubled gambler thinks they can “quit-gambling” when you can see that they can’t?
This occurs because their “concept” of time differs from yours. The troubled gambler thinks - if they are not gambling “for a period of time” that they have quit-gambling and that they can quit-gambling.
Yes, they still think they can quit even if they start gambling right after their counseling session, is finished!
It is important for EAP counselors to think in clearer terms of “if my client could learn to quit-gambling permanently” then he or she could enjoy life more and have more money available to contribute with.
Let’s face it, the creative intelligence of the mind is amazing! – It’s that creative intelligence being misdirected - that often holds clients back from being more successful and productive, during the recovery process.
When perceptions differ, communication often breaks down and this makes it increasingly difficult to be able to effectively help a client with a non substance based addiction - such as gambling - from relapsing, harming their financial security, and self-esteem.
By learning how to counter a gamblers ill suited perceptions of reality, it is possible to help them to get back on track! On track to begin WINNING – in the game of LIFE – seeing more clearly, and feeling as though they deserve to have (some) money!
For more information, insights and tips on how you can help troubled gamblers and their families overcome gambling related adversities and aftermath effectively, please take a moment to preview the information available online at; www.21steps.info
Shawn Jordan
Gambling Recovery Specialist
21 Steps to STOP Gambling System & Workbooks
Shawn is the original author of Shawn and Drew's 21 Steps to STOP Gambling System and Workbooks. He used the process of writing the original manuscript to get him out of a gambling relapse. Shawn created the manuscript with the help of an Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) councilor and the encouragment of his family's psychologist.
Today, Shawn is the Vice President of Production and Distribution at STOP Gambling Inc. He also is Vice President of Learning and Innovation for Money School Ltd., where he guides the curriculum design and "much more than common cents" money education the company offers.