Pathological Gambling Research Paper

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, nearly 1.5 million Americans have experienced pathological gambling. The term pathological gambling occurs when there is a dependence, harm, or lack of control over gambling habits (Samhsa). Pathological gambling can occur at any time. It may even start by going as little as once a month, or once a week. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Angie Bachmann. Mother of three and wife to a full-time working husband, Angie was frequently home alone with nothing to do. Angie would often times find herself lonely and bored, so she decided that if she got through the week without dying of boredom, then she would be rewarded with a trip to the casino. It started off once a week with a few hours

Angie would spend hours at the casino attempting to “chase her loses”. A phrase commonly used to explain addicts trying to compensate for their loses. In Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit, Angie Bachmann recalls her loses: “This desperation starts once you realize how much you’ve lost, and then you feel like you can’t stop because you’ve got to win it back” (263). Bachmann constantly found herself chasing her loses, trying to compensate for how much she lost in the battle. Angie knew what she was doing was wrong; She felt guilty and remorseful. Instead of biting the bullet and admitting to her husband that she had lost a quarter of a million dollars, Angie would “Concentrate on something new whenever that night popped into my mind” (263). Angie knew she needed to tell her life partner that she cost their family a quarter of a million dollars , but she did not. Five years after losing $20,000, Angie booked a trip to the casino. “It’s all gone… The money is gone. All of it” (267). Angie gambled away her inheritance, given to her by her recently deceased parents, her home, and her savings. It vanished. Angie knew that gambling was a risky game, but she played anyways. According to No Gambling Addiction, “You have to sort out at what moments you are seduced to gamble; try to substitute all the casino images in your mind for another views” (“To Hit The Right Road: Get Rid of Addiction”). If Angie took productive