While the holiday season is a time of joy and celebration --- for many, it is also a time leading to financial stress. The desire to give the perfect gift or to host the best reception of the year can cost more than planned and create financial stress for months ahead.
This situation is especially true for those suffering from Pathological Gambling. One of the diagnostic criteria for Pathological Gambling is finding illegal ways, such as fraud, theft or embezzlement, to finance gambling (DSM-IV). Because the quest for money is always central in a Pathological Gambler’s life, the period where money is more in need than usual becomes increasingly stressful.
Problem gamblers tend to use gambling as an emotional management tool and perceive gambling as a way to make money (Taylor and Francis, 2003). “It isn’t surprising that December and January are the busiest months in treatment centers dealing with problem gamblers,” says Isabelle Duguay, Coordinator of Problem Gambling at Bensinger, DuPont & Associates. “During the holiday season, the gambling hotline phones don’t stop ringing. The number of intake calls related to problem gambling is significantly higher than during the rest of the year.”
This could be explained by the fact that a problem gambler suffers from what is known as cognitive disinhibition (Eveline Crone, PhD. et al, 2003). In other words gamblers are oversensitive to rewards and insensitive to future consequences. They truly believe they will hit the jackpot and they will be able to afford all those great presents for all their loved ones. They do not take in to consideration the potential risk of losing all of their money before even buying the first gift.
“This behavior creates an increased amount of stress that could develop in to a vicious circle of gambling behavior. The gambler at this point believes he needs more money to gamble to either alleviate his feeling or to simply resolve his financial problem. Illegal activities or pawnshops are often part of the solution for the first time during these critical months,” notes Duguay.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, consider these tips:
Don’t carry credit cards or large amounts of money to help resist the temptation to gamble.
Talking about gambling as a way to make money could be the first sign of the onset of a severe addiction.
After the holidays, if you notice someone you know has pawned, or sold their gifts this could also be a sign of problem gambling. Call 1-800-Gambler for more information.
Bensinger, DuPont & Associates is a leading Chicago-based provider of employee assistance programs and operator of problem gambling help lines.
For additional information, call BDA at (800) 227-8620. The HR industry´s premier online community and resource for Human Resource professionals: HR, human resources, HR community, human resources community, HR best practices, best practices in human resources, online communities for HR, HR articles, HR news, human resources articles, human resources news, HR events, leadership, performance management, staffing and recruitment, benefits, compensation, staffing, recruitment, workforce acquisition, human capital management, HR management, human resources management, HR metrics and measurement, organizational development, executive coaching, HR law, employment law, labor relations, hiring employees, HR outsourcing, human resources outsourcing, training and development
hr.com.
human resources management resources for hr professionals. |
HR menus
|
HR events
|
HR Sitemap