It’s a sunny Sunday in Downtown San Francisco and St. Patrick’s Church is holding mass while Gamblers Anonymous meets downstairs in the All Saints room, offering guidance to souls lost to compulsive gambling.
“Hello, welcome to Gamblers Anonymous,” says Bruce*. Bruce, a recovering compulsive gambler, is the coordinator of Gamblers Anonymous.

In the tiny basement room of the church, seven people exchange stories of gambling addiction, promising not to judge one another. Some look down as they speak, some fidget, others cry. “You know, I’m really ashamed about this,” says a timid woman. Here members express pain and anger as they try to battle their addictions. Some members also suffer from addiction to alcohol, drugs, feelings of depression and anxiety that may stem from compulsive gambling.

Gamblers Anonymous was founded in January 1957 by two men with a history of misery due to obsessive gambling. They met regularly, and as the months passed, neither returned to gambling. The first group meeting of Gamblers Anonymous was held on September 13, 1957 in Los Angeles, California. Since then, the fellowship has grown steadily and groups meet around the world. It is a fellowship of men and women who share experiences, strength, and hope to help each other recover from lives stilted by gambling addiction.

Lucky Chances casino is packed. People are playing to win, and the stakes are high. The heavy scent of expensive cognac and a thick haze of cigarette smoke permeates the casino air. “Nine!” the dealer shouts out loudly from one of the craps tables. People yell in disbelief as the dice come to rest. Gambling is a popular pastime—eighty-five percent of U.S. adults have gambled at some point in their lives—but most do not put their livelihood at stake with every wager. Research by the National Council on Problem Gambling states that “most adults who gamble are able to do so responsibly.” But problem gambling is hardly rare. It affects four to six million Americans, and another two million may be considered pathological gamblers—whose gambling addiction impacts their daily lives more severely. Paul* became addicted to gambling among the masses at Lucky Chances casino. “I don’t think that gambling is a disease; I think compulsive gambling is a disease,” says Paul. “I seem to have a different reaction physically to gambling. And whatever I decided to do before gambling, as soon as I place a bet and get in action, those decisions go away and I make new decisions. I guess for me, what I can say is, the only thing that has worked, is the twelve step program.”

“The first time I tried to quit gambling, the method I used was LSD therapy in the 1960s. Everybody said LSD was going to change your life, so I thought maybe it would stop me from gambling,” says Paul with a gentle laugh. Paul has been a compulsive gambler since the age of thirteen and is also a recovering alcoholic.

Compulsive gambling is not exclusive to adults. It is a rapidly growing issue in adolescents. Youth who gamble are twice as likely to develop problems as adults, and young gamblers often participate in other risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, according to the November 2006 California Office of Problem and Pathological Gambling Statewide Plan.

Internet gambling has become a huge phenomenon, allowing problem gamblers to play within the confines of their homes. Just as alcoholics who can no longer face drinking buddies resort to drinking alone, gambling addicts can now get their fix without ever setting foot in a casino.

Many believe that compulsive gambling is a character flaw or weakness not an addiction. But it can be physical, psychological, and just as painful and destructive as addiction to cocaine or heroin. Many Americans ignore compulsive gambling because gamblers are not on the street asking you for change or lying in the gutter passed out, and there are no television spots telling us to “just say no” to gambling. Gambling addiction is not as visible, but it is a disease that destroys lives just the same.

For help with problem gambling contact:
Gamblers Anonymous (888) GA-HELPS
National Council on Problem Gambling (800) 522-4700 or www.npcgambling.com *Names have been changed to protect the identities of the subjects.