February 28, 2018
PORTLAND, Ore.— In a few short weeks, March Madness will reach a crescendo with an estimated $10 billion in bets placed in nationwide on the NCAA basketball championship games. And calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline will spike an average of 30 percent.
Oregon’s Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling, designates March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, encouraging people to “have the conversation” about this often hidden and deceptively destructive addiction.
“Unlike substance use disorders, you can’t recognize a gambling habit by public intoxication, or test for it with a urine screen” said Philip Yassenoff, LPCC, Cascadia’s gambling treatment program director. “But the fact is 8 percent of Oregonians experience some degree of a gambling issue and 2.6 percent have a serious, and likely, diagnosable problem.”
Gambling disorders can have devastating financial consequences and also are associated with depression, domestic violence, substance abuse and suicide.
Spot the signs
So how do you know if a family member or friend is one of the approximately 80,000 Oregonians who needs help for gambling addiction? According to Yassenoff, some common signs that someone is struggling include:
Contact: Jennifer Moffatt Senior Director of Communications [email protected] 503-402-8117
- Becoming restless or irritable when trying to stop or cut down on gambling
- Lying about gambling
- Being constantly short of money, despite adequate income
- Taking out unexplained loans, using payday loans, or asking for loans from friends or relatives
Contact: Jennifer Moffatt Senior Director of Communications [email protected] 503-402-8117