When you think about Las Vegas your mind instantly pictures the casinos, flashing lights, and your chances at winning the jack pot. At the moment, your mind is overwhelmed with the thought of all the money you might win. When you’ve pulled the lever or pushed one of the buttons on a slot machine you may have destined yourself in becoming a pathological gambler. Gambling is a very severe addiction that not only destroys you but the people around you and recuperating from it is very difficult. “,…there are 6 to 10 million compulsive gamblers in the U.S. today”(Stefan)

"Slot machines are the crack cocaine of gambling, they say," said Matthew Young, a Carleton University professor who works at the university's gambling lab. (CBC News) “It's repetitious and fast. The lights and sounds can be hypnotic. Research has also shown that people are tantalized, rather than repelled, by a certain number of times they come close to a jackpot, Dr. Griffiths said”(Rotstein). This mean that if I were playing, my instinct as a gambler would be to play one more time because I just might win. It’s important to know this because this is the reason behind why so many people waste their time and money behind slot machines. In addition many times people with gambling addictions are looking for a purpose in their life, something to fill the emptiness that comes with their personal issues. (Cannon) In other words gambling is some form of escape. This matters because every time a gambler is ”closer” to winning they get a sense of importance. Even though they haven’t won anything trying to win is easier than trying to solve their problems. “If you are a pathological gambler, there is a good chance you have made a dent in your family’s financial resources. “(Davis)

"I can't think of anyone who has come to us where gambling hasn't affected their family and relationships. One thing that gamblers are good at is lying. When that is discovered, not only is there a huge debt but the lies can lead to broken relationships.“(Valios) “A study of women admitted to the emergency department at a university hospital in Nebraska, US, revealed that a woman whose partner was a problem gambler was 10.5 times more likely to be a victim of domestic violence than a partner of a non- problem gambler” (Valios) In order to sustain a gambling addiction gamblers have to go into debt. Gamblers also probably don’t want to give reasons behind why the bills are suddenly so high so they take their frustration out in aggressive ways. In addition since gambling becomes a priority it doesn’t allow a person to function normally. For example, Jay A. Fernandez recalls that he was so consumed with gambling that before Gamblers Anonymous he was dropped by an agent. HbJ6LxUA&feature=fvst

Just like there is an alcoholics anonymous for people with drinking problem Gamblers that are willing to admit their problem can attend Gamblers Anonymous. According to he article “ Gambling Addiction Treatment “ Regular meetings are the key to recovery, and participants are helped through the process of accepting responsibility for their addiction, reaching out, making amends with those harmed during the addiction time and learning to resist temptation on an everyday basis.(Dray) “Treatment from gambling has a low success rate. Only 15 percent of pathological gamblers are ever treated and only a fraction of that small percentage can kick the habit for good”(Stefan). Gambling addiction treatments have a Low success rate because I think for a gambler it’s more difficult to admit their wrong and that their addiction has caused so many problems to their family as well as debt so they rather live in denial.