Question

Describe one holistic method to address the mind, body or spirit for individuals for Gamblers and support your response with a journal article

Answer 1

Gambling is defined as Betting (wagering) that must result either in a gain or a loss. Gambling is neither risk-taking in the sense of speculation (assumption of substantial short-term risk) nor investing (acquiring property or assets for securing long-term capital gains). It also differs from insurance which may reduce or eliminate the risk of loss but offers no legitimate chance of gain.

Gambler is defined as someone who risks loss or injury in the hope of gain or excitement.

The major ill effects of gambling:

-It needs a lot of money since it is expensive.

- Gambling entails big risks if you win then good but if you lose there is a chance of getting insolvent.

- Upsetting by the time you lose.

- Cheating possibility in the games which could result in large fights.

-The likelihood of increasing prostitution, drugs and alcohol in the area, which is another threat to the safety and security of the people.

-It could also be addictive in a way that you may lose control of your sensibility in cash disbursement which will surely make your life horrible.

Holistic Therapies

Holistic modalities like meditation, yoga, and massage and self-directed recovery pathway are a great complement to conventional addiction treatments. Ideally, they should be employed alongside conventional methods like Cognitive Behavioural therapy)CBT. Holistic therapies encourage healing on all levels for a well-rounded outcome and accelerate your treatment progress. Meditation, for instance, creates a sense of security and mental calm that can help you open up in talk therapy.

*Sophie Vasiliadis, Anna Thomas (2018) "Recovery Agency and Informal Recovery Pathways from Gambling Problems"International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

The study applied a holistic, strength-based lens to better articulate the impetus for, and processes of, informal recovery from gambling problems.

Objectives:

To explore

(a) the process by which gamblers move from recognition of a gambling problem to action for recovery and

(b) the experiences, perceptions and contextual factors that shape the features of this process.

Methods:

A convenience purposive sampling method was used, with participants primarily recruited through newspaper and social media advertisements.

Narrative telephone interviews were conducted with adult residents of Victoria, Australia. Thirty-two adult participants (22 males and 10 females) were recruited from the general community. All participants were self-identified as recovering or recovered from gambling problems. Participants primarily used informal recovery strategies, rather than professional services or support groups. The impetus for informal recovery was identified broadly as either

(a) the dissonance between desired and actual self-image and goals,

(b) an uncontrollable adverse event, or (c) confrontation and decisive action by others affected by the individual’s gambling involvement.

The study achieved its aim to further articulate the impetus for, and processes of, informal recovery from gambling problems. A strength-based approach to data analysis helped to articulate two informal recovery pathways, distinguished by the agency in recovery: externally directed and self-directed. These findings are novel to the gambling field and have meaningful implications relating to informal recovery support.

Conclusion:

The application of a holistic, strength-based lens to the informal recovery process from gambling problems helped to further articulate the impetus for, and processes of, recovery from gambling problems. A new framework is proposed to understand and support informal gambling recovery processes by adults. The framework is oriented on the individual’s personal recovery agency, that is, whether the participant positioned themselves (self-directed), or others or circumstances (externally directed), as the driving agent of the initiation and management of the recovery process. The recovery goal of externally directed individuals was for relief from negative gambling consequences, while self-directed individuals aimed for a positive, non-gambling narrative, including new roles, and meaning through connectedness. These pathways propose a strength-based heuristic with which to understand and support informal and formal recovery processes. These recovery pathways, which have not been articulated in previous gambling recovery literature, generally cohere with pathways articulated in the alcohol and substance recovery literature.