Your Health Matters
Meritus Health

March is the start of college basketball tournament season, sometimes referred to as March Madness.

Not coincidentally, it is also Problem Gambling Awareness Month, tying into the issue of gambling addiction as the brackets get whittled down from 68 teams to two.

A recent Forbes magazine article cited the American Gaming Association which reported adults in the U.S. wagered an estimated $2.72 billion on the men’s and women’s tournaments combined at legal sportsbooks in 2024 — more than twice the amount wagered on the Super Bowl ($1.25 billion).

Sabrina McCauley Shriver, MA, LCPC, NCC, is an outpatient therapist with Brook Lane’s InSTEP program, which focuses on the disease of addiction. Admittedly, much of her work deals with drugs and alcohol problems, but there are characteristics of addiction that are the same, no matter the vice.

“It’s the interesting thing about addiction,” she said. “All substance use behavior follows the same criteria. You’re using for longer durations and at higher levels than what you intended. You have a persistent desire for it, and you are unsuccessful in your attempts to reduce using it.”

She notes those addicted to gambling, much like those addicted to drugs or alcohol, find themselves continuing to gamble despite it damaging areas of their lives, including their jobs and relationships.

“People give up things that are important to them to continue gambling,” she said.

Addiction is a disease

Addiction is classified as a disease, rather than simply a lack of morals or making poor choices, because participation can rewire a person’s brain, she said.

“When you win, you get a rush of dopamine, and you think, ‘This is fun, I want more,’” she said. “Over time, the dopamine doesn’t produce the same level of pleasure. You’re chasing that high, betting more and more.”

Popular culture and advertising can also help reinforce gambling addiction, just like it does booze and dope. Walk through a department store or watch commercials and you’re likely to see something that makes vices look cool, McCauley Shriver said.

Sports book ads are pervasive during sporting events, and they often use the same techniques employed by selling drugs and alcohol.

“The way they get you is to make it seem like it’s not a big deal,” she said. “They say, ‘Sign up and we’ll give you $200 in free gambling bets.’ When the addiction starts, it’s not apparent it’s a problem. But down the line, you’re spending your rent money on gambling.”

Gambling addiction is ‘behind closed doors’

In a certain way, gambling addiction is more insidious than others because it is more easily hidden.

It’s easy to spot someone who is drunk or high, McCauley Shriver said, because they are obviously impaired.

“They’re stumbling around, but with gambling addiction, it’s oftentimes behind closed doors,” she said. “Especially with digital gambling, because we’re all always on our phones, too.”

Chasing the dopamine high also usually signals deeper issues in a person. Often destructive behaviors like gambling, alcoholism and drug use are attached to mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.

“It’s helpful to have people around you who understand that it’s not as easy as just saying, ‘Stop it,’” McCauley Shriver said. “We have to treat the underlying problems as well.”

Treatment for addiction

Mental and behavioral health professionals, such as those at Brook Lane, use cognitive behavioral therapy to help address the thoughts that support addiction and can cause a relapse.

Brook Lane, an affiliate of Meritus Health, offers group and individual therapy designed to identify triggers and thought processes that influence destructive behaviors, McCauley Shriver said.

While professional support helps the addicted person, there are also supports available for the loved ones of addicted people.

What else should family do?

“The main thing is to be supportive, make sure you’re not minimizing the person,” McCauley Shriver said. “What seems like it would not be a struggle for one person is a struggle for another because the brain rewires itself in the process of addiction.”