Just be very careful - any addiction is just a symptom of something else that is affecting the entire Self. If it were me, I would begin to focus on my Self - not only gainful employment, but nurturing the part of me that I had to supress over the years due to one issue or another. This could be YOUR time - time for you to discover a hidden talent, pursue a new experience (like art or ceramics!), etc.

Best of luck to you!!!

As a retired Probation and Parole Officer I fully understand what you are going through. I don't know what is worse alcoholism or gambling addiction. I have had clients who sold the family house without letting their wives know. Others resorted to bank robbery to finance their debts or stole huge amounts of money from their employers.

Like alcoholics compulsive gamblers have to hit rock bottom, before they are ready to go for treatment. The question is where is your husband's rock-bottom. This is a matter of values and this is matter of motivation. Once he is threatened to lose one of his rock-bottom values, he may be ready to accept treatment. What is important to him to give up gambling?

In the meantime you have to look after your own interests and I strongly suggest that you get support from a counselling organization. The gambling anonymous (GA) is good one to start, because you will meet people in a similar situation you are in.
The tragedy is that when a person is ready to accept treatment it is very difficult to get the "right" treatment for addictions. Most of the "experts" are at a loss to understand causes of the gambling addiction or any other addiction for that matter. Therapy around drugs and/or psychotherapy has not been very successful.

One theory is that it is a kind of Pavlovian condition which i have explained elsewhere at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/psychotherapy/anxiety_phobias.html#Thegambling...

I have helped many gamblers addiction with a combination of psychotherapy and nutritional therapy, provided they are motivated.

When you test compulsive gamblers with the

The four hour medical Test for Hypoglycemia explained at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/testing_hypoglycemia.html

you'll find that many if not most gamblers test positive for hypoglycemia. This is a Sugar handling disease that interferes with the absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates in food into biological energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

See:

Biological energy called Adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) at:
http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=define%3A+a...

This energy is essential in the production of feel good neurotransmitters, and hence a person with let us say Insulin resistance (leading to the hypoglycemic syndrome) will inevitably be depressed. Stress hormone are likely to bombard his system, leading to a low self-esteem and all sort os "psychological problems".

This can be medically tested with

The four hour medical Test for Hypoglycemia explained at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/testing_hypoglycemia.html

also by a paper-and-pencil test called the

The Nutrition-Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (NBI) at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/nutrition-behavior_inventory.html.

The non-drug treatment for the underlying metabolic disorder is by dietary means under the supervision of e Nutritional Doctor or a Clinical Nutritionist. Of course there may be other metabolic disorders affecting personality, but in my experience hypoglycemia is a major one. I always prefer people to be able to help themselves and this can be done by studying some basic principles of nutritional biochemistry.

The best way is to start off by going on a hypoglycemic diet. Nutritional treatment should be combined with psychotherapy. Again if you cannot afford a therapist it may be worthwhile studying the free psychotherapy course at our web site.

Please read:

What is Hypoglycemia at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html


The Serotonin Connection at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html


Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html

Self-help PSYCHOTHERAPY course at;
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/i-psychotherapy.html
_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.

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