Today’s blog entry is from Bobbie Malatesta. Bobbie has been a member of Café RE since February 2020.
Gambling…the Addiction Hidden in Plain Sight
By: Bobbie Malatesta (Café RE UP)
If you’ve met me in the community or heard me share, you probably know this about me. My first drug of choice was gambling addiction. My sobriety followed 999 days later, sort of by accident. When I was preparing to go to Asia with our Recovery Elevator family, I was following the request to have 30 days without alcohol before going to an RE event. For the sake of today’s conversation, the rest is history.
I probably should have ditched the booze when I went to rehab in 2017 for gambling, but I wasn’t ready at the time. A few people actually asked if I was going to treatment for the alcohol or the gambling problem. It wasn’t time for me to quit drinking then, but I am happy to report that I attribute some of the skills I acquired through that journey to helping me stay sober today.
This scenario of being both a problem gambler and drinker simultaneously isn’t unique to me. That’s what prompted me to write this. Although drinking is a substance and gambling is a behavior, they share one important thing in common…they’re both normalized in the world we live in.
Legalized online gambling is in more states now than it isn’t. During that Asia trip, I unknowingly walked into a casino because they directed us there to use the restrooms. At an Recovery Elevator Atlanta meetup, the gas station had five slot machines. While driving through Montana to get to the Recovery Elevator Bozeman Retreat, I saw mini casinos at many of the gas stations along the way.
In every convenience store and grocery store, we can get powerball or scratcher tickets. At work, you can gamble on brackets or join in lottery pools, at fundraisers you can participate in raffles and the list goes on.
Gambling is deeply ingrained in our society, and the problem keeps worsening. I believe I gambled for the same reasons I drank, to numb and escape. Not every person who has or had a challenging relationship with alcohol will have one with gambling, but it is important to shine the light on the possibility.
My intention for sharing my thoughts on this was let you know a couple key points.
- Gambling is everywhere and it can be dangerous
- There are resources and help out there- Facebook communities, podcasts, national and state agencies and so much more.
- We are probably a bit higher risk than those who don’t have addictive behaviors on their resume
- It’s not about the money
It is my mission to raise awareness around problem gambling and if you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 203-565-5646
One of my favorite premises that Paul shares is the concept of identifying the problem. He says in relation to alcohol, that if we are asking ourselves if we might have a problem, then we might have a problem. The people who don’t have the issue, usually aren’t questioning themselves.
I truly appreciate Recovery Elevator for the opportunity to share this message!
With Love and Gratitude,
Bobbie
