Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Gambling Addiction is spreading like wildfire but people can and do recover On April 10th Arnie Wexler will celebrate 50 years clean from his gambling addiction. He placed his last bet on April 10th 1968 The last bet he made was the New York Mets playing the San Francisco Giants and in the bottom of the 9th the Giants scored 3 runs-- Another loss the last on ! At that time gambling in America looked very different than it does today. Legal casinoswere only in Las Vegas. There was no such thing as Internet gambling. There were no cell phones. There were no credit cards or ATM machines. There weren't any check cashing privileges at racetracks. Off track betting, Simulcasting , or telephone betting did not exist. There were no phones at the racetrack. Only three states had a lottery. Riverboats were a tourist attraction along the Mississippi River (not gambling facilities). There were no toll free 800 numbers to call to buy information on what games to bet on. Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon family groups, only had meetings in a few states. The Superbowl was only in its' second year and there was no Monday night football for gamblers to "Bail out with " ! Today most people in America live within 100 miles of some sort of gambling. Today not only do we have more active compulsive gamblers, then in any other time in our history but we have states addicted to the gambling revenue also. Arnie Wexler one of the foremost experts on the subject of compulsive gambling, and has been involved in helping compulsive gamblers for over 49 years. He has appeared on many of America's top television show, including Oprah, Nightline and 48 Hours,60 Minutes He has been quoted and profiled in hundreds of magazines and newspapers.. Arnie Wexler is a certified compulsive gambling counselor and was the Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey for eight years. He currently works with his wife, Sheila. They run a consulting firm: Arnie and Sheila Wexler Associates. They present workshops and seminars on the subject of Compulsive Gambling Addiction. IF YOU MIGHT LIKE A COPY LET ME KNOW OUR BOOK, GAMBLING ADDICTION AND HOW TO RECOVER FROM IT, " ALL BETS ARE OFF" BY ARNIE AND SHEILA WEXLER AND STEVE JACOBSON In 1984 Presidential Award for Community Service, presented by President Ronald Regan. Internet gambling is sweeping the nation and the world. It is the hottest thing on college campuses. It is easier to place a bet on the internet then it is to buy cigarettes or a can of beer on campuses all over the country. You can get up in the middle of the night and gamble on the Internet in your birthday suit And you don't even have to put gasoline in your car to travel anyplace. In the 49 years that I have been helping compulsive gamblers, I have never seen anything explode like this has. Not everyone who plays, will develop a compulsive gambling problem, but there are those who will get caught up in the craze and then cross that invisible line which will lead to destruction. Since Compulsive Gambling is an impulse disorder, the fact that someone can "play" at any time, day or night and anywhere (home, college dorm or office) increases the chances of the person becoming addicted. Compulsive gambling is a progressive disease, much like an addiction to alcohol or drugs. In many cases, the gambling addiction is hidden until the gambler becomes unable to function without gambling, and he or she begins to exclude all other activities from their lives. Inability to stop gambling often results in financial devastation, broken homes, employment problems, criminal acts and suicide attempts. Arnie has presented workshops and training seminars nationally and internationally. He has trained over 40,000 casino employees and executives and has worked with gaming companies to help formulate Responsible Gaming Programs. In addition, he has done training for Fortune 500 corporations, legislative bodies and on college campuses. He has also done trainings' for the National Football League .And workshops for the N B A The gambler is eventually able to remove themselves from reality to the point of being totally obsessed with gambling. Eventually, they will do anything to get the money with which to stay in "action". They will spend all their time and energy developing schemes in order to get the money to continue gambling. Lying becomes a way of life for the gambler. They will try to convince others and themselves that their lies are actually truths. The effects of compulsive gambling can be devastating. Financially, emotionally and mentally, the gambler as well as the family will be drained of all their energy and resources. The worst thing any family member can ever do is to bail out the compulsive gambler from their financial pressures. Money is the "drug" that the gambler uses. Our society views gambling as "fun and games". For many people, that is the case unless you are an addicted gambler According to a Harvard study a few years ago, 4.67% of young people have a gambling problem. Experts tell us that the earlier a person starts to gamble, the greater the risk of them becoming a compulsive gambler. In another survey, 96% of adult male recovering gamblers' stated that they started gambling before the age of 14. With the internet explosion now we see that the average age of people seeking help for a gambling problem is much younger today. YOU CAN REACH ARNIE AT 954 5015270
Arnie and Sheila Wexler have provided extensive training on Compulsive, Problem and Underage Gambling, to more than 40,000 gaming employees (personnel and executives) and have written Responsible Gaming Programs for major gaming companies. In addition, they have worked with Gaming Boards and Regulators, presented educational workshops nationally and internationally and have provided expert witness testimony. Sheila Wexler is the Executive Director of the Compulsive Gambling Foundation.
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