Counseling on Addiction - Gambling

Counseling on Addiction - Gambling

Introduction

Compulsive gambling is a highly prevalent addiction; however, it is not as well recognized as several other forms of addictions, like drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, opportunities for gambling continue to grow within the community. With the rapid development of gambling observed in new forms of media, such as the Internet or interactive TV, pathological compulsive gambling is likely to become widespread, affecting many more individuals than it already does. People suffering from compulsive gambling experience an irresistible urge to gamble. As a result, when the bills start to pile up, sufferers are likely to look back and regret their decisions. Most sufferers continue to hide their problem, instead of seeking help. They tend to fear how others will react, knowing they have lost a large sum of money on a game of chance (Gambling Addiction Counseling, 2013). This paper focuses on my observations when I visited a casino in Halifax and Shoe shop bar. I will outline my experiences, and how my observations coincided or differed with what is reported as going on in environments where gambling and alcohol are used under normal (non-addiction) circumstances. I will focus on gambling addiction, which many people can be unaware of as an addiction.

Discussion

My Experience

As the location for my critical reflection on the counseling of addiction, I chose the Casino in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Although I visited the shoe sop bar as well, I will focus on my experience in the casino as I was quite dumbfounded with many things there. During my visit, I observed and evaluated the surroundings, as well as the behavior of the people. In particular, I was trying to spot addictive gambling behavior.

The first thing I noticed when I went to the casino was that security is tight both from the outside and the inside. At the entrance, the casino's security officers requested my identification card to verify my identity and age. Once I was inside I could not help but notice the lighting in the place. It was lit in such a way that it was not dark, yet it was not extremely bright, I sensed the warmth of the welcoming environment, which I found to be exciting and thrilling. I felt an adrenaline rush through my body in response to the bright lights, the overwhelming noises, and the lively and vibrant atmosphere. The lobby was filled with colorful advertisement with bright lights surrounding them, making them standout from a long distance. Inside the casino floor, there was a section reserved for inquiries among other things. The reception was in a strategic place enabling anyone who visited the place to identify the place they could go to whenever they had a question or any other issue. I did not visit the reception because I wanted to blend in as someone who knew what they were doing. However, I did not know anything about gambling or how to spend my time in a ...