New book explores Jews and compulsive gambling
Jews may not gamble more than other members of society; but, according to Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., “The Jewish family is the worst offender in trying to keep [a gambling problem] under cover. No other group treats it as such a shanda [shame] or bails out its family members so readily.”
But, he added, “It’s a mistake. It never works.”
Bailing a compulsive gambler out by paying off his debts just prolongs and intensifies his problem. It shields the addict from the painful consequences of his actions, which could provide a powerful incentive to address the compulsion.
Twerski spoke by telephone about his latest book, “Compulsive Gambling: More Than Dreidle” (Mirkov Publications, Inc., 134 pages, softcover $14.95), which seems to suggest that Jews are more susceptible to compulsive gambling than other ethnic or religious groups.
“It’s a little difficult to get access to statistics, but if you go into casinos you will see many yarmulkes there,” he said.
When alcoholics and drug addicts first started to seek help from Milwaukee native Twerski, he began to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he said in a telephone interview with The Chronicle, from Israel.
“I had no training [in treating addicts],” Twerski said. “Doctors have not been taught about addictions in medical school, so I went to AA meetings to learn about alcoholism from recovering alcoholics.”
Later, when compulsive gamblers sought his help because of his experience with addictions, he turned to a similar source for knowledge about gambling, Gamblers Anonymous.
For all of these addictions, Twerski said, psychotherapy is not enough. The addict must have a support group, as must his or her spouse. In fact, the addict who wants to recover should find a support group first and then give up the gambling. Only then will it be useful to use psychotherapy to address the underlying causes of the addiction.
Twerski, 76, who now resides in Monsey, N.Y., and Efrat, Israel, is, according to the Judaism. com Web site, “one of our generation’s most eminent interpreters of the Torah’s teachings regarding self-control and self-improvement.”
“He is a psychiatrist, an ordained rabbi, and founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center” with several facilities in the Pittsburgh area and one in Youngstown, Ohio, which, he said, help 7,500 people at any given time. A prolific writer, he has written more than 50 books.
Internet gambling
Milwaukee psychotherapist Edward “Ned” M. Rubin, Psy.D., also specializes in addiction. A Boston native who originally came to Milwaukee in 1968 to earn a master’s degree in psychology from Marquette University, Rubin told The Chronicle that he has not seen a disproportionate number of Jews in his practice.
“Jews tend to be better off from an economic perspective so we may have a higher opportunity, or we may simply be exposed more. But there is not necessarily a cultural or genetic predisposition,” Rubin said.
“Among Jews in particular, I don’t see a problem with gambling, but I do see it with alcohol and drugs. Some of the protective factors [formerly present among Jews] have fallen away. Seeing people drinking moderately is a protective factor. That has changed over time for Jews [who have become] more affluent and less affiliated,” Rubin said in a telephone interview.
But the Internet has opened up more avenues for getting into gambling, Rubin said, noting that “now you can gamble at home in your underwear.”
And, he said, it’s a bigger problem for adolescents than adults. There is a lot of sports gambling and now, with Texas Hold ‘Em on cable television, “potential gamblers may get curious.”
Teens and gambling
When asked whether parents should discourage their teens from playing poker, both Twerski and Rubin agreed that that wasn’t necessary as long as parents stay aware of the stakes involved.
“On the face of it, it’s not a bad thing to do,” Rubin said. “It’s social. You know where [your kids] are. We just have to learn to manage it.” He would be concerned, he said, only if his child suddenly had less money available or a lot more money.
“It’s a close parallel to alcohol,” Twerski said. A little wine on Shabbat is fine, but if an adolescent starts to have beer parties with his friends, that should raise his parents’ apprehensions.
“You need to keep an eye on it. Gambling is seductive and kids are risk takers. What kind of money are they playing for? If a 16-year-old can walk away with a pot of $85, that’s way too tempting,” Twerski said.
“Compulsive Gambling: More Than Dreidle” offers a concise, readable discussion of the varieties of gambling, the nature of addictive thinking, a portrait of a compulsive gambler, theories about compulsive gambling and its treatment, recovery and a number of personal stories, among other topics.
It also includes an appendix containing a recommended reading list and a list of organizations to contact for help.
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