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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright January 2023
For those folks in Kedah who gamble, what do you need to do starting January 2023 to keep up with your addiction?
You may sneak into Penang or Thailand to feed your addiction on weekends. Or you may want to give up gambling altogether just like many of my friends who smoke and choose to give up smoking as a resolution for the year.
It is easier said than done though. Addiction, be it gambling, smoking, drinking or drug abuse, is hard to walk away from - unless you have a strong resolve.
Some people go to rehabilitation centres to get rid of their addiction, paying big money to the experts to get cured. For drug addicts it may take longer than any other form of addiction to be normal again.
Smoking may be easier these days with a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a solution. NRT is a therapy that provides a smoker with a low level of nicotine, minus the tar, carbon monoxide and other poisonous chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
But more importantly, what do we do with compulsive gamblers in Kedah now that gambling is banned for good? Does the state have any plan to help them quit the habit once gambling dens are closed?
Perhaps behavioural therapy may be a good option for those who want to handle their gambling addiction. I can see behavioral therapy clinic emerging in the state starting this year. According to Mayoclinic.org, "Behavioral therapy uses a process of exposure to the behavior you want to unlearn and teaches you skills to reduce your urge to gamble." On the other hand, there is cognitive behavioral therapy which focuses on "identifying unhealthy, irrational and negative beliefs and replacing them with healthy, positive ones."
Perhaps involving the family in these therapy sessions may also be helpful for the addict and their spouses who may eventually become part of their support group.
Meanwhile medication such as antidepressants are known to have helped treat compulsive gamblers.
Anyway, of all the approaches in rehab for gamblers, I am more inclined towards developing self-help groups for compulsive gamblers in every corner of Kedah with assistance from NGOs and religious organisations. From experience, some people often find talking to others who have similar gambling problem helpful as part of treatment.
We may have to start Gamblers Anonymous (GA) throughout Kedah to offer useful assistance to gambling addicts who may suffer from serious withdrawal symptoms as a result of the ban on gambling. Since there is no gambling den to go to, talking to other gamblers at a Gamblers Anonymous might be a good option.
Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) seems to prove successful for many serious alcoholics in the world, so why not Gamblers Anonymous for compulsive gamblers in Kedah?
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