Which comes first

Both directions happen. Some people gamble to manage low mood, restlessness or anxiety, and the gambling becomes its own disorder. Others develop depression and anxiety because of the losses, the secrecy and the shame. By the time someone reaches treatment, it usually does not matter which came first; both need attention.

Depression

Gambling can act as a stimulant for a depressed mind. The action feels like relief. When the money runs out, the depression is still there, now with debt on top. Gambling-related losses are also a known risk factor for suicidal thinking. If you are having thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 now.

Anxiety

For some, betting is a way to feel in control of uncertainty. For others, the anxiety is a product of hiding losses and waiting for the next statement. Either way, anxiety drives chasing, and chasing drives losses.

ADHD

Impulsivity, the pull toward stimulation and difficulty with delayed reward all raise the risk of gambling problems, and fast-paced products like slots, live betting and prediction markets are especially hard for an ADHD brain to put down. Treating ADHD, including medication where appropriate, can make gambling recovery more durable.

Substance use

Alcohol and gambling often travel together, and one can substitute for the other in early recovery. Our clinicians will screen for substance use at assessment. Where a substance use disorder is present, it will be treated alongside the gambling, not deferred.

How Outpost will handle co-occurring conditions

Every client will receive a full clinical assessment. Our planned programs will include psychiatric evaluation and medication management where needed. Therapy will address the gambling and the underlying condition together, because that is what the evidence supports. Learn more about our planned residential and outpatient programs.

Frequently asked questions