• Bettor Choice Programs
• Eligibility for Services
• Reasons for Seeking Help
• Cost of Services
• Treatment Methods & How Treatment Helps
• About the Therapists
• Getting Started in Treatment
• Self-Help Groups
• Contact Information for Bettor Choice Programs

Bettor Choice Programs are gambling-specific treatment programs funded by the State of Connecticut. Services are offered at more than 16 locations in Connecticut through community agencies and the State of Connecticut’s Problem Gambling Services. Most programs offer a variety of outpatient services including: 

Residential Treatment. In addition to outpatient services, brief residential treatment for gamblers is available at Midwestern Connecticut Council on Alcoholism’s McDonough House in Danbury. This treatment option is for gamblers who are unable to reduce gambling between outpatient visits due to overwhelming stress, inadequate support systems or a lack of coping skills. The goal of this five-day program is to prepare clients to benefit from outpatient treatment.  

Eligibility for Services

Any Connecticut resident over the age of 18 whose life has been negatively affected by problem gambling may call for an appointment. Parents, siblings, spouses, significant others, and problem gamblers are all eligible for services.

Reasons for Seeking Help

Some people come simply to get more information. They realize that gambling is causing problems, but the terms problem, pathological, or compulsive gambling are confusing. Others wonder whether they can benefit from our services and want to talk with an expert about treatment options. 

Some know that their gambling is out of control, feel unable to stop and think that no one can help. They seek help to stop gambling and regain control over their lives.

Family members seek help to reduce the impact of problem gambling, improve their lives and take better care of themselves. They also seek help to learn to better manage the bitterness and insecurity of the past and feel more confident about the future. 

Some are recovering problem gamblers with concern about going back to gambling. They understand that periods of stress or personal conflict may jeopardize the day-to day process of recovery. They seek help to talk through problems and develop strategies to successfully continue recovery. 

Cost of Services

Bettor Choice Programs provide services at little or no cost because problem gamblers and their families are often in debt and unable to pay for treatment. As a result we never refuse treatment for financial reasons. Some services are free and others are billed according to income. Gambling debts are often taken into consideration when establishing ability to pay. Medical insurance may cover all or part of the expense.

Your therapist or another Bettor Choice staff person will be able to answer questions about fees and payment arrangements.

Treatment Methods

Individual counseling is the primary treatment method practiced at Bettor Choice Programs. It is a supportive, educational process that helps clients use their own resources to identify, prioritize and address problems. For many clients, the relationship with a therapist is the most important part of treatment. Clients often say that for the first time in their lives, they feel like someone is in their corner. 

Specific Ways Treatment Helps - Treatment helps in many ways such as:

• Defining Future Goals and Directions
  Before entering treatment, compulsive gamblers generally see the future in very short-term ways: “When can I gamble again” or, “how will I get the money to do it?” Spouses and family members may move from crisis to crisis and be unable to plan for the future or consider their own needs. Gambling recovery involves changing attitudes and behaviors; it also requires developing an honest understanding of whom one is and where one wants to go. Having a purpose and a plan assist in abstaining from gambling and regaining control of one’s life. The planning process is an important cornerstone for the work the client and therapist undertake.

• Stopping Gambling
  Perhaps the most important way treatment helps problem gamblers is by giving them the support and tools needed to stop gambling. Stopping can be a complex process that involves the tasks listed below plus a few more, such as coping with urges, eliminating financial pressures, and dealing with gambling triggers.

• Protecting Family Members from Financial Consequences
  Family members are impacted in many ways including damage to financial security and increased money pressures. Spouses and other family members can learn how to manage current financial consequences, prevent the accumulation of new debt, work toward financial stability.

• Learning to Manage Stress
  Problem gamblers and the people who care about them struggle with many sources of stress. Stress can lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness. Treatment helps them recognize the causes of stress and develop ways to reduce and cope with them.

• Adjusting to Life without Gambling
  Most people who seek help with gambling problems will try to remove gambling from their lives. For the gambler, this often means developing new interests and letting go of some old ones. For both the gambler and family members, therapy can be helpful in adjusting to a more healthful lifestyle and finding enjoyment through recovery..

• Developing New Ways of Thinking
  Living with problem gambling often leads to unhealthful ways of thinking. One purpose of treatment is to help gamblers and family members become more thoughtful about what they do and how they do it. Therapy is an opportunity to think carefully about your actions, choices, and options.

• Creating Healthy Relationships
  Problem gambling profoundly affects social and family relationships. As gambling becomes more of a priority, significant relationships receive less positive attention. Deception, breaches of trust, and financial problems may all damage relationships. When a person stops gambling, it is possible to renew caring and trust, even though those closest to the gambler may be angry and distrustful. Therapy can help gamblers and their families rebuild relationships and make them better. 

• Recognizing and Dealing with Feelings
  Gambling replaces emotions or serves as an escape from them. Therapy can help clients deal constructively with feelings, especially in early recovery when negative emotions seem overwhelming. It can help clients learn to identify how they feel, why they feel that way, and what they can do about it. The capacity to identify and use feelings constructively not only helps clients reduce the power gambling has over their lives but also helps them enhance the quality of life and relationships.

• Improving Self-esteem
  Some clients feel guilty, ashamed, or inadequate after years of living with problem gambling. Low self-esteem often is both a cause and a result of living with problem gambling, one that can lead people back to gambling or to a less than satisfactory recovery. Therapy can significantly improve self-esteem by helping clients become more objective about themselves and begin to deal with problems more successfully.

About the Therapists

Bettor Choice therapists are master’s degree level, licensed social workers and counselors, or peer counselors who have both professional and personal recovery experience. Most therapists have more than five years experience treating gambling problems, and many are among the most experienced in New England. 
 

Privacy and Confidentiality
Treatment is strictly confidential. Bettor Choice Programs will not reveal any information about you to anyone outside the treatment program without your permission. However, there are some exceptions:

• Records may be subpoenaed, and/or we may be required to testify in court proceedings.

• We are required to report the abuse of children, elderly people, and mentally retarded people.

• We are required to report any threatened action that may cause harm or injury to you or someone else.

• We will be required to complete insurance forms, including a diagnosis, if you have insurance and want to use it.

All Bettor Choice Programs observe the health-information privacy protection regulations established by the federal government. At your first visit, we will review how your privacy is protected and your rights regarding your health information. 

Getting Started in Treatment

Intake
The first visit is called the “intake.” At intake clients share basic information about themselves, including financial information, and learn more about Bettor Choice services. The initial session is a good time to ask questions about the program, the nature of therapy, or the therapist’s qualifications.

The Assessment Process
The first few sessions after intake are devoted to assessing the client’s current situation, strengths and weaknesses, support network, resources, significant relationships, personal history, and finances.  

Family members may be invited to participate in the assessment process.

As the client shares information he or she will learn more about himself/herself. Areas of life that might have seemed confusing or overwhelming may begin to make more sense and seem more manageable.

After a few sessions, the client and therapist will have developed enough of a picture to take an important step: establishing a plan for treatment.

Treatment Planning
The treatment plan, developed by client and therapist working together, is a statement of the goals, objectives, and methods for recovery.

The treatment plan outlines what the client will work on, how he/she will work on it, and for how long. The plan helps provide a clear path for recovery. Because treatment is a fluid process, the treatment plan may be revised as problems are successfully dealt with or new ones emerge.

The Treatment Process

Treatment is the joining of client and therapist in a kind of partnership for recovery. The therapist’s job is to provide a safe place and an objective ear for the client’s work: to better understand problems, resources, and the kind of changes needed to get better. Once the treatment plan has been developed, client and therapist will set priorities. Ordinarily the most pressing problems are addressed first. Problems are discussed in greater detail, resources are assessed and the client settles on a course of action. Obstacles are discussed and sources of support for progress are identified. Changing behavior is never easy so the process is designed to proceed at the clients pace, and includes time for re-thinking choices and trying alternatives.

Frequency and Length of Treatment
The therapy experience is individualized. Clients and their therapists jointly decide how often to meet, but sessions are usually held once each week for about 50 minutes. Group sessions also meet once each week but for about 90 minutes. How often clients meet with their therapists may change depending on need.  

The duration of therapy depends on several factors, including how much treatment clients need to accomplish their objectives. Clients and their therapists may set a time limit or agree to leave it more open-ended. Together, they will address some problems in short order. Others, such as learning to cope with life problems, can take more time. Clients may choose to end therapy at any time, but they are encouraged to discuss all plans with their therapists. 

Self-Help Groups

The self-help group for problem gamblers is Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.) and Gam-Anon is for family members. These groups are fellowships through which members with similar problems and goals provide mutual support according to a model developed over 70 years ago by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. The program of both fellowships is built around slightly modified versions of A.A.’s “Twelve Steps of Recovery”, and each provides ample opportunities for ongoing support and personal growth.

Individual G.A. groups meet weekly in about 25 towns across Connecticut. Gam-Anon meetings are often held at the same time and same location as G.A. meetings. In Connecticut, not every G.A. meeting has a “sister” Gam-Anon meeting, in part because there are fewer Gam-Anon meetings than G.A. meetings. The meetings of both fellowships are free and open to anyone who has a sincere desire to address gambling-related problems.

For information about meetings near you and to learn more about each fellowship, go to the official web-site for Gamblers Anonymous at www.gamblersanonymous.org and Gam-Anon at www.Gam-Anon.org 

Contact Information for Bettor Choice Programs

You can speak with a gambling counselor or find the nearest Bettor Choice Program, by dialing 860.344.2244. Or you can call one of the programs listed below. When you call, make sure to specify that you are looking for gambling help and information.