addictions Archives

Eighty million adults worldwide have a gambling disorder, and online gamblers are estimated to lose $205 billion by 2030. A large percentage of adults with gambling problems had difficult childhoods and started gambling as teenagers. Also, 17.9% of adolescents engage in some form of gambling each year. Gambling addiction is increasing.

Robert Custer was a psychiatrist who, in the 1970s and ‘80s, advocated treating gambling disorder as an addiction. He started the first inpatient treatment program in 1972 and worked with thousands of people facing gambling issues. In 1985, he coauthored a book with Harry Milt titled When Luck Runs Out. He found that few people with gambling problems sought help until they experienced depression and suicidal thoughts. Custer died at age 63, but his efforts helped recognize gambling as an addiction.

During Custer’s era, gambling casinos were mainly limited to Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Now, there are physical casinos across the country and casino apps on phones. Sports betting has been legalized in many states. Video slot machines and mobile gambling options enable people to lose money anytime, anywhere. Gambling addiction is increasing, and it will likely worsen until people understand that, like alcohol and drugs, gambling is dangerous and destructive to families, as well as to physical and mental health. As with alcohol and drug addictions, the key is to avoid it altogether.

Reference: Science News for January 2026, pages 52-54, and sciencenews.org

One of the significant symptoms of today’s decadent society is the massive amount of addiction we see in all age groups, races, and nationalities. Addiction treatment experts have been unsuccessful in dealing with addiction because they have not addressed the root causes of addiction. It is becoming more evident that all kinds of addictions are linked to trauma people have experienced.

Statistics show that more than 40% of people with opioid addiction report some type of childhood abuse or neglect. Of addicted women, 41% report having been subjected to childhood sexual abuse. Other studies have shown that at least 85% of all people who have an addiction have had at least one adverse childhood experience, and the risk increases with each additional experience. There is also a high correlation between PTSD and addiction, with 58% of PTSD sufferers having a substance abuse addiction.

All of the drug therapies and socialization efforts we can offer do not undo the past. We will never stop wars as long as greed and selfishness dominate and humans practice survival of the fittest. Addictions are linked to trauma, and this is where authentic Christianity (not denominational religion) can make a difference. The biblical design of the nuclear family is the best tool we have for most of addiction’s challenges.

Ephesians 5:21-6:4 speaks of submitting to one another in the fear of God. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church, and love them as they love their own body. Wives are told to respect their husbands. Fathers are to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 warns fathers not to provoke their children to anger. As people base their conduct on skepticism, atheism, and naturalism, we can expect addictions to increase.

Following the teachings of Jesus Christ is not only a key to eternal life but also to life on Earth, free of the addictions linked to trauma. Chemicals cannot help people find meaning and purpose in life, but Christ and His Church can.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “New Treatments Address Addiction alongside Trauma” by Maia Szalavitz in Scientific American magazine for October 2024, pages 45-51