Substance and Gambling Addictions Gambling the one addiction that I did not want to write about for this assignment, due to it being the obvious natural choice. However here we are looking at the similarities and differences between getting high on a substance and getting high on betting. Substance abuse goes all the way back to biblical times; we find several instances of it in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The Bible is very clear in many places about being a drunkard as sinful, but what about gambling in the Bible? Some will say casting lots was a form of gambling, though if put into context and the purpose, one would realize it was not gambling, but more so asking God to help intervene and make a decision. I have also heard arguments about the seeking of money or silver as referring to gambling, I cannot say that is true or not, but for me, I do not see concrete evidence of gambling in the Bible. Our text lists a few items where gambling and substance addiction can be compared directly. In comparison both habits grow, gamblers tend to gamble with larger sums of money to maintain the same level of excitement whereas those with a substance addiction take more and more of the substance as their tolerance builds to maintain their high. People who have either of these addictions generally at some point in the addiction have a strong desire to cut back, or control the substance most often unsuccessfully if done on their own. Escape, I do not recall or can I find where this is a common trait for substance addictions, but it is my experience that many people use substances to escape their problems, reality or to numb the pain. Gambling is another form of escaping from one's problems. Fortunately for the gambler, their withdrawal from gambling has no physical effects on them while detoxing off of a substance can make a person very ill and sometimes deadly. The substance abuse often pose a dangerous hazard to others if they decide to operate a motor vehicle, while gambling does not have any risks such as this associated with it. The main differences I see between the two addictions are that substance abuse has both a physical and psychological component whereas gambling primarily has a psychological aspect to it. Both are detrimental to one's self and those around them. I have never had a gambling addiction, even while in Vegas last time I often would walk away from the blackjack table and had no issues of wanting to go back. So it is hard for me to understand the mindset in some capacity of one that has a gambling addiction. I can comprehend the mindset of a substance addict entirely. With knowing that mentality, and those feelings and desires, I can start to form an idea or a picture of what the gambling addict is going through. References Wormer, K. van, & Davis, D. R. (2012). Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective (3rd ed.). Brooks Cole.