FORMER SAN DIEGO MAYOR MARINE O'CONNOR'S BILLION DOLLAR GAMBLING ADDICTION SHOCKED MANY PEOPLE.
AS PART OF A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT SHE'LL STH TO REPAY ABOUT TWO MILLION DOLLARS AND SEEK
TREATMENT. GAMBLING ADDICTION HAS AFFECTED MANY SAN DIEGO
FAMILIES OVER THE YEARS. WE'RE JOINED BY DAVID PETERS TO TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THE SIGNS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING. SO NICE TO MEET YOU.
GIVE US A SENSE, YOU'RE A FAMILY THERAPIST AND GAMBLING IS JUST ONE O THE MANY ADDICTIONS.
>> >>DAVID PETERS: ONE OF THE MANY ADDICTIONS THAT CAN TEAR A FAMILY APART.
PEOPLE CAN COME INTO MY OFFICE FOR MARRIAGE COUNSELING, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND I'LL
FIND OUT THAT ONE OF THE SPOUSE'S HAS A GAMBLING ADDICTION, OR THE TEENAGE SON HAS A GAMBLING
ADDICTION. YOU THINK THEY'RE COMING IN FOR ONE THING
AND AFTER YOU REAL DIAGNOSE THE SITUATION, THERE'S ANOTHER CORE ELEMENT THAT HAS TO BE
TREATED. >> >>DWANE: HOW WIDE SPREAD WOULD YOU SAY
THE PROBLEM IS COMPARED TO OTHER BIG CITIES? >> >>SCOTT PETERS:
>> >>DAVID PETERS: IT'S HARD TO SAY. CERTAINLY PEOPLE IN THIS POPULATION ARE MORE VULNERABLE.
NOW WITH INTERNET ANYBODY WHO HAS A COMPUTER HAS ACCESS TO GAMBLING Y.TREAT MORE PEOPLE
WHO GAMBLE ON THE INTERNET. >> >>DWANE: SIMILAR TO O'CONNOR, NOW HER ATTORNEY
SAID THAT SHE HAD A BRAIN TUMOR THAT LEAD TO THE ADDICTION.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ROOT CAUSES OF GAMBLING ADDICTIONS?
>> >>DAVID PETERS: WELL, ADDICTIONS AND COMPULSATIVE BEHAVIORS CAN BE CAUSED BY A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE COMMON TO ADDICTS.
SOME OF THOSE ARE ROOTED IN GENETICS, SOME ARE ROOTED IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT.
EARLY CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS, ABUSE, NEGLECT SITUATIONS, UNRESOLVED GRIEF SITUATIONS CAN LEAD TO ADDICTIVE
OR COMPULSATIVE BEHAVIORS. BECAUSE A PERSON INADVERTENTLY LEARN FZ I
TAKE THIS DRUG OR ACT THIS WAY, I CAN CAUSE AN EMOTION THAT COUNTER ACTS THE DEPRESSION
OR THE ANXIETY OR THE PAIN I'M HIDING UNDERNEATH. NOW, IN TERMS OF A BRAIN TUMOR, VERY, VERY
DIFFICULT TO STATE IF IT'S FACTUALLY TRUE OR NOT.
I DON'T KNOW MS. O'CONNOR'S CASE AT L.A BRAIN TUMOR CAN CAUSE NUMEROUS CHANGES IN BRAIN
FUNCTIONING AND CHANGES IN PERSONALITY. BUT IT'S VERY UNPREDICTABLE BECAUSE THE BRAIN
IS A COMPLEX UNIT. OUR BEHAVIOR IS GOVERNED BY MANY DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE BRAIN. SO, WHILE IT'S POSSIBLE, I THINK IT WOULD
BE VERY DIFFICULT TO PROVE. >> >>DWANE: OUTSIDE OF A BRAIN TUMOR, WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS THAT A PERSON MIGHT EXHIBIT WITH A PROBLEM?
>> >>DAVID PETERS: MOST PEOPLE WITH GAMBLING ADDICTIONS OR COMPULSIONS ALSO HAVE A HAVE
ALCOHOLISM, NICOTINE ADDICTION, DRUG ADDICTION, MAYBE A AN EATING DISORDER.
THESE COME IN CLUSTERS. THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH WHAT WE CALL ADDICTIVE
PERSONALITIES. BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.
SOMETIMES IT'S SOMEONE WHO'S JUST REALIZED THERE'S A GOOD THRILL TO THE GAMBLING AND
WHAT HAPPENS IS IN GAMBLING IS YOU GET A HIT OF DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN, AND DOPAMINE'S THAT
NEUROTRANSMITTER THAT MAKES US FEEL GOOD, ON THE RARE CHANCE THE CHARGERS WIN A PLAYOFF.
THAT DOPAMINE MAKES US FEEL GREAT. IN GAMBLING YOU CAN FEEL THAT DOPAMINE HIT
WHEN YOU WIN. THAT ELEMENT ITSELF CAN BE ADDICTIVE.
>> >>DWANE: NOW IS THIS CONSIDERED A MEDICAL PROBLEM? IS ADDICTION A MEDICAL PROBLEM OR
IS IT SOMETHING ELSE? >> >>DAVID PETERS: WELL, MEDICAL PROBLEMS,
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS ARE VERY OVERLAPPED, AND IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO REALLY PULL
THEM APART. WHAT HAPPENS IN MY MIND HAPPENS IN MY BRAIN.
I TEACH MY CLIENTS U ABOUT BRAIN NEUROLOGY. I SAY WITH YOUR COMPULSION OR YOUR ADDICTION,
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TIMES WHERE YOU GET REALLY AROUSED AND YOU CAN'T STOP.
THE REASON IS BECAUSE CERTAIN NEURONS IN THE BRAIN FIRE TOGETHER IN A NETWORK AND NEURONS
THAT FIRE TOGETHER WIRE TOGETHER. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT ONCE YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT
IT, ONCE YOU'VE FELT THE TEMPTATION, IT'S HARD TO SHIFT LEFT OR RIGHT OR TO GET U OUT
OF THAT BEHAVIOR. WHAT I TRAIN MY CLIENTS TO DO IS TO BE BETTER
OBSERVERS OF THEIR EMOTIONAL STATE, OF THEIR THOUGHTS.
SO THAT THEY CAN THEN SHIFT LEFT OR RIGHT AND NOTE I'M ALMOST GOING TO DO THIS, AND
THEN THEY KNOW, OKAY, CALL SOMEONE, WRITE IN MY JOURNAL, LET ME GET OUT AND GET SOME
EXERCISE Y.WEANT WANT THEM TO NOTE IT AND MAKE A SHIFT BEFORE THEY GET INTO THE ADDICTIVE
BEHAVIOR 92 WE'VE. >> >>DWANE: WE'VE GOT ABOUT 30 SECONDS.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY HAS MORE CASINOS THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE STATE.
>> >>DAVID PETERS: CASINOS DO CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO THE CENTERS THAT HELP GAMBLING ADDICTS.
BUT THIS BECOME AS PHILOSOPHICAL CHALLENGE FOR THE SOCIETY, REALLY.
I THINK WHENEVER YOU HAVE CASINOS EASILY AVAILABLE, PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR
ARE GOING TO GO THERE, LOSE TONS OF MONEY, WIPE OUT THEIR FAMILY INCOME, AND THEIR FAMILIES
THEMSELVES. IT'S A DEBATE WE SHOULD ALL HAVE.