Inpatient Gambling Treatment Minnesota
Posted : admin On 4/2/2022Minnesota may have bounteous options for chemical dependency treatment, but when it comes to treatment for gambling addiction, options in the state are much more limited.
“We are the only inpatient gambling-addiction program in Minnesota,” said Sheryl Anderson, program coordinator for Project Turnabout’s Vanguard Program, a Granite Falls-based treatment center with 20 inpatient beds for men and women facing gambling disorders.
Each year the Minnesota Department of Human Services seeks qualified providers to provide treatment for problem gambling, including assessment, treatment, and recovery services to Minnesota residents who have problem gambling or a gambling disorder. Services may include counseling and service coordination to families and significant others. Minnesota’s Problem Gambling Program, a division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, funds inpatient and outpatient treatment, research, a resource library, public education and awareness efforts, in-service training; and a statewide, toll-free, confidential 24-hour helpline at 1-800-333-HOPE. Gambling addiction treatment centers In Minnesota. List of all Gambling addiction treatment facilities - ratings, address, treatment models, maps, websites, and more. Outpatient Gambling Rehab and Treatment Programs. Outpatient gambling rehab and treatment programs can range from groups like Gamblers Anonymous to supervised group settings to continued individual therapy. Much of what can be done on an inpatient basis can also be done within an outpatient setting.
Though just one program may seem small, it’s still big compared to what’s offered in many other states. “There are about 10 gambling-addiction inpatient treatment programs in the country,” Anderson said. “And we are one of only three programs of any significant size.”
Why are there so few options for gambling-addiction treatment? One reason is that gambling addicts often mislabel the disorder as something else, Anderson said: “People blame their problems on relationship issues or financial difficulties. The truth is that gambling addiction causes the relationship issues and financial difficulties in the first place.”
It can also be hard to persuade a person with a serious gambling addiction to enroll in a residential treatment center. Unlike an alcoholic or a drug addict, a compulsive gambler may see his or her addiction as the only way to get out the very problems that the addiction has created.
“An alcoholic would never say, ‘I recognize my problem is drinking, but if I drink a little bit more, my problems will be solved,” Anderson said. “A person who is addicted to gambling will say, ‘Maybe if I gamble one more time, I’ll win big and my problems will be solved.’ As long as there is a little bit of money to scrape together for one more bet, there will always be a problem: No matter how much they win, it is never going to be enough. It just keeps sucking them further and further down.”
Move with urgency
Because there is a general sense of secrecy and shame that surrounds gambling addiction, Anderson said that it takes great strength for a person to come forward and ask for treatment.
When a person addicted to gambling calls Vanguard, admissions counselors try to encourage them to come in for treatment as quickly as possible. Sometimes a person will call for information about the program, and then schedule treatment in two or three weeks, Anderson said, but during that time, their gambling can continue, pulling them deeper into the downward spiral that the addiction creates.
“With those calls,” Anderson said, “it’s important to acknowledge that they are likely in crisis right now if they’ve picked up the phone, so we spend extra time with them, letting them know that we encourage them to come in as quickly as they can. We tell people we understand that it is hard to step away from life, but if they feel the urge to gamble, they don’t have to adhere to their set entry date. They can come in sooner if they need to.”
Compulsive gamblers have high rates of suicide. As they fall deeper and deeper into debt, as their work and personal relationships crumble, some see no other way out of their problems.
“They have the idea that, ‘I’m worth more dead than alive,’ Anderson said. “Very often they try to make their deaths look accidental. The shame and secrecy around this addiction makes for great self-loathing, self punishing attempts at suicide.”
Supported by legislation
Project Turnabout has been in operation for 45 years. The Vanguard program was added in 1991, funded in part through proceeds allocated from a small percentage of unclaimed lottery funds.
“Before Minnesota allowed gambling to be legally part of our state, people in the Legislature really had some foresight and said, ‘We need to make some previsions for some type of treatment for gambling addiction,’” Anderson explained. “The Department of Substance Abuse’s gambling division was established to funnel money into treatment programs.”
Vanguard, which emphasizes affordability for participants (a typical 30-day treatment program runs around $7,500), also offers scholarships for Minnesota residents without funds or insurance coverage. The scholarships are partially offered through a grant from the state Department of Human Services; the rest is made up through fundraising efforts.
The scholarships are needed. “For the most part, people who are at the point in their gambling addiction when they are willing to seek inpatient services have by and large tapped out most of their resources,” Anderson said. “They may still have a job, but just barely. And they tapped into or cashed out 401k.”
Success rates for Vanguard graduates are higher than the national average, Anderson said: “Between 65 to 70 percent of our alumni are successful in working their recovery program. If people follow their after-care plan and continue doing the things that are supporting their recovery, the success rate is even greater.”
Post-treatment surveys report that 83 percent of Vanguard patients indicated an increase in their quality of life after treatment and 88 percent of residential patients stated they felt their needs were met while in treatment.
One key program that supports participants’ continued recovery from gambling addiction is participation in Vanguard’s alumni group.
“It’s called Growth Group,” Anderson said. “Graduates come back here on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. They meet with staff and other alumni, sharing their strengths, struggles and hopes. They also meet with current residents. It is an incredibly valuable experience for people in the midst of their treatment to see people who look and sound just like them, who’ve come out the other side of their addiction. They realize, ‘If he can do it, so can I.’ or, ‘If she can make it, there is hope for me.’ It is really powerful for everyone.”
Get MinnPost in your email inbox:
You can also learn about all our free newsletter options.Read these stories next
Job of her dreams: Wilder Foundation’s Pahoua Yang inspires clients to lead happier, healthier lives
More Mental Health & Addiction articles
The listing contains Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Outpatient treatment centers who have voluntarily applied to be listed on the NCPG website. The directory is not a complete listing of all problem gambling treatment centers, but solely a listing of those Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Outpatient treatment centers that have been approved for a listing on the NCPG website. For more information, please see the complete notice below.
Algamus Recovery Services
8705 E. EastRidge Drive Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
algamus@algamus.org
Ph: 866-GAMBLER
Fax: 928-708-9620
Residential, IOP, OP
Center of Recovery (CORE)
635 Stoner Avenue Shreveport, LA 71101
318-424-4357
Program Type: Residential, IOP
Free by the Sea
25517 Park Avenue Ocean Park, WA 98640
360-214-1981
Program Type: Residential, IOP
Project Turnabout/Vanguard
Inpatient Gambling Treatment Minnesota 2020
660 18th Street P.O. Box 116 Granite Falls, MN 56241
320-564-4911
Program Type: Residential
Union of Pan Asian Communities
3288 El Cajon Blvd, Suite 13 San Diego CA 92104
619-521-5720 ext 313
Program Type: IOP
Williamsville Wellness
10515 Cabaniss Lane Hanover, VA 23069
877-559-Well (9355)
Program Type: Residential, IOP
Centerstone
2311 South Illinoise Ave, Carbondale IL 62901
1307 West Main St, Marion IL 62959
1-877-HOPE123 (877-467-3123)
Program Type: Outpatient
Home - DHS Problem Gambling
NOTICE: The listing contains treatment centers who have voluntarily applied to be listed on the NCPG website. The directory is not a complete listing, of all problem gambling treatment centers, but solely a listing of those treatment centers that have been approved for a listing on the NCPG website. An Annual listing fee of $300 is assessed to each facility listed in the directory. Inclusion on this web site of any entity, product, service or information does NOT constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the NCPG. NCPG is not responsible for the contents of any “off-site” web pages or programs accessed through this site. NCPG does not endorse entities, products or services provided by any such sites or programs. In addition, NCPG does not necessarily endorse or oppose the views expressed by any other entity or website, whether or not linked to this NCPG site. Listing information is compiled by NCPG from information believed reliable and provided by applicants and NCPG state affiliates, but neither the accuracy nor completeness of such information is guaranteed in any way and anyone using the same does so at their own risk. This list is compiled and maintained at the sole discretion of the NCPG, which reserves the right to deny inclusion based on its proprietary criteria.
DISCLAIMER: Listing in the treatment directory must be renewed an on annual basis. Facilities that have not renewed their listing will be removed from the directory. It is the responsibility of the treatment center to provide the NCPG with any changes that may affect their directory listing. In the event that the facility ceases to exist, the NCPG must be notified immediately.
If you are interested in featuring your facility on this page, please email ncpg@ncpgambling.org.