Gambling Program (coming soon)

If you’re asking the question, you probably already know the answer. Most people who struggle with gambling addiction spend years telling themselves they can handle it on their own while the financial and relational damage gets worse. Treatment isn’t overkill – it’s the most direct path to stopping the cycle. If gambling is affecting your finances, your relationships, or your mental health, this program is designed for you.

No. The Gambling Addiction Program will be open to anyone struggling with compulsive gambling, whether or not you’re currently receiving other treatment at Lighthouse. Some clients will be addressing both substance abuse and gambling addiction simultaneously, but the program is designed to work as a standalone treatment for gambling.

The program will meet multiple times per week for evening group therapy sessions. The exact schedule will be finalized before launch, but it’s designed to work around employment and other responsibilities. You’ll be expected to attend consistently – this isn’t drop-in support, it’s structured treatment.

Group sessions focus on identifying triggers, challenging the distorted thinking that drives compulsive gambling, developing relapse prevention skills, and learning to manage the emotional states that send you back to betting. You’ll work with others who understand gambling addiction, and the environment is direct – we don’t spend time on theory, we focus on what’s actually keeping you stuck and what needs to change.

GA is peer support – valuable, but not clinical treatment. Our program is led by licensed clinicians and uses evidence-based therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We strongly encourage participation in GA or other recovery communities as a supplement to treatment, but group therapy provides the clinical structure and expertise that peer support alone doesn’t offer.

Relapse doesn’t mean automatic discharge. It means an honest conversation about what happened, what triggered it, and what needs to change moving forward. The structure exists to help you build accountability, not to punish you for struggling. If you’re willing to be honest and keep showing up, we’ll keep working with you.

No. Most people enter treatment while still actively gambling or having recently relapsed. The program is designed to help you stop, not to require that you’ve already stopped on your own. If you’re ready to address the problem honestly, you’re ready to start.

Yes. The program is structured as outpatient treatment, which means you’ll attend group sessions multiple times per week but maintain your work, school, or family responsibilities. The schedule is designed to be compatible with employment.

The program will operate on a rolling basis with clients at different stages of recovery. Most clients benefit from several months of consistent participation, but the exact timeline depends on individual progress and clinical needs. This isn’t a fixed 30-day or 90-day program – it’s structured to provide treatment for as long as you need it.

The program focuses on stopping the gambling behavior and addressing the underlying addiction – we’re not financial advisors and we don’t provide debt counseling. But we do help you develop practical skills for managing money, creating accountability around finances, and learning to tolerate the discomfort of facing financial consequences without gambling to escape them. Part of recovery is being honest about the damage and learning to live with it while you rebuild. We will provide referrals to financial counseling services in applicable cases.