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Staying in Action: The Pathological Gambler's Equivalent of the Dry Drunk

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About the Course

Alcoholics Anonymous refers to the alcoholic who has stopped drinking, but who still demonstrates alcoholic attitudes and behaviors, as a “dry drunk.” Such individuals are said to have abstinence but not sobriety and are considered at risk for relapse. Although the concept of the dry drunk has been adopted by other self-help programs, “staying in action” is an equivalent and arguably more meaningful expression to use for the understanding and treatment of many pathological gamblers. The author discusses covert gambling, mind bets, switching and fusing of addictions, procrastination, risk-taking, and power games; a repertoire of ways in which the individual can remain in a gambling mind-set while technically abstinent. This is a clinical paper, based on the author’s experience, especially in treating the more traditional, action-seeking gamblers.

This course is based on the reading-based online article, Staying in Action: The Pathological Gambler’s Equivalent of the Dry Drunk created by Dr. Richard J. Rosenthal in 2005.

Journal/Publisher

Journal of Gambling Issues

Publication Date:

March 2005, Issue 13

Course Material Author

Dr. Richard J. Rosenthal
Richard J. Rosenthal, M.D., is co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. He co-authored the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, was co-investigator on the first genetic study of gamblers, and has published articles and book chapters on the phenomenology of pathological gambling, its course, complications, and treatment. Dr. Rosenthal was a member of the National Academy of Science's Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of Pathological Gambling. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and in 2004 the National Council on Problem Gambling presented him with their Robert Custer Award.

Dr. Richard J. Rosenthal authored the material only, and was not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Course Creator

Keith Gibson, Ph.D.
Dr. Gibson is a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years in research, clinical and consulting practice. He has also held leadership roles in research administration and program evaluation and more recently has specialized in program evaluation and system analysis. He draws upon his years of expertise as a practicing psychologist, administrator, researcher and technologist to help universities evaluate their programs to implement, meet, and maintain CACREP standards.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially addiction counselors, psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about the pathological gambler's equivalent of the dry drunk. It is appropriate for all levels of participants' knowledge.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. Define the concept of "dry drunk" as it applies to pathological gamblers.
  2. Identify symptom substitutions and behavioral equivalents for recovering gamblers who are no longer actively gambling.
  3. Explain the concepts of lying, cheating, stealing, and flooding as they relate to recovering pathological gamblers.
  4. Discuss the recovering gambler's challenges with boredom, commitment, success, and reality.

Disclosure to Learners

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty: Keith Gibson, Ph.D.

There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

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    To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 75% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation.

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Course Retired
Course Number 101426
2 CE credit hours
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  • Reading-Based Online
Exam Fee $11.94
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