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As difficult as it is for some people to understand drug and alcohol addiction in terms of a disease, it's even harder for them to think of problems like sex and gambling as addictions.

The recent admission of actor David Duchovny to treatment for sex addiction got me thinking about those problems, and how broad the term "addiction" has become in its application to certain disorders. Take gambling, for example -- it's even more difficult to understand than sex addiction, I think, because even as a recovering drug addict, my initial response to problem gamblers is to tell them to stop gambling.

But that's being judgmental, so I have to take a step back and look at gambling addiction from the same scientific, biological point of view that I want others to use when looking at alcoholism and drug addiction. Scientific studies have shown that while no physical substance is ingested, a gambling addict gets the same rush as those who might take a drink or a tranquilizer. The physical action of gambling alters the gambler's mood, especially when there's the occasional payoff -- and with the shift in mood comes the same obsessive urge to continue gambling in order to feel that rush once more.

But just as an addict or an alcoholic develops a tolerance for that particular chemical, the problem gambler finds he or she needs more and more to achieve the same emotional effect. That translates into more money wagered (and lost), more time spent at the casino or in the online poker room, more risks taken in hopes of a giant score.

How widespread is the problem? According to statistics from the National Council on Problem Gambling, roughly 2 million adults are estimated to meet the criteria for "pathological gambling" in a given year; another 4-6 million would be considered problem gamblers -- they don't necessarily have a gambling addiction, but gambling has caused them problems. That doesn't mean everyone who buys a scratch card will develop a gambling problem, and it doesn't mean that anyone who pulls a slot lever in Vegas will wind up living out of a cardboard box before the night is over.

But gambling is a very real problem as far as addiction is concerned. Often, it goes-hand-in-hand with other addictions such as drugs and alcohol, and the National Council on Problem Gambling points to a strong link between gambling addiction and suicide. Personally, I've known a few recovering addicts who have gotten caught up in gambling after they've gotten clean from drugs -- what started out as a harmless night of poker turned into an obsession, all because the rush of playing and winning flipped whatever biological switch in their brains that is linked to addiction.

Local treatment programs have long focused on drug and alcohol recovery, but more and more of them are starting to look at treatment for gambling as well. Helen Ross McNabb, which runs the Center Pointe treatment facility in Knoxville for drug and alcohol addiction, even has a Problem Outpatient Gambling Program to help East Tennesseans with compulsive gambling issues.

According to HRM's web site, the program's focus "is to help these individuals reduce or eliminate their gambling behaviors and to develop and implement relapse prevention skills. Treatment is scheduled at a time that meets clients' needs, and usually lasts six to eight weeks but may be extended if needed. Addiction professionals provide group, individual and family therapy. The 12 Steps of Gamblers Anonymous are also integrated into treatment, and arrangements may be made for medical and psychological consultations and 24-hour crisis services. The program also serves the community by providing outreach education on gambling and other addictions. Services are provided regardless of ability to pay."

Speaking of Gamblers Anonymous, the only East Tennessee meeting, according to the Gamblers Anonymous web site (www.gamblersanonymous.org), is right here in Blount County -- at 6:40 p.m. every Thursday night, upstairs in the AROC clubhouse at the corner of Self Hollow Road and Old Knoxville Highway in Rockford.

For more information on Helen Ross McNabb's services, call 637-9711.

Steve Wildsmith is a recovering addict and the Weekend editor for The Daily Times. Contact him at steve.wildsmith@thedailytimes.com or at 981-1144.