Service members are more likely than the general public to become problem gamblers, but screening – and help – is lackingDave Yeager didn’t join the US army to become a pathological gambler. But after re-enlisting as a food inspection specialist in the wake of 9/11, Yeager arrived at his base hotel in Seoul, Korea, feeling overwhelmed and restless. “I’m walking around and find a casino-style slot machine room,” says the 57-year-old former sergeant. “As soon as I sat down, the first thing I noticed was that my shoulders started to relax. Then I won, and it was like a dopamine hit. In that moment, all of the fear and anger and stress that I was feeling just went away.”Suddenly and without warning, a night of gambling here and there became a seven-day-a-week addiction – one that had him phoning home for more money, pawning personal effects and stealing from his unit. When a demotion in rank failed to curb Yeager’s reckless behavior, his bosses threw up their hands. Continue reading…
Service members are more likely than the general public to become problem gamblers, but screening – and help – is lacking
Dave Yeager didn’t join the US army to become a pathological gambler. But after re-enlisting as a food inspection specialist in the wake of 9/11, Yeager arrived at his base hotel in Seoul, Korea, feeling overwhelmed and restless. “I’m walking around and find a casino-style slot machine room,” says the 57-year-old former sergeant. “As soon as I sat down, the first thing I noticed was that my shoulders started to relax. Then I won, and it was like a dopamine hit. In that moment, all of the fear and anger and stress that I was feeling just went away.”
Suddenly and without warning, a night of gambling here and there became a seven-day-a-week addiction – one that had him phoning home for more money, pawning personal effects and stealing from his unit. When a demotion in rank failed to curb Yeager’s reckless behavior, his bosses threw up their hands.
