Counseling in African-American Communities : Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues

The gospel brings liberty to men, women, and children bound by every conceivable sin and affliction. Psychology provides a tool for applying the power of the gospel in practical ways. Drawing on biblical truths and psychological principles, Counseling in African-American Communities helps us-Christian counselors, pastors, and church leaders-to meet the deep needs of our communities with life-changing effect. Marshaling the knowledge and experience of experts in the areas of addiction, family issues, mental health, and other critical issues, this no-nonsense handbook supplies distinctively African-American insights on the problems tearing lives and families apart all around us: Domestic Abuse Gambling Addiction Blended Families Sexual Addiction and the Internet Depression and Bipolar Disorder Divorce Recovery Unemployment Sexual Abuse and Incest Demonology Grief and Loss Schizophrenia Substance Abuse . . . and much more

Part 1 ConfrontingAddictionsGambling AddictionSabrina D. Black is the founder and clinical director of Abundant Life Counseling Center, an outpatient mental health facility that emphasizes spiritual values. She is also director of the counseling ministry at Rosedale Park Baptist Church. She is a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Addictions Counselor, and Certified Biblical Counselor with twelve years of experience in individual, family, and group counseling. She has degrees in psychology and counseling. She has expertise in the fields of gambling addiction, sexual addiction and sexual abuse, relational problems due to substance addiction, issues relating to clergy and ministry leaders, marital conflicts and communication, boundaries and spiritual growth, stress, anxiety, burnout, and anger management. She is an active member of the National Biblical Counselors Association, American Counseling Association, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. In addition to doing mental heath counseling, Black serves as adjunct faculty at several universities, is an overseas missionary, and is making a local and global impact in the world. She is a national and international speaker for conferences, retreats, and workshops. Black lives in Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Warren José Black. They have a son, Kenyae, and two grandchildren, Armonte and Zari.The poster caught my attention: “You don’t have to do drugs to get hooked by a dealer. Compulsive gambling can be every bit as destructive. It’s not just cards either. It’s the track; it’s pull-tabs, the lottery, and every other kind of gambling. They can cost you your savings, your house, even your family. This is one addiction where the cops may not bust you, but the dealer might” (Minnesota Department of Human Services 1992). In 1976 approximately 1.1 million people in the United States were probable compulsive gamblers. This figure represented less than 1 percent of the population. Yet the mental health community did not officially diagnose and take seriously this excessive problem until 1980. That was the year that measurable characteristics for diagnosing gambling addiction were presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3d Edition (DSM-III 1980). How many individual lives and families do you suppose had been devastated by then? Yet more than twenty years later, and though many people have been awakened to the addictive cycle involved with gambling, the church is still asleep. The church has been lulled into thinking it is “those people out there,” not the members of our own congregations. Those in bondage (including Christians) will com-promise their values and their biblical principles. They may even seek benevolence (money from the church) to pay their overdue bills as a bailout from financial devastation.This chapter will provide education and awareness of this escalating problem. It will also include information to equip the church to make a proper assessment and referral or to do an intervention.WHAT HARM CAN REALLY BE DONE?Many believe that gambling is the economic salvation of a city. Others argue that it will lead to degradation. Some rationalize that having more jobs, an increased tax base, and money for schools and community groups makes gambling a great opportunity. However, when we look at gains versus losses wherever gambling is prevalent, we see that the odds are never in the favor of the community or the individuals living there. Consider those across the country who have lost much and still believe they can parlay their last dollar into a dream. Consider the impact on Mabel, Donna, or the friends and family of Jihad.For the past nine weeks, except for the week that she was in the hospital for inflammatory arthritis, Mabel (not her real name) faithfully attended the Friday night bingo games. Most of the women in her auxiliary played. Since her husband’s death two years ago, she was lonely and tired of being home alone. She looked forward to seeing her friends at their favorite table in the fellowship hall and playing her lucky board. Like the other ladies, Mabel was happy that they could help the church raise money for the new playground. She didn’t even mind when she lost, because the money was going to a good cause. When the church offered free transportation to the casino on Saturdays, Mabel’s group was the first to board the bus. She could now get back the money she lost playing bingo and win even more on the slot machines. This was now her third trip, and she had big donation plans, despite the fact she had already lost $3,700. In less than three months, Mabel’s weekend outings had cost her more than she could afford. She was certain it would only take her a few more trips to win back her savings. According to her, things were going fine—until her daughter-in-law found out. Mabel couldn’t believe that her family thought she had a problem. Why would they think she was a gambler?WHAT IS GAMBLING?Gambling is any behavior that involves the risking of money or valuables on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event that is partially or totally dependent on chance. The words game, gamble, gambler, and gambling derive from the Old English gamen (game) and gam(e)man (to sport or play or to game). According to Rogers (1997), “Not all games are gambling, but all gambling is fundamentally a game” (p. 16). Thus, the following definitions are put forth:• Gambling—to play a game of CHANCE for money or other stakes.• CHANCE—the absence of cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled.• Gaming—a form of entertainment where simulated games of CHANCE take place but where the outcome is not predictable, understandable, or controllable.It is possible to win a bet, to have winning days, and in extremely rare cases to have winning years; but over any considerable period of time, the statistical probabilities dictate that everyone must lose! Whether gambling or gaming, a person still doesn’t have a chance. Consider the following list of activities. Can you tell the difference between gambling and gaming? (See table on next page.)According to Rogers (1997), Dr. Samuel Johnson in the Dictionary of the English Language (1755), gives no noun use for gamble, but gambler is defined as “a knave whose practice it is to invite the unwary to game and cheat them.” To game was defined by Johnson as “to play wantonly and extravagantly for money.”This would describe the behavior of many in our culture. Current statistics show that 3–4 percent of the U.S. population, a little over 10 million people, can be identified as problem, compulsive, or pathological gamblers.

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