Sustainability Now! | Dr. Chris Tuell | Sports Gambling Addiciton | 2-17-25

On this week’s Sustainability Now!, in the wake of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9th, your host, Justin Mog, tackles the issue of sports gambling addiction with Dr. Christopher Tuell, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and clinical director of addiction services at UC Health's Lindner Center of HOPE (https://lindnercenterofhope.org/) 4075 Old Western Row Rd. Mason, OH 45040 (1-888-536-HOPE). Sports gambling is one of many socio-cultural forces that drive us toward unsustainable lifestyles, and on today’s program we’ll explore some of the negative impacts, especially here in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley: • Risk of addiction: “Sports betting can become highly addictive due to the thrill of winning and the urge to chase losses, leading to compulsive gambling behaviors,” • Financial losses: “Many bettors underestimate the odds and overextend themselves financially, resulting in significant debt, bankruptcy or long-term financial harm.” • Emotional distress: “Losing bets can lead to anxiety, depression, guilt and frustration, creating a cycle of emotional and mental health struggles.” • Relationship strain: “The financial and emotional toll of sports betting often causes conflicts, secrecy and loss of trust in personal and family relationships.” • Normalization and youth influence: “Widespread advertising and marketing of sports betting normalize gambling and may encourage younger audiences to participate, increasing the risk of long-term gambling problems. Gambling is additionally surfacing in video games for youth.” For help, call the National Problem Gambling Hotline 1-800-GAMBLER or the Suicide Prevention Hotline 9-8-8. Ohio sites that have been created to assist with problem gambling (maybe path for KY?) include: Pause Before You Play: https://pausebeforeyouplay.org/ Time Out Ohio: https://timeoutohio.com/ Change the Game Ohio: https://changethegameohio.org/ https://GamblingHelpOhio.org As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com