Hamilton, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/12/2016 -- The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) is a non-profit organization that offers support, treatment and hope to New Jersey residents who struggle with problem gambling. Like any addiction, problem gambling is fundamentally a set of behaviors used as an escape or coping mechanism, even at the expense of relationships, work and health. According to Neva Pryor, Executive Director of the CCGNJ, one of the methods by which problem gamblers can begin to recover is to take a closer look at their relationship with intimacy.

During the CCGNJ's 34th Annual Conference on Compulsive Gambling, which took place this past September, addiction specialist Thomas Gagliano gave a presentation on the links between addiction and intimacy. His presentation focused on how people who develop addictions, whether to substances or behaviors like illegal betting for sports in Atlantic City, often do so in part because of a failure to develop healthy intimacy in childhood. He offered conference attendees, many of whom were treatment professionals, resources for helping their clients to heal their relationships with intimacy as part of the recovery process.

On the other hand, intimacy itself - or rather, the search for it - can develop into an addictive behavior. Addictions to dating and sex, for example, can form their own negative cycle for anyone who uses them as a means of escaping or avoiding life's worries. These types of process addictions, as well as substance addictions, can intersect with problem gambling. If so, the CCGNJ can help problem gamblers find the treatment they need for co-occurring addictions.

Those who are struggling with a gambling addiction (like illegal sports betting in the Meadowlands area) in NJ should not lose hope - support is only a phone call or text away. Call the CCGNJ at 1-800-GAMBLER, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for help.

About The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey
The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to helping individuals seek help for their disordered gambling problem, and for concerned friends and loved ones to confidentially express their concerns about someone close to them. Their 24/7 hotline is 800-GAMBLER. The Council also works to train professionals in the fields of gambling addiction and recovery.

For more information, please visit http://www.800gambler.org.