“Others may get their rush from drugs and alcohol, but my high comes from gambling,” writes “Denise” in the October 1999 issue of Essence magazine. In the article she relates her lifelong passion for gambling, and how this passion slowly turned into addiction. Growing up she often played poker with family and friends; after she turned twenty-one, she began making monthly trips to Atlantic City and thrice-weekly trips to Soaring Eagle, a Native American casino three hours away from her hometown of Detroit.

In 1994, a casino opened in Windsor, Ontario, a less than half-hour drive for Denise. She filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

Ironically, Denise works as a psychiatric social worker, helping people with addictions, but only after she hit near- bottom was she able to spot her own problem. After filing for bankruptcy, Denise enrolled in...