GAMBLER NEWS

(Newser) – A former New York attorney is suing seven casinos for $20 million, claiming they helped woo her to the tables, and let her continue to play and lose despite an obvious gambling addiction.

Workers at Atlantic City and Las Vegas gambling dens should have stopped her from blowing $1 million and destroying her career, she argues. “They knew I was going for days without eating or sleeping,” she told AP. “I would pass out at the tables. They had a duty of care.”
Casino executives deny they are to blame, and an industry spokesman said workers are trained to spot problem gamblers and refer them to help—and gamblers can arrange to have themselves barred from casinos.
The former lawyer is facing criminal charges for stealing from clients, and she owes the IRS $58,000. “People say, ‘You enjoyed yourself and now you want your money back.’ They think gambling is fun. It isn’t, believe me—not when you get like I did,” she said.

Eat Your Way Out of Addiction: Experts
Economist Oct 17, 08 8:14 PM CDT in Glossies, Science & Health

(Newser) – Good grub may be enough to rewire an addict’s brain. The trick is to serve up meals that revive pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters disrupted by addiction, neuroscientists say.
Foods as simple as steak, milk, and nuts can boost the brain’s production of serotonin or glutamine, both of which help addicts recover. But drug treatment centers are yet to catch on, the Economist reports.
More trials are needed, experts say, to test the link between nutrition and addiction—and so far they are not forthcoming.
Drug companies are unwilling to pay to study an idea they cannot patent, and many governments give addicts little more than rhetoric. Luckily, an Oxford scientist is toying with diets in three prisons to see what evidence he can cook up.

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