logo
Deaddiction centres in Hyderabad reassess therapies to tackle betting, gambling addicts

Deaddiction centres in Hyderabad reassess therapies to tackle betting, gambling addicts

Time of India15 hours ago
Hyderabad: In a quiet room at a city rehab centre, a 19-year-old sits across from a therapist recounting how he blew through Rs 14 lakh borrowed from friends and family, on a cricket betting app.
He spent six months in rehab but relapsed shortly after.
Today, he is buried under a Rs 40 lakh debt.
Behavioural addictions like betting or even online gaming and pornography, once considered mild and treatable through outpatient counselling, have turned into severe crises now, say city psychologists. With caseloads increasing, they add how they are also reassessing treatment processes.
You Can Also Check:
Hyderabad AQI
|
Weather in Hyderabad
|
Bank Holidays in Hyderabad
|
Public Holidays in Hyderabad
'Unlike in cases of substance abuse, we cannot put such patients in confinement,' said Praveen Kearl, a de-addiction therapist and founder of the Corner Stone deaddiction centre.
'So, we use different types of therapy which breaks the habit loop that keeps people addicted. We also use cognitive behavioural therapy, gestalt (focusing on the present) therapy, etc to help them understand their triggers and change their behaviour.
'
Gamblers Anonymous
But Kearl maintained that recovery takes time and relapses are common. 'In order to support long-term recovery we are setting up support groups like Gamblers Anonymous or Sex Addicts Anonymous, where they can find community support.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years
IC Markets
Learn More
Undo
According to therapists, the average age group of behavioural addicts is between 12 and 25 years. The treatment usually spans three to six months.
Allowing parents to stay
'Since many of them are teenagers, we allow parents to stay with the child under the parental care model if the case is severe. Even short stays improve recovery outcomes,' said Siddharth Zaveri, from Zorba Rehabilitation Centre. 'Some suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), others from low self-esteem.
We use group sessions, individual therapy, and emotional regulation. If they hang on, they come out stronger,' he added.
Reiterating how parents are being involved in the process, Gideon Surya Rao, founder of Living Sober, who has about 14 young addicts of behavioural addiction, said, 'Parents often think it's 'just a phase'. But by the time they reach us, the child is anxious, isolated, sometimes even hallucinating.
For instance, a 15-year-old porn addict who locked himself in his room and stopped speaking. When his phone was taken, he hallucinated the same content.
He eventually lost partial eyesight due to obsessive behaviour and stress.'
He said that many of them are now raising awareness among parents, through drives in educational institutions, to help them identify early signs of addiction among their children.
Post-pandemic surge
Experts say that the pandemic triggered a surge.
As schools went online and screen time soared, many teens turned to the internet for escape. The pattern stuck even after the lockdown ended. The problem is only getting more complex, with young people constantly finding new ways to stay hooked, other experts shared.
'Students are now connecting online and offline, engaging in group video watching sessions and multiplayer gaming on various platforms. In one incident, a school had to ask parents to delete their children's accounts.
But how closely can parents or teachers realistically monitor them all the time?' said Devaki Rani, counsellor at Phoenix De-addiction and Counselling Centre.
She stressed the need for early intervention through awareness-based school programmes and family counselling. 'Digital boundaries, media literacy, and structured routines at home play a huge role. But more importantly, emotional needs must be addressed.
Children usually don't develop these behaviours without a trigger; there's often an underlying emotional need or stressor that pushes them toward such addictions,' she said.
'I'm currently seeing nearly 30 behavioural addiction cases a month, up from just 5 or 6 three years ago. What has worked best for us is the motivation enhancement model alongside regular counselling. If the individual is genuinely distressed by their behaviour and adheres to the therapeutic plan, recovery is achievable. We track the number of days they remain addiction-free and use that as a positive reinforcement tool to sustain motivation,' said Dr C Pradhyumma, psychiatrist at Mallareddy Narayana Hospital.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scientists are freezing human poop in a vault — here's why?
Scientists are freezing human poop in a vault — here's why?

Time of India

time34 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Scientists are freezing human poop in a vault — here's why?

In a bizarre effort to safeguard humanity's health for centuries to come, scientists in Switzerland are freezing human feces. No, it's not a joke. The initiative, called the Microbiota Vault , is based at the University of Zurich and aims to preserve the rich diversity of microbes found in human guts. With more than 1,000 samples already stored at a bone-chilling –80°C, this "doomsday vault" is being treated with the same urgency and importance as the famous Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway. The ultimate goal? To shield future generations from the health consequences of vanishing microbiomes. Why scientists are freezing human poop Launched in 2018, the Microbiota Vault aims to collect 10,000 human fecal samples by 2029. These aren't just any samples—they are being sourced from diverse populations across the globe to capture a wide spectrum of gut microbes. Alongside human waste, researchers are preserving around 200 types of fermented foods and plan to include environmental microbes as well. Why all the urgency? Scientists warn that modern lifestyles, characterized by processed diets, antibiotic overuse, industrial agriculture, and climate change, are causing a dramatic loss in microbial diversity. This decline is linked to rising rates of allergies, autoimmune disorders, and chronic illnesses. By freezing today's microbial richness, the team hopes to offer future generations the ability to restore healthy gut ecosystems, much like how seeds stored in Norway's vault could someday revive extinct crops. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dubai's Next Icon: Experience Binghatti Aquarise Luxury Binghatti Developers FZE Learn More Undo Preserving health and healing ecosystems The project isn't just about saving human health. It could help heal the planet too. Researchers believe that microbes stored in the vault could be used in future ecological restoration projects or to replenish depleted soils. The vault currently holds over 1,200 fecal samples and 190 fermented food specimens from countries including Brazil, Ethiopia, Thailand, and Ghana. Kept at cryogenic temperatures, these samples may one day become key resources for medical research, personalized probiotics, or even rebuilding entire microbial communities in the wake of pandemics or climate disasters. Just like seeds protect our food future, these microbes may protect our biological one.

37 lakh dog bites in a year: Karti Chidambaram raises alarm about dangerous surge, says we can't ignore this any more
37 lakh dog bites in a year: Karti Chidambaram raises alarm about dangerous surge, says we can't ignore this any more

Time of India

time44 minutes ago

  • Time of India

37 lakh dog bites in a year: Karti Chidambaram raises alarm about dangerous surge, says we can't ignore this any more

Karti Chidambaram raises concerns about increasing stray dog menace in India. Over 37 lakh dog bite cases reported in 2024. The Centre provides financial aid for anti-rabies vaccines. Karnataka and Kerala witness a surge in cases. Bengaluru plans to feed stray dogs for easier sterilisation. Kerala to launch sterilisation units and awareness campaigns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday voiced serious concern about the escalating threat posed by stray dogs across India, following alarming data shared by the Centre in Parliament. According to a written reply by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel, over 37.17 lakh dog bite cases were reported across the country in 2024, along with 54 suspected human rabies the issue on X (formerly Twitter), Chidambaram, the Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga constituency, said, 'We can't ignore this any more! #Streetdogs.'The data, collected by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the National Rabies Control Program, reveals a concerning trend in public health. The minister added that financial assistance is being provided to states and union territories under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme for procuring anti-rabies vaccines, which includes doses for stray rabies being completely preventable with prompt and full post-exposure prophylaxis, India continues to account for 36% of global rabies deaths, amounting to an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 fatalities annually, with children under the age of 15 being the most vulnerable. The Centre has set an ambitious target to eliminate rabies by like Karnataka and Kerala have witnessed significant spikes in dog bite cases. Karnataka alone reported over 2.3 lakh incidents and 19 rabies deaths in the past six months, while the total number of cases for the year 2024 stands at 3.6 lakh dog bites and 42 in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has unveiled a Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed approximately 4,000 stray dogs. The civic body stated that feeding helps in easier capture of dogs for sterilisation and vaccination, enhancing the success of animal birth control and anti-rabies is also taking aggressive steps to address the crisis. The state government plans to launch mobile sterilisation units across 152 blocks and has approved euthanasia of severely ill stray animals, as announced by Local Self-Government Minister M B four children in Kerala have succumbed to dog bites since April this year despite receiving the anti-rabies vaccine , underscoring the gravity of the situation. The minister informed that 158 trained personnel from the Animal Husbandry Department have been deployed for catching stray the Kerala Health and Education Departments are set to launch a statewide awareness campaign in government and aided schools starting June 30, aiming to educate children and communities about rabies prevention and safety around stray dog bite cases surge and rabies continues to pose a deadly threat, calls for immediate and coordinated action across states have grown louder, with lawmakers and citizens urging effective policy, awareness, and infrastructure to tackle the stray dog menace.

'Die Hard' star Bruce Willis has gone nonverbal, does not remember his time in Hollywood
'Die Hard' star Bruce Willis has gone nonverbal, does not remember his time in Hollywood

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

'Die Hard' star Bruce Willis has gone nonverbal, does not remember his time in Hollywood

The beloved actor Bruce Willis , who is known for his roles in the 'Die Hard' franchise, 'The Sixth Sense', 'Armageddon' and many more, stepped away from the limelight 3 years ago. The actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, after which he chose to stop acting and focus on his health. In a new, rare update about the actor, it has been revealed that due to his condition, he has now become nonverbal. Bruce Willis update about his health The actor's daughters, loved ones, as well as friends have all actively been sharing updates about Willis online. In a recent report from The Express, it has been revealed that ever since the star's diagnosis, his health has deteriorated. This has resulted in him going nonverbal, while also facing difficulties with basic motor function. A statement from the report read, 'Bruce, 70, is said to have become largely non-verbal and is reportedly experiencing motor difficulties, though no specific details about his mobility have been confirmed by his family in recent months'. The report also shared that the actor is no longer able to speak or read. Along with that, he has possobily forgotten his days in the Hollywood industry from the 90s to 2000s as well. The last update about the actor's health came in April earlier this year when his family issued a statement saying that he is considered to be stable as of right now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo About Bruce's illness In 2022, the action star was diagnosed with aphasia and later on dementia, both of which affect a person's ability to communicate. According to the Cleveland Clinic, frontotemporal dementia 'causes parts of your brain to deteriorate and stop working. Depending on where it starts in your brain, this condition affects your behaviour or ability to speak and understand others'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store