OMAHA, Neb. -- A drug approved to help alcoholics may help gamblers, too, and a clinical study is under way to see if it works, television station KETV reported.

Psychologists said the hallmark of a problem gambler is someone who chases their losses, often spending more than they have to recoup what they've already lost. "Don" said that's been the case in his 40-year battle with gambling.

"It's always there, and it always will be there. I'm only one bet away," Don said. "For me, it was the horses. But it was the crap games, the card games, the whole nine yards."

Don said all those bets added up to massive debt and misplaced priorities.

"I had a nephew that died. That night, I stayed up and cried, and the thought hit me: 'Why don't you go to the casino?' That's how stupid it is," Don said.

"For the individuals involved, it's very serious," said University of Nebraska Medical Center clinical psychologist Dr. Dennis McNeilly. "The cravings, the urges, the debilitation and the shame and the guilt and all that is fairly similar (across addictions)."

McNeilly said he is interested in the drug Campral, which has shown itself to reduce cravings in alcoholics. During initial trials, scientists discovered an unintended side effect.

"What they also were realizing was that those who also gambled had a decreased urge to gamble," McNeilly said.

The doctor is recruiting people for a yearlong study to see if Campral really reduces the gambling habit.

"I don't think there's going to be a magic bullet, but what I think it will do, and what I anticipate it will do, is help to decrease the cravings," McNeilly said.

Don said he's interested but realistic.

"If this pill will help you to stop gambling, I'm all for it. I may even take a couple myself. What the heck? But the thing is, if you don't change your lifestyle, it's not going to work," Don said.

McNeilly said anti-addiction drugs are likely to be most effective when combined with treatment programs.

Interested participants who are 19 or older and have had recurrent problems with gambling may be eligible for the study. Call 402-552-6005 for more information.