Pathological Gambling And Alcohol Addiction World Wide

“Current estimates suggest that three percent of the adult population will experience a serious problem with gambling that will result in significant debt, family disruption, job losses, criminal activity or suicide. Pathological gambling affects the gamblers, their families, their employers and the community. As the gamblers go through the phases of their addiction, they spend less

Most people are unaware of the health and psychological effects that gambling addictions can produce. Some outward health problems that

The measure includes 21 items which make up three different sub categories: psychosocial problems caused by the behavior (13 items; e.g., interpersonal or financial difficulties), im- paired control (3 items; spending more time or money on the activity than intended, intention to cut down or quit), and other addiction-related characteristics (5 items; e.g., craving, preoccupation). A higher score on this measure indicates a more severe behavioural addiction, and vice versa. Internal consistency for the scale varied depending on the year and the specific behaviours but consistently demonstrated high values ranging from .77 to .92.

One study that supports the use of the ASI outside of drug addiction is Nancy Petry’s article “Concurrent and predictive validity of the Addiction Severity Index in pathological gamblers”. The purpose of this study was to gather the information through the ASI and evaluate psychometric properties in pathological gamblers seeking treatment. The ASI measured the seven domains effected by abuse or addiction: Social interaction, mental health, employment, health and well-being, alcohol or drug abuse, criminal behavior, and relationships. Information was gathered through the ASI from today going back three months and then a lifetime history was completed. This was done and the severity of problems was rated to assess the areas where treatment is needed. Additionally, this provided the baseline for the client’s treatment and clinical sessions. The information gathered for on the Addiction Severity Index met the standard of reliability and were consistent. In this particular study, the drug and employment severity were low and the medical, alcohol, and psychological ratings were high. The results overall were consistent with the exception of the employment scores (Petry, N.,

The article “Pathological gambling and comorbid substance use,” an Australian study done on a group of pathological gamblers who were seeking treatment, looks for people among the study group that also have substance use/ dependence. Of the seventy-five people that took part in this study, nicotine dependence (37.2%) and alcohol use (16%) were the highest occurring substances recorded. All substance disorders other than opiate were more frequent within the study than the rate of the receivesubstance disorders within the general

Other surveys draw on the characteristics of pathological gambling, now called ‘gambling disorder, which also could be categorized to the kind of behavior we see in youths who show addiction type Internet use. Again, the surveys often simply swap the words ‘Internet use’ for ‘gambling’. Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire, for example, contains eight yes-or-no items drawn directly from the criteria used to identify pathological gamblers. One question asks: “Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?” Another asks, “Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?” This survey was later expanded to a 20-item questionnaire, called the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) with a five-point scale so that subjects could indicate the extent to which they engage in behaviors that suggest addiction. For most of the surveys, researchers have established cutoff scores to

For my Disorder paper topic, is it okay that I change my topic from learning disabilities to Pathological Gambling instead? I find the topic of Pathological Gambling more interesting and already have my three references for the topic. Plus, the disorder covers the subtopics we are supposed to answer.

Research suggests that there are relationships between problem gambling, borderline personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder, depression, anxiety, bulimia nervosa and substance abuse disorders (Fischer & Smith, 2008; MacLaren, Fugelsang, Harrigan, & Dixon, 2011; Sacco, Cunningham-Williams, Ostmann, & Spitznagel, 2008). The body of research that suggests the relationship and co-morbidities of problem gambling and the above mentioned psychological disorders are primarily linked to shared personality traits, especially the high scores in neuroticism and high impulsivity (MacLaren, Best, Dixon, & Harrigan, 2011; MacLaren, Fugelsang, Harrigan, & Dixon, 2011; Sacco, Cunningham-Williams, Ostmann, & Spitznagel, 2008). Further investigation into problem gambling and co-morbidity is needed, to fully determine the extent of the relationships and to explore the possibility that individuals with gambling problem could be gambling as a form of escapism to avoid instances of anxiety and depression, and it is a maladaptive coping mechanism for some individual’s, making it the symptom rather than the cause in some cases (Bagby, et al., 2007; Myrseth, Pallesen, Molde, Johnsen, & Lorvik,

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a reference for health care professionals for the criteria of diagnosing mental disorders. The DSM includes charateristics, symptoms, and common language to help in this. It is periodically revised to keep up with new scientific advances and discoveries. From the DSM-IV to the DSM-V, a new chapter based on impulse control disruptive, and conduct disorders was added. The definitions of addiction and impulse control disorders were combined and rearranged to better categorize the disorders to their concepts and their possible methods of treatment. Gambling was categorized with addictive disorders, while trichotillomania and skin-picking were moved to obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Problem gambling, also known as ludomania or pathological gambling, is a multifactorial disease classified by the American Psychiatric Association (2013) as a non-substance related disorder which leads to clinically significant impairment to an individual’s social, psychological and biological wellbeing. Social gambling differs to problem gambling in that the risks taken remain within boundaries set by the individual and self-discipline is always maintained. Social gambling generally occurs while the individual is amongst friends and only occurs for a limited amount of time, solely for recreational purposes. Problem gambling however entails periods of manic episodes which occur over a minimum of twelve months in which an individual is at a

I have learned some valuable information about substance abuse and addiction, especially about how the use of drugs and alcohol affect the brain. Psychoactive drugs and compulsive behavior will destroy the brain cells if the activity is practice for a long period of time. According to Inaba & Cohen (2014) say psychoactive drugs and compulsive behavior “overwhelm the brain’s ability to rebalance itself and can induce epigenetic changes that can last a life time” (p. 145). I have learned from reading the book Uppers, Downers, All Rounders’, 8th edition written by Inaba & Cohen (2014) reveals gambling is a serious addiction for the gambler. There are four levels of gambling that classify as an addiction that I did not know, so that was new insight

To avoid the negative feelings associated with withdrawal, the addict continues to gamble. (+) Orford et al. (1996) found that gamblers and alcoholics both experience similar withdrawal symptoms and levels of perceived strength of addiction. (-) self-report methods (-) addicts are likely to lie (-) Potenza et al. (2003) found, from MRI scans, differences in blood flow to the brains of non-gamblers and gamblers when watching a gambling tape compared to a happy or sad film. (-) cause and effect RELAPSE Gamblers experience similar withdrawal symptoms to addicts with substance addictions, so a theory stands that gamblers relapse in order to stop the withdrawal symptoms. (-) Ciarrochi et al. (1987) found gamblers often have other addictions, such as alcoholism or shopping addictions. Cues associated with the behaviour, i.e. chips or dice, often cause a relapse of dopamine that the original gambling behaviour did. This causes prediction of a reward, which can cause a relapse. (-) Reductionism: biological approach reduces addiction, a complex phenomenon, to simple terms.

According to the American Psychological Association, people with an irresistibility to gamble have a mental disorder (Fay). People get caught in the trap of compulsive gambling because of many contributing factors. In a survey done before the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, the top factors that show why people resort to online gambling instead of land-based casinos are convenience, ease, and comfort (Wood, Williams, and Lawton). The three reasons mean that people will most likely choose to stay at home and gamble more often. People will gamble online more often than going to a casino because the internet provides the gamblers with faster speed and instant pleasure (Hammer). Pleasure contributes to the path of a gambling addict. Gamblers

     Gambling addiction is an issue found in numerous areas where gambling is legal. People who are addicted to gambling, also know as problem gamblers, face many health risks including depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, migraine and anxiety in addition to marriage breakdown, problems at work and bankruptcy (9). About 2 percent of adults are thought to be problem gamblers (1). In today’s society this costly addiction is not often considered to be a common problem among those who gamble. Only a small amount of states in the U.S. give enough attention toward this rising problem of people that are sometimes even willing to commit crimes just to aid their addiction. In the past our

Gambling is the act of risking an object of personal value, usually money, for the chance of winning a greater reward. A gambling disorder, previously known as pathological gambling, is when gambling begins to take over all aspects of life affecting relationships, and work. The category that a gambling disorder should be classified under in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition (DSM-5) has been debated. Gambling disorder previously was classified as an Impulse Control Disorder, but in the new edition, DSM-5, it is classified as a Substance-Related and Addictive Disorder (Clark, 2014). The reason for debate on the topic was because of the characteristics of the disorder,