The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 3(8) - Suicidal ideation among clients with gambling and drug and alcohol problems

Clinicians at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba ask all clients about their suicidal ideation as part of the client assessment process. Treatment services are available for individuals with gambling-related problems (defined as a score of 2 or more on the Manitoba Gambling Pre-Screen--MGPS), alcohol and/or drug problems (defined as a score of 2 or more on the modified CAGE), and for those with “dual problems”. Dual problems refer here to problem gamblers who also take drugs or drink to excess as well as those with drugs or alcohol problems who also gamble excessively (2 or more on MGPS). Clinicians ask... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 3(7) - Public opinion on the legal status of gambling

The United States is often considered a diverse country with a substantial range of values and beliefs. A variety of activities, including gambling, drug use, and prostitution, have been legislated or prohibited depending upon whether the public considers these activities a threat to society’s moral order or public safety. However, Americans have displayed considerable ambivalence about the extent to which certain activities threaten society. For example, prohibition of alcohol gained enough support to amend the Constitution in 1919 (Amendment 18) and was repealed in 1933 (Amendment 21); society is currently making decisions on restrictions of tobacco sales and advertising. Researchers... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 3(6) - Why do gamblers continue gambling despite net losses?

On average, most gamblers experience net losses from their gambling activities. Several explanations have been posited to explain why gamblers continue to gamble despite an overall net loss. These explanations include cognitive processes that result in the gambler selectively remembering wins over losses, overestimation of the degree of control the gambler has over the outcome, and the “gambler’s fallacy” (the belief that after a run of losses, a win is overdue). Gibson and colleagues conducted a series of 3 experiments which supports another explanation: that “selective hypothesis testing” leads gamblers to overestimate the probability of a particular outcome and influences... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 3(5) - Is pathological gambling an obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Although the Diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association categorizes pathological gambling as an impulse control disorder, clinicians are often struck by the similarities and overlapping symptomatology of pathological gambling with disorders from other psychiatric categories. For example, Hollander & Wong explore the parallels between body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), sexual disorders, and pathological gambling within the realm of obsessive-compulsive disorders. BDD is a chronic condition characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s appearance (e.g., perceived facial flaws, body size abnormalities) and often leads to surgical procedures and compulsive rituals to conceal or correct the perceived defect. An... Read more →