The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 5(29) - The Odds Couple

Last week's WAGER [5(28)] reviewed research by Slutske, Eisen, True, Lyons, Goldberg, and Tsuang (2000) [1] that investigated the genetics of pathological gambling using a twin study based on the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. In addition to considering the relationship between zygosity and diagnosis, the authors examine the genetic connection between pathological gambling and alcohol dependence. The methodological nature of their inquiry is beyond the scope of this WAGER, but the findings are interesting and deserve attention. Among the twins in the sample, subjects diagnosed with alcohol dependence (AD) disorder were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with DSM-III-R pathological... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(28) - Double Your Vulnerability?

Twin registries are valuable resources that provide investigators with a pre-assembled, tracked sample of research subjects. Among the best-known is the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (VETR), a national sample of male twins who served in the Vietnam War. Slutske, Eisen, True, Lyons, Goldberg, Tsuang (2000) used the VETR to investigate the common genetic vulnerability for pathological gambling and alcohol dependence. Studying twins is one of the most common ways to evaluate the role of genetics in the development of a particular disorder. In particular, studying monozygotic twins allows researchers to evaluated the relative etiological contributions of genetics and the environment.... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(27) - Stress, Anxiety, & Why Gamblers Gamble

Why do gamblers gamble? In 1998, the WAGER presented possible answers to this question gleaned from a telephone survey of 1522 randomly selected American adults. The most frequent reponses included "to make money" (50.5%), "for entertainment" (33.4%), "for excitement" (18.4%), and "for curiosity" (10.6%). [see WAGER 3(1)]. In 1996, Coman, Burrows, and Evans (1997) set out to conduct a similar study to answer the same question. [1] In September 1996, the Addiction Research Institute (ARI) in Melbourne, Australia received 720 calls to its 'G-line.' The G-line is a confidential telephone service offering counselling and treatment referrals for problem gamblers and... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(26) - Prevalence in a Swiss Sample

The United States and Canada are not the only countries experiencing a rapid increase in the availability of legal gambling activities. Switzerland, too, has experienced an increase in its number of gambling opportunities. Bondolfi, Osiek, and Ferrero (2000) [1] conducted a telephone survey of 2,526 interviews. Researchers administered the SOGS to respondents, followed by the CAGE instrument. The CAGE is a four-question brief screen for alcohol abuse; a more detailed description is presented in WAGER 4(48). The authors used the standard scoring scheme for the SOGS. A score of three or four indicates 'problem gambling,' while a score of five... Read more →