More on problem gambling at
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
ALL BETS ARE
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Developmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or difficulties with cognitive or intellectual
functioning
Adverse experiences in childhood.
To be treated at CNWL’s national problem gambling clinic, people can self-refer or be
referred. If accepted for treatment, a proven and effective help is cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT), which is provided on an individual and group basis.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is another option and may be used with those who
have failed to maintain abstinence using CBT methods, or for those who are clear
that there are emotional reasons for their lapses.
With the emphasis also on the family, the clinic offers behavioural couples
therapy, while another option is medication, specifically naltrexone to suppress
cravings. What’s clear is the gratitude of patients helped by the clinic, who through
our help have managed to rebuild their lives. To mark its work, the clinic is also
holding a conference at the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road on 8 October from
10am to 4pm.
The NHSSMPA behaviour change conference also takes place at the Wellcome
Collection, on 17 September where CNWL will be presenting its work to delegates. For
more information, or for NHS providers to find out how to be part of the alliance visit
www.nhs-substance-misuse-provider-alliance.org.uk.
Jody Lombardini is head of addictions at CNWL
Danny Hames is head of development at NHSSMPA
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Gambling participation in 2017: behaviour, awareness and attitudes at
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
Gambling: the hidden addiction at www.rcpsych.ac.uk
July/August 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 13
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GAMBLING MADE NATIONAL
HEADLINES with the
government’s recent move to cut
the maximum stake on highly
controversial FOBTs from £100 to
£2 (DDN, June, page 4), but how
big is the UK’s gambling
problem? It’s certainly large
enough for PHE to launch an
evidence review into its public
health harms, and according to the
Gambling Commission 45 per cent
of people will have gambled in the
last four weeks (although this
includes activities like taking part in
National Lottery draws or buying
scratchcards). The industry’s
marketing budget is also huge, with betting companies spending around
£150m a year on TV advertising alone – research by the BBC last year
found that around 95 per cent of advertising breaks during live UK
football matches had at least one gambling advert.
Using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), 3.9 per cent of
adults are categorised as ‘at-risk’ gamblers, while 0.8 per cent per cent of
people over the age of 16 now identify as problem gamblers – defined as
gambling ‘to a degree that compromises, disrupts or damages family,
personal or recreational pursuits’.
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 2014 report, Gambling:
the hidden addiction, the harm doesn’t stop there. For every problem
gambler there are between eight and ten other people who are ‘directly
affected’ – children, friends, family members and spouses, some of whom
will experience domestic violence. The same document pointed out that
treatment services, funded ‘almost exclusively’ by the industry itself,
remained largely ‘underdeveloped, geographically patchy, or simply
nonexistent’.
The Gambling Commission identifies the British gambling market as
‘one of the most accessible’ in the world, with a proliferation of betting
shops on the high street and the internet bringing opportunities to
gamble into ‘virtually every home’. While gambling is clearly something
that many people will enjoy as an occasional pastime – having ‘a flutter’
on the World Cup, for example – for a minority it can lead to loss of their
relationship, family, job, home and even life.
OFF
Are Britain’s betting
problems getting
out of hand?