Moral weakness Disease Psychodynamic symptom Social Issue Psychological problem Genetic...

Addiction and Gambling-What is it?

Philip TownshendHead Gambler’s Help Services

Victorian Responsible Gambling FoundationI acknowledge the team I work with at the Victorian Responsible

Gambling Foundation

Addiction- is it a:

• Moral weakness• Disease• Psychodynamic symptom• Social Issue• Psychological problem• Genetic predisposition• Public health issue• A product of our brain functioning

Moral weakness

• The most common community model• Gambling- an “idiot tax”• People choose to gamble- (and almost all addictive

behaviours)– No one does it for you– People do it despite expressing a desire not to

• Judged as a “character flaw”

Disease

• Developed from12 step approaches– AA, GA, NA, AlAnon

• Need to have a diagnosis to be eligible for treatment• Altered metabolism of drugs

– Drugs/addictive agents regarded as allergens

Psychodynamic

• Addiction is a symptom of something else• Associated with early life stress• Treat the psychological issues causing the symptom

Social Issue

• Learned from family and friends:– Its what the family talk about when we get together

• Women needing a safe place to socialise• A social activity:

– Sports and social groups • Casino bus trips

Learned behaviour

• Rats in Skinner boxes share many features of humans on slot machines:

– Variable Response Schedules

• Pavlovian - classical conditioning:– triggers associated with the reward take on

rewarding functions

Genetic predisposition

• Alcoholic rats:– Breeding from thirsty and alcohol using rats– 12 generations to produce an alcoholic population

• Bariatric surgery:– some people who have this surgery rapidly establish other

addictions– D2 has a reward dampening function– D3 limbic area- associated with impulsivity

• Complicated by epigenetic inheritance:– Transcription factors/environmental factors

Public health• If addictive products are available some people will get addicted to

them• Focus on the agent rather than the person• Strategies to limit:

– Exposure– Advertising– Availability– Price– Access

A function of our neurobiology• Behavioural addictions mimic behaviours related to survival

– A hunter gather species• Substance addictions highjack the reward pathways

– Activate reward pathways in the brain

Moral weakness Disease Psychodynamic symptom Social Issue Psychological problem Genetic...

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