Abstract
A Swedish mutual support group for young problem gamblers is described and discussed. During the study period, 116 weekly meetings occurred, usually involving six to ten participants; in total, 69 problem gamblers (66 male and three female), aged 17–25, and 23 partners and friends attended the meetings. Half the gamblers had problems with Internet poker, one fifth with electronic gambling machines, and the rest with other forms of gambling and computer gaming. Nearly half the problem gamblers participated in under five mutual support meetings, while just over a third attended ten or more meetings. Gambling problems ceased or lessened among most participants in ten or more meetings. In some cases, attending just one or a few meetings had a positive impact on the problems. This mutual support group provides relatively effective help to adolescents and young adults with gambling problems, offering a valuable alternative and complement to professional treatment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A.P.A. (1994). American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington: American Psychiatric Association.
Binde, P. (2010). Syna korten: En insats mot spelproblem bland unga. Hedemora: Gidlunds.
Binde, P. (2011). A Swedish mutual support society of problem gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. doi:10.1007/s11469-011-9335-4.
Binde, P., & Jonsson, J. (Eds.). (2010). Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Brown, R. I. F. (1985). The effectiveness of Gamblers Anonymous. In W. R. Eadington (Ed.), The gambling studies: Proceedings of the sixth national conference on gambling and risk taking (pp. 258–284). Reno: University of Nevada.
Brown, R. I. F. (1987). Dropouts and continuers in Gamblers Anonymous: Part four. Evaluation and summary. Journal of Gambling Behavior, 3(3), 202–210.
Browne, B. R. (1991). The selective adaptation of the alcoholics anonymous program by Gamblers Anonymous. Journal of Gambling Studies, 7(3), 187–206.
Carlbring, P., Jonsson, J., Josephson, H., & Forsberg, L. (2010). Motivational interviewing versus cognitive behavioral group therapy in the treatment of problem and pathological gambling: A randomized controlled trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 39(2), 92–103.
David (pseudonym). (2010). Spelberoende och anhöriga berättar, David. In P. Binde & J. Jonsson (Eds.), Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift (pp. 129–134). Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Ferentzy, P., & Skinner, W. (2003). Gamblers anonymous: A critical review of the literature. Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues: eGambling, 9.
Ferentzy, P., & Skinner, W. (2006). Mutual aid: An annotated bibliography. Journal of Gambling Issues, 17.
Ferentzy, P., Skinner, W., & Antze, P. (2006). Recovery in gamblers anonymous. Journal of Gambling Issues, 17.
Ferentzy, P., Skinner, W., & Antze, P. (2009). Gamblers Anonymous and the 12 Steps: How an informal society has altered a recovery process in accordance with the special needs of problem gamblers. Journal of Gambling Issues, 23, 42–65.
Frank, J. D., & Frank, J. B. (1993). Persuasion and healing: A comparative study of psychotheraphy (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Gomes, K., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2009). Primed for change: Facilitating factors in problem gambling treatment. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(1), 1–17.
Gooding, P., & Tarrier, N. (2009). A systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioural interventions to reduce problem gambling: Hedging our bets? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(7), 592–607.
Griffiths, M. D. (2010). The role of context in online gaming excess and addiction: Some case study evidence. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(1), 119–125.
Hänninen, V., & Koski-Jännes, A. (1999). Narratives of recovery from addictive behaviours. Addiction, 94(12), 1837–1848.
Hodgins, D. C., & el-Guebaly, N. (2010). The influence of substance dependence and mood disorders on outcome from pathological gambling: Five-year follow-up. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(1), 117–127.
Hydén, L.-C. (1997). Illness and narrative. Sociology of Health & Illness, 19(1), 48–69.
Koski-Jännes, A. (2002). Social and personal identity projects in the recovery from addictive behaviors. Addiction Research & Theory, 10(2), 183–202.
Nyman, A., & Creutzer, M. (2008). Nationella stödlinjen 2002–2006. Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Pallesen, S., Mitsem, M., Kvale, G., Johnsen, B.-H., & Molde, H. (2005). Outcome of psychological treatments of pathological gambling: A review and meta-analysis. Addiction, 100(10), 1412–1422.
Petry, N. M. (2003). Patterns and correlates of Gamblers Anonymous attendance in pathological gamblers seeking professional treatment. Addictive Behaviors, 28(6), 1049–1062.
Petry, N. M. (2005). Gamblers Anonymous and cognitive-behavioral therapies for pathological gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 21(1), 27–33.
Petry, N. M., Ammerman, Y., Bohl, J., Heather, G., Molina, C., Steinberg, K., et al. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 555–567.
Riessman, F. (1965). The “helper” therapy principle. Social Work, 10(2), 27–32.
Rosecrance, J. (1988). Active gamblers as peer counselors. Substance Use & Misuse, 23(7), 751–766.
Stewart, R. M., & Brown, R. I. F. (1988). An outcome study of Gamblers Anonymous. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 284–288.
Sundgren, G. (2010). Syna korten—en verksamhet som talar ungas språk. In P. Binde & J. Jonsson (Eds.), Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift (pp. 171–178). Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Toneatto, T., & Ladouceur, R. (2003). Treatment of pathological gambling: A Critical review of the literature. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17(4), 384–292.
Westphal, J. R. (2006). Are the effects of gambling treatment overestimated? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5(1), 56–79.
Westphal, J. R. (2008). How well are we helping problem gamblers? An update to the evidence base supporting problem gambling treatment. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6(2), 249–264.
Wood, R. T. A. (2008). Problems with the concept of video game “addiction”: Some case study examples. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6(2), 169–178.
Acknowledgments
This paper reports results of a study financed by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health and the Swedish Inheritance Fund, transferred by the Society of Gambling Addicts in Gothenburg, Sweden. I am grateful for the invaluable help and assistance received from members of the Society, in particular from the counselor Mattias Ekenberg and the assistant Gustav Sundgren, who shared their knowledge of mutual support and allowed me to participate in meetings.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Binde, P. A Mutual Support Group for Young Problem Gamblers. Int J Ment Health Addiction 10, 524–536 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9346-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9346-1