Gambling and persons with a history of alcohol issues
Problem drinkers were shown in one study to be 23 times more likely to have a gambling problem than persons without a drinking problem (Welte et al., 2001)
29% of gamblers receiving treatment in Oregon in 06-07 had alcohol-related problems as well (Moore, 2007)
Pathological or problem gamblers had seven times the rate of alcohol dependence than non-gamblers and low-risk gamblers (NORC, 1999)
A 1999 study (Pasternak & Fleming, 1999) revealed that almost one in every three persons with a gambling problem also abused alcohol (compared to about one in ten without gambling problems), and about twice as many problem gamblers used tobacco
In a study of over 21,000 high-school students, (Proimos, DuRant, Pierce, & Goodman, 1998) regular cocaine use and anabolic steroids were significantly associated with a report of problems connected to gambling
Gambling and persons with a history of mental health issues
Individuals with concurrent psychiatric problems display much higher rates of disordered gambling than either adolescents or adults sampled from the general population (Shaffer et al., 1997)
There are strong associations between pathological gambling and depression (Becona, Del Carmen Lorenzo, & Fuentes, 1996)
Twenty-one percent of gamblers treated in Oregon in 06-07 reported having had suicidal thoughts and up to 1.7 percent had made a suicide attempt (Oregon DHS, 2007)
High rates of personality disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive, avoidant, schizotypal and paranoid) are noted in the research (NORC, 1999)
