Moral weakness Disease Psychodynamic symptom Social Issue Psychological problem Genetic...
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Transcript of 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
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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”
Page 3
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
Page 4
Psychodynamic
• Addiction is a symptom of something else• Associated with early life stress• Treat the psychological issues causing the symptom
Page 5
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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