Research has shown that people with pathological gambling frequently have problems with alcohol misuse. However, most of this research comes from North America. The aim of this study was to examine alcohol misuse in people seeking treatment for pathological gambling in the UK. The researchers used electronic health records from the UK National Problem Gambling Clinic. A total of 108 adults who were diagnosed with pathological gambling were included in the study. Participants completed questionnaires that measured their gambling severity, psychological distress, and alcohol misuse during their initial assessment. Approximately 27% of the participants screened positive for alcohol misuse. Psychological distress and gambling severity did not differ between those with and without alcohol misuse. A greater proportion of participants were categorized as probably dependent on alcohol compared to the general UK population (6.3% vs. 1.2%).
