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Gambling harm has been linked with substance misuse disorders1 and other behavioural addictions.2 This may occur because of shared underlying issues or risk factors, such as anxiety and genetic risk factors, that make a person more susceptible to both problematic gambling behaviour and substance misuse or addiction.3,4
Times of heightened stress, such as experiencing financial instability or other significant disruptions to daily life, may initiate or exacerbate tendencies to use substances to cope.5 With the immediate and ripple effects of COVID-19, it has been projected that substance misuse and other behavioural issues will become common coping mechanisms.6 Stakeholders will need to be particularly responsive to how increased risks of substance misuse and addiction may impact the way gambling prevention and treatment programs are designed and offered.
We have curated recent evidence that may help our stakeholders make informed decisions regarding the relationship between gambling harm, substance misuse, and addiction during COVID-19.
Key Resources:
Inability to stop gambling linked to suicidal thoughts in men who use drugs and alcohol (GREO Research Snapshot)
A longitudinal study of problem gambling, mental health disorders, and drug use among young adults (GREO Research Snapshot)
Use of cannabis while gambling has outcomes as severe as use of both alcohol and cannabis among youth (GREO Research Snapshot)
Online interventions for people with problem gambling and unhealthy alcohol use (GREO Research Snapshot)
The effects of alcohol on gambling biases and decisions (GREO Research Snapshot)
Impact of COVID-19 on substance use (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction website)
Sensitivity to cues underlying the co-occurrence of gambling, substance use, and anxiety disorders (GREO Knowledge Snapshot)
Are there differences in life events across addiction types? (GREO Research Snapshot)
Relationships between stimulant use and gambling among adolescents (GREO Research Snapshot)
Digital media and risks for adolescent substance abuse and problematic gambling (special supplement in the journal Pediatrics)
Decision-making problems are common in people addicted to alcohol and gambling (GREO Knowledge Snapshot)
Online gambling is related to various impulse control behaviours (GREO Research Snapshot)
Want to learn more about gambling, substance misuse, and addiction?
Have a specific question about gambling, substance misuse, and addiction? Reach out to the GREO team at info@greo.ca.
COVID-19: News and Emerging Research
COVID 19: Events and Learning Opportunities
| References |
| 1Grant JE, Chamberlain SR. Gambling and substance use: Comorbidity and treatment implications. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2019;99:109852.
2Chamberlain SR, Lochner C, Stein DJ, Goudriaan AE, van Holst RJ, Zohar J, et al. Behavioural addiction- A rising tide? European Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016;26(5):841-55. Available from: www.researchgate.net/publication/283885981_Behavioural_addiction_-_a_rising_tide 3Hashmi R, Lobo DSS. Gambling disorders: A focus on genetic aspects. Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse. 2016;3:1028-38. 4Slutske WS. Genetic and environmental contributions to risk for disordered gambling. Gambling Disorder. 2019:73-100. Available from: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-03060-5_5 5Roche A, Kostadinov V, Fischer J. Stress and addiction, the handbook of stress and health: A guide to research and practice. Wiley-Blackwell; 2017. p. 252-79. 6Marsden J, Darke S, Hall W, Hickman M, Holmes J, Humphreys K, et al. Mitigating and learning from the impact of COVID‐19 infection on addictive disorders. Addiction. 2020. Available from: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/add.15080 |