Addiction medicine is a complex speciality that deals with the treatment of various forms of substance and behavioral addictions. Substance addictions can include alcohol and illegal and prescription drugs, as well as other chemicals. Behavioral addictions can include food, sex and gambling. Exactly how these two categories of addiction are related has been the subject of much debate.
Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive or pathological gambling, is the inability to control the urge to take risks. Gambling addicts hope for the "big win," but they often gamble away their winnings. The thrill of the risk and the rush of adrenaline are the highs associated with gambling. Those with a gambling addiction often find themselves facing financial ruin if they do not get treatment.
Substance Addiction
Substance addiction is a dependency on alcohol, illegal narcotics, medications, tobacco or other chemicals. Those with substance addictions are drawn to the biological reactions caused by the drugs or alcohol. If the substance is a stimulant, the addict experiences an intense rush. Depressant chemicals allow the addict to "forget" and "mellow." Often a substance abuser is addicted to more than one chemical, such as cigarettes and alcohol.
Chemical Dependency
A major difference between gambling addiction and substance addiction is that substance addiction is associated with chemical dependency. After maintaining a near constant level of a particular substance, the body begins to rely on it. When the addict stops using the substance he experiences withdrawal. Depending on the substance, withdrawal can become life-threatening if it is not monitored.
Gambling addiction manipulates biochemicals already present in the body. Therefore, withdrawal from gambling does not take away the chemicals from the body and does not cause the same physiological withdrawal symptoms.
Health Concerns
The substances most often abused tend to be harsh on the body, especially with recurring use. Depending on the chemical, there is also a significant risk of overdose. Many chemicals require inhalation or injection, which increases the risk of various diseases, such as emphysema and blood-borne illnesses. Comparatively, gambling has little health risk, unless it is combined with other risky behaviors, such as smoking or lack of routine health care.
Cognition
Both alcoholics and gambling addicts share a structural brain abnormality that is typically linked to dysfunctional impulse control, higher reasoning and decision making, according Dr. Marc N. Potenza, an addiction psychiatrist in Middletown, Conn. Yet when comparing the cognitive functioning of alcoholics and gambling addicts, alcoholics have more issues with cognitive functioning and delayed reaction time when they are making decisions, according to Potenza. This would seem to indicate some differences in neurochemical processes between gambling addiction and substance addiction.
Similarities
Gambling addiction and substance addiction have similar behavioral patterns. In both diseases, the addict tends to employ manipulation and evasion. He disconnects himself from loved ones to maintain his addiction. Both frequently have financial difficulties caused by their addictions. Most addicts go through periods of remission in which they may abstain. Often it takes several tries to fully quit their addiction, and most require assistance to finally stop.
Conclusion
Addictions to gambling and chemical substances share many characteristics but have fundamental differences. This has led to concern about the classification of addictions in the future. But no matter how they are classified, addictive behaviors that negatively affect someone's life require assistance.
References
- NIH: Non-substance and Substance Addictions; Potenza, MD, PhD
- Stanton Peele Addiction Website
- Mayo Clinic: Gambling Addiction
- Mayo Clinic: Drug Addiction
- DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association; 2000
