OPINION GILL VALENTINE AND KAHRYN HUGHES


Family first T


RADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING of addiction has focused on it as an individual, solitary, psycho- pathological complex. In particular,


clinical research has fixated on the physiological, cellular, or psychological causes of addiction. But contemporary social science research is moving away from thinking of addiction and its resolution as residing in the individual and is recognising the need to examine addictions as a set of social processes, relationships and practices. This new way of thinking about addiction


is illustrated by the growing international phenomenon of internet gambling. Globally there are over 2,300 dedicated gambling sites, making this one of the fastest growing forms of betting. Over 50 per cent of all UK households are


connected to the internet and while traditional gambling spaces such as bookmakers may be


“ Problem internet gambling is


less visible because it can be part of everyday family life


perceived as intimidating, and deter some people from betting, the home provides a more conducive environment for gambling. Individuals can combine online gambling with working, listening to music, watching television and even childcare. They can also use their technological skills, control of the household’s finances and private spaces or personal time within the home to help their gambling, often running up thousands of pounds of debt without their partner’s knowledge. Online problem gamblers often attribute their problem to social causes, including pressures of family life or their upbringing, and some typically report that their parents were problem gamblers, especially fathers. Unlike problem drinking which often shows itself in public displays of drunkenness and disorder, problem internet gambling is less visible because it can be part of everyday family life. Its effects are not only felt by the addict but can also have a profound impact on other family members through financial hardship, shared responsibility for a debt, and also a loss of trust, relationship breakdown, emotional guilt and self-blame. In the US, attempts to restrain internet gambling have concentrated mainly on access controls but this is unlikely to be successful in the medium- to long-term. The gambling industry too has taken some responsibility for tackling


” 20 SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2012


Professor Gill Valentine (pictured) and Dr Kahryn Hughes explain how families can help problem internet gamblers overcome their addiction


the problem but the main organisations seeking approaches to problem internet gambling are voluntary therapeutic agencies such as Relate and Gamcare, who deal with the consequences of gambling for individuals. But even within these agencies there is uncertainty about ‘problem’ and ‘pathological’ gambling where the first draws on psychological models of harm (eg, to one’s life circumstances, to significant others) and the second on biomedical models of addiction. This causes confusion about which agency or treatment is most appropriate for problem gambling. The unsettled debate about co- morbidity – whether gambling is linked to alcohol and drug use – also means that gamblers are often referred to addiction agencies dealing with drugs/ alcohol, regardless of whether their problem gambling requires specialist therapeutic strategies. Recognising internet gambling as a social


practice embedded in everyday family life, rather than an individual problem, opens up a new view of how gamblers might move in and out of problem gambling without formal agency help. ESRC-funded research suggests that the emotional commitment and sacrifices many family members make for each other can be vital to stopping gambling. Problem gamblers are often reluctant to contact agencies offering formal support, and are afraid to attend group therapy. Instead, many rely on their families to pay off their debts; to provide preventative support such as controlling access to the home computer and family finances; and to help them find alternative sources of therapy such as online support from other problem gamblers. Further investigation is needed to understand how and when internet gambling becomes problematic, who decides it is problematic, and what types of family-based strategies can stop problematic gambling. But by exploring the similarities and differences between professionals’ and gamblers’ beliefs about causes of and treatment for problem gambling social science research could identify how family strategies might be used as a model for treatment within the therapeutic community. n


i Contact Professor Gill Valentine, School of Geography, Dr Kahryn


Hughes, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds Email k.a.hughes@leeds.ac.uk / g.valentine@leeds.ac.uk Telephone 0113 343 3396 Web www.sussex.ac.uk New forms of participation: problem Internet gambling and the role of the family Responsible Gaming Fund/ESRC Research into Problem Gambling Programme ESRC Grant Number RES-164-25-0018


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