University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

were dismissed, with each person explaining that so line as the media displayed pubs
at the centre of programmes, drinking was glamourised.
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Thus, heavy drinkers had little to offer, as they did not believe that they had a
problem. Only the reformed alcoholics realised that their previous lifestyles were
damaging, and for them, the cause of their drinking remained a mystery, and thus the
solutions remained hidden. Education was a possibility, but only a remote one. They
felt that research into the causes of the disease was the most likely way to find any
solutions.
Gambling
Problem gambling involves participation to such a degree that it compromises,
disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits (Leisieur and Rosenthal,
1991). It is a small section of the younger generation who are most likely to develop
a gambling problem. ‘There is substantial amount of research indicating that the
onset of gambling addiction occurs during adolescence or teenage period’ (Yafee and
Brodsky, 1997 p. 315). Gupta and Derevensky (1998 p. 18) have noted that 'most
youth participate in gambling activities without serious consequences or the
development of dependency, yet some feel the need to gamble excessively; assigning
it priority above all else'. Ladoucer et al (2004) confirm this. They discovered that
forty per cent of adolescents participate in regular gambling, with rates of problem
gambling four times greater than that found in the adult population. Only one in
seven recognised the problem, and none sought help. Ferland et al (2002) discovered
that the used of a video improved the knowledge of adolescents significantly and
corrected misconceptions. Hodgins et al (2002) found that one third of problem
gamblers quit as the result of a specific event involving a crisis, often citing negative
emotions and financial concerns as the reasons.
Finding a suitable sample proved difficult. Few people admit to heavy gambling, and
even fewer confess to an addiction or former addiction. Thus, the first sample
included a professional gambler, a casino manager and six managers of betting shops.
The professional gambler admitted that he was prepared to wager large amounts of
money on a regular basis, for, as he said, 'that is my job'. He claimed to have seen
many problem gamblers in his life. They were, to him, people who were losing but
did not know when to stop. He felt that this was important. When he lost a set
amount, he would leave the table and wait for the cards to turn in his favour. All of
those in this sample felt that many problem gamblers simply denied that they had a
problem, and no amount of discussion would make them see that they were
unsuccessful. They all believed that there was nothing that could be done to help
them, except that eventually they might see the error of their ways.
Gambling shop managers in several northern cities identified regular gamblers within
their establishments. Fifty agreed to participate in structured interview. All agreed
that they liked to bet, but none felt that they did so to excess. Just over half felt that
young people should be allowed to participate in gambling without any form of
discouragement. The remainder complained that advertisements, particularly those
on the television, made betting appear excessively attractive and should be reduced