Patterns of Gambling and Drinking Behaviors among Treatment-Seeking Disordered Gamblers

Alcohol use and gambling frequently co-occur, though insight into the nature of the co-occurrence of these behaviors is limited. Gamblers often present to treatment with co-occurring alcohol use disorderes while less is known about the consumption of alcohol during gambling sessions. The association of these dimensions of alcohol use to the gambling behavior of disordered gamblers is unclear. Data were collected from the clinical files of 254 gamblers presenting to an outpatient clinic which included a calendar assessment of gambling behavior and clinical measures. Empirical patterns of gambling and drinking were derived using latent variable mixture modeling using dimensions of gambling behavior and a measure of alcohol use disorders as indicators. The data supported one-, two-, three-, and four-class solutions. After inspecting fit statistics and estimates derived across classes, a four-class model was selected: Alcohol-Consuming gamblers, Low Wager gamblers, Loss of Control gamblers, and High Wager gamblers. Gambling patterns from the Alcohol-Consuming class were characterized by infrequent, long-lasting gambling sessions with moderate-to-large amounts of alcohol consumed while gambling. The Loss of Control class was characterized by relatively low intended amount of money risked, but high amounts of money actually risked. The Low Wager class reported low intended and risked amounts of money, while the High Wager class intended and risked relatively high amounts of money. The Loss of Control, Low Wager, and High Wager classes reported similar gambling frequencies and alcohol consumed in session. All classes had similar rates of alcohol problems. Future research directions involve identifying the role of alcohol in the different within-session gambling behaviors of treatment-seeking gamblers. Implications for the assessment of gambling and drinking behaviors in gambling treatment are discussed