513. Disordered gambling and excessive tobacco use: addiction spectrum behaviors?

Abstract

Pathological gambling (PG), classified as an impulse control disorder, has been postulated to lie along addictive or obsessive-compulsive spectrums. Nicotine dependence (ND) is commonly observed in individuals with PG, with comorbidity rates reported as high as 70%. Despite significant morbidity and mortality associated with PG and ND, the relationship between the disorders remains incompletely understood. We hypothesized that individuals with disordered gambling reporting excessive tobacco use would represent a group with more severe gambling-related problems. To investigate, we analyzed data from a gambling helpline serving the Southern New England region of the United States. Gambling-problem-related calls received from 2/98–2/99 were analyzed with regard to reports of excessive tobacco use. Differences were observed with regard to education level, income, gambling patterns, legal problems, lifetime money lost to gambling, financial problems, interpersonal problems, drug and alcohol problems, suicidality, and patterns of mental health care treatment. These results have implications for not only provision of care to individuals with gambling disorders, but also to the theoretical framework within which PG is conceptualized.