Natural and treatment‐assisted recovery from gambling problems: a comparison of resolved and active gamblers

Abstract

Aim. An exploratory study was conducted to understand the process of recovery from gambling problems. Design. Media recruitment was used to identify a resolved ( n = 43) and a comparison group of active pathological gamblers (n = 63). Participants. Participants showed evidence of significant problems related to gambling as well as high rates of co‐morbid mood and substance use disorders. The median length of resolution was 14 months with a range of 6 weeks to 20 years. Findings. Resolved gamblers reported a variety of reasons for quitting gambling, related mainly to emotional and financial factors. They did not experience a greater number of precipitating life events compared with active gamblers but did report an increase in positive and a decrease in negative life events in the year after resolution. Both resolved and active gamblers who had relatively more severe problems were more likely to have had treatment or self‐help involvement, whereas those with less severe problems, if resolved, were “naturally recovered”. Conclusions. The results support the need for a continuum of treatment options for problem gamblers and provide helpful information about recovery processes.