Son Took A licking, Kept on Clicking

[caffiend]

The Philadelphia Daily News ran a sad story about compulsive poker playing. It's obviously slanted against online gaming, but it's well written enough to warrant a read.

Before you flame the poor author, they also did a second article about poker not being a problem on campuses.

[ugignadl]

Curious: Is there a greater percentage of problem drinkers to total drinkers, or problem gamblers to total gamblers?

[biggle10]

My guess is alcohol.

[caffiend]

Curious: Is there a greater percentage of problem drinkers to total drinkers, or problem gamblers to total gamblers?

I don't know, even if you combined various surveys I suspect the results would be next to worthless. I hate psychology, so I'm blissfully unaware of any research into the question.

My gut instinct says that they'd be close to equal. Gambling isn't really an addiction in the strictest sense of the word, it's more of a compulsive behavior. True alcohol addiction is also rare though. Most alcoholics are people who drink compulsively without being addicted to alcohol. Since large portions of the population bet and drink, the percentage of problems for both likely approaches the percentage of people prone to compulsive behavior.

It's a bit hard to argue the magnitude of the two problems though. Problem gambling leads the way in extreme cases. Not many people lose their house or rob a bank to pay off drinking debts. Drunk driving, domestic violence, and increased medical costs make problem drinking a serious social issue too though.

In the end, I think the US has generally focused too much on the problem and not enough on the solution in both cases. Eventually people are going to need to step up to the plate and raise children in ways that don't contribute to problem behaviors. Society is also going to have to wise up and improve on treatment and prevention. That includes twelve step programs that contribute to the mess, and a judicial system which is reluctant to accept proven alternatives.

[johnny]

That article is f'd up in so many ways I can't even begin....

[LadyWrestler]

That article is f'd up in so many ways I can't even begin....