Abstract
Mutual support societies for problem gamblers have existed in Sweden for 20 years. They have helped more people with gambling problems than any other institution inside or outside the Swedish health care system. This paper outlines the background of these societies and describes the meetings of one of them. Data come from interviews with members of a local society and participation in mutual support meetings. It is argued that these mutual support societies provide help in a variety of ways and in all phases of recovery from gambling problems. In particular, they help people form personal narratives about the origin, progression, and resolution of their problems, narratives that give insight and guide recovery. These mutual support societies are valuable complements and alternatives to professional treatment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A.P.A. (1994). American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Axelsson, P. (2010). En dag på spelberoendes förning i Göteborg. In P. Binde & J. Jonsson (Eds.), Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift (pp. 179–184). Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Binde, P. (2010). Syna korten: En insats mot spelproblem bland unga. Hedemora: Gidlunds.
Binde, P. (2011). A mutual support group for young problem gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, forthcoming.
Brown, R. I. F. (1985). The effectiveness of Gamblers Anonymous. In W. R. Eadington (Ed.), The gambling studies: Proceedings of the Sixth National Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking (pp. 258–284). Reno: University of Nevada.
Browne, B. R. (1991). The selective adaptation of the alcoholics anonymous program by Gamblers Anonymous. Journal of Gambling Studies, 7(3), 187–206.
Carlbring, P., Jonsson, J., Josephson, H., & Forsberg, L. (2010). Motivational interviewing versus cognitive behavioral group therapy in the treatment of problem and pathological gambling: A randomized controlled trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 39(2), 92–103.
Ekenberg, M. (2010). En av föreningarna i förändring: Spelberoendes förening i Göteborg. In P. Binde & J. Jonsson (Eds.), Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift (pp. 89–94). Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Ferentzy, P., & Skinner, W. (2003). Gamblers Anonymous: A critical review of the literature. Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues: eGambling, 9.
Ferentzy, P., & Skinner, W. (2006). Mutual aid: An annotated bibliography. Journal of Gambling Issues, 17.
Ferentzy, P., Skinner, W., & Antze, P. (2006). Recovery in Gamblers Anonymous. Journal of Gambling Issues, 17.
Ferentzy, P., Skinner, W., & Antze, P. (2009). Gamblers Anonymous and the 12 Steps: How an informal society has altered a recovery process in accordance with the special needs of problem gamblers. Journal of Gambling Issues, 23, 42–65.
Frank, J. D., & Frank, J. B. (1993). Persuasion and healing: A comparative study of psychotheraphy (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Gomes, K., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2009). Primed for change: Facilitating factors in problem gambling treatment. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(1), 1–17.
Hänninen, V., & Koski-Jännes, A. (1999). Narratives of recovery from addictive behaviours. Addiction, 94(12), 1837–1848.
Hodgins, D. C., & el-Guebaly, N. (2010). The influence of substance dependence and mood disorders on outcome from pathological gambling: Five-year follow-up. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(1), 117–127.
Hydén, L.-C. (1997). Illness and narrative. Sociology of Health & Illness, 19(1), 48–69.
Karlsson, M. (2006). Självhjälpsgrupper: Teori och praktik. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Koski-Jännes, A. (2002). Social and personal identity projects in the recovery from addictive behaviors. Addiction Research & Theory, 10(2), 183–202.
Lévi-Strauss, C. (1968). The effectiveness of symbols. In Structural Anthropology (pp. 186–205). London: Penguin Press.
Pallesen, S., Mitsem, M., Kvale, G., Johnsen, B.-H., & Molde, H. (2005). Outcome of psychological treatments of pathological gambling: A review and meta-analysis. Addiction, 100(10), 1412–1422.
Petry, N. M. (2003). Patterns and correlates of Gamblers Anonymous attendance in pathological gamblers seeking professional treatment. Addictive Behaviors, 28(6), 1049–1062.
Petry, N. M. (2005). Gamblers Anonymous and cognitive-behavioral therapies for pathological gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 21(1), 27–33.
Petry, N. M., Ammerman, Y., Bohl, J., Heather, G., Molina, C., Steinberg, K., et al. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 555–567.
Potenza, M. N. (2006). Should addictive disorders include non-substance-related conditions? Addiction, 101(Supplement 1), S142–S151.
Propp, V. J. (1968). Morphology of the folktale (2nd ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press.
Riessman, F. (1965). The “helper” therapy principle. Social Work, 10(2), 27–32.
Shaffer, H. J., LaPlante, D. A., LaBrie, R. A., Kidman, R. C., Donato, A., & Stanton, M. V. (2004). Toward a syndrome model of addiction: Multiple manifestations, common etiology. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 12(6), 367–374.
Steffen, V. (1997). Life stories and shared experience. Social Science & Medicine, 45(1), 99–111.
Stewart, R. M., & Brown, R. I. F. (1988). An outcome study of Gamblers Anonymous. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 284–288.
Sundgren, G. (2010). Syna korten—en verksamhet som talar ungas språk. In P. Binde & J. Jonsson (Eds.), Spelberoendes riksförbund 10 år: En jubileumsskrift (pp. 171–178). Östersund: Statens folkhälsoinstitut.
Toneatto, T. (2008). A cognitive-behavioral analysis of Gamblers Anonymous. Journal of Gambling Issues, 21, 68–79.
Toneatto, T., & Ladouceur, R. (2003). Treatment of pathological gambling: A critical review of the literature. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17(4), 384–292.
Westphal, J. R. (2006). Are the effects of gambling treatment overestimated? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5(1), 56–79.
Westphal, J. R. (2008a). How well are we helping problem gamblers? An update to the evidence base supporting problem gambling treatment. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6(2), 249–264.
Westphal, J. R. (2008b). Pathological gambling: Psychiatric models. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6(4), 602–618.
Acknowledgments
This paper presents results of a study financed by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health and the Swedish Inheritance Fund, transferred by the Society of Gambling Addicts in Gothenburg, Sweden. I am grateful for the invaluable help and assistance received from members of the Society, in particular from the counselor Mattias Ekenberg and the assistant Gustav Sundgren, who shared their knowledge of mutual support and allowed me to participate in meetings.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Binde, P. A Swedish Mutual Support Society of Problem Gamblers. Int J Ment Health Addiction 10, 512–523 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9335-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9335-4