An experimental study of the effect of prior alcohol consumption on a simulated gambling activity

Previous survey research with both clinical populations and random samples of the general population has established that individuals may experience h armful impacts arising from both their gambling and their consumption of al cohol. Experimental study of the interaction of alcohol consumption on gamb ling is notable for its absence from the literature. Aim. To experimentally study the interaction of alcohol consumption and gambling behaviour. Desig n. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups-placebo administere d and alcohol administered thus making an independent samples experimental design. Setting. Laboratory. Participants. Forty young, male, regular EGM p layers, who also regularly consumed alcohol. Measurements. The NEO Personal ity Inventory; The Scale of Gambling Choices (Revised) (SGC); persistence a t gambling while losing, as measured by the number of gambling trials playe d and amount wagered. Findings. Subjects either received a prior intake of three alcoholic drinks each containing approximately 10 g of pure alcohol ( beer or wine) or an equal volume of an equivalent non-alcoholic beverage. T he alcohol group persisted far twice as many gaming trials as the placebo g roup with significantly more players who had consumed alcohol losing all th eir original cash stake (50% compared with 15% of the placebo group). Concl usions. The consumption of alcohol appeared to eliminate the strong associa tions found in placebo group between individual difference measures and per sistence. The analogue game was accepted by participants as a valid form of gambling. The result showed that relatively small quantities of alcohol ha ve a significant effect on the psychological processes that underpin self-c ontrol over gambling. This finding challenges the conceptual research parad igm of studying co-morbidity or dual-addicted clinical populations as the m ost appropriate method of understanding how two addictive behaviours intera ct.