CASAA highlights risky connection between veterans and gambling
January 24, 2024 - Savannah Peat
UNM Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addiction (CASAA) Associate Professor Joshua Grubbs is making sure veterans can trade wagering with a chance to focus on recovery.
Grubbs is dedicating his research to this already vulnerable population, in Addictive Behaviors to understand risks and motivations associated with U.S. armed forces veterans gambling addictions.
“This is one of those things that researchers love to split hairs about and talk about– is something a real addiction or not? It was just kind of mind-boggling to me that someone could get so addicted to something that wasn't a substance. That started kind of a long term research trajectory, trying to understand this better,” he said.
Those who return from deployment, no matter location, branch of service or type of situation are uniquely at risk for developing substance use disorders. Problem gambling, on its own, affects 1-4% of the general adult population, versus 9.0 % for veterans.
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