Pekka Sulkunen

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Pekka Sulkunen Varpu RantalaNational
Association for Gambling Studies (NAGS),
Adelaide, Austria 3 5 November 2008

• Is Pathological Gambling Just a Problem or Also
  an Addiction?

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Addiction and modernity the case of pathological
gambling

• Surveys increasing since the 1980s at least in
  Canada, the United Kingdom, the USA, Norway, and
  Finland (Shaffer et al. 1997 Sproston et al.
  2000 Korn 2000 Ilkas Turja 2003 Fekjaer
  2006 RAY 2007a)
• Expenditures and profits for game operators
  increases (Shaffer 2002 Cunningham-Williams et
  al. 2004).
• Prevalence estimates of PG from about 1 to 5
  percent of the adult population (Marshall Wynne
  2004 The Wager 2002).

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General theories of addiction

• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
• stress on self-control ? over-indulgence labelled
  as disease of the will (H.Levine, M.Valverde)
• OR
• DIAGNOSTIC PRACCTICES
• SYNDROME THEORY (DSM-IV, ICD-10, screening
  instruments)
• OR
• CAUSAL FACTORS
• concern for the self weak external constraints
  ? psychological mechanisms ? compulsive
  repetition, depression (S.BordoA.Ehrenberg)
• availability (Griffiths 2002)

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An alternative view de-semiotisation of desire

• Culture works on nature (the body)
• consuming supplements
• transgressive violation of rules
• examples food (dirt, debris), sexuality (incest)

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culture
elaborated
culture
ussubjects
transgression
progression
othernon-subject
other non-adult
nature
raw
nature
rotten
Sulkunen, P. Images of Addiction.
Representations of Addictions in Films. Addiction
Res. Theory 2007, Dec 2007, Vol. 15 Issue 6,
pp. 543-559,
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TENTATIVE DEFINITION

• Addiction is a process in which a meaningful
  desire becomes an embodied passion that has
  evolved beyond control.
• Gambling? culture works on the body

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Data

• 487 messages from 47 internet discussions
  (Suomi24)
• writers 67 m/44 f
• gamblers 79 m/12 f
• games
• Internet 127
• slot machines 98
• betting 57
• others (many)
• see Fig. 1

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The hubris

• self-control (will)
• competence
• ability (help from the heavens)

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Will cure against boredom

• On payday its just so nice to play the roulette
  in the internet, with a box of beer at hand.
  Sorry? Not really, we just live here once for a
  moment and there is little other pleasure than
  the game for an ugly man like me. (P2315)

11
Dream-planning (competence knowing how to win)

• My favourite is the roulette, it is nice to play
  in a restaurant and apply systems that I have
  found to work and to look how others play like
  monkeys and spread around their stakes here and
  there. With no planning at all. At the roulette
  you can make nice gains quickly, but you can also
  loose. I never put in more than 20 of course it
  feels bad when it goes But when you win, makes
  you feel so hot. Ive calculated that the ratio
  of hits with my system is 30. (P38120)

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Ability heroism

• By the way, I just recall hearing that somewhere
  in the USA some years ago a guy bet ALL his
  life-time property on the roulette margin (left
  some living money in his pocket, though), of
  fifty-fifty probability this guy either got to be
  superrich or in the ditch. Well, the marble span
  the guys way, and it must have been a ROYAL
  feeling to double his property! Just that in that
  action there was an edge, more than in any of
  those reality tv-shows we see nowadays. I might
  try that when I get over fifty, if I have any
  property then. (P2314)

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The nemesis

• loss of control (e.g. chasing)
• transgression (relapses, pain, withdrawal)
• loss of competence (compulsion)
• ? Passion without a name (Eric Landowski, 2005)

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Loss of control (defeated will) Chasing (Lesieur
1984)

• It was mostly roulette, and I assured myself that
  I would quit once a round would take a loss. I
  had a long series of wins behind. The wrong turn
  come, I didnt quit. I thought Ill take one more
  spin and if it goes well, Ill stop. I won, but
  didnt stop. I continued to play until a series
  of losses occurred, statistically considered it
  was an almost impossibility. Who knows, but in a
  couple of minutes I lost a sum I will not mention
  here. (P1115)

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Transgression withdrawal, pain

• I still have terrible shakes although it has
  become easier after the loss. I would just like
  to go to sleep, to forget the games for a while.
  Fuck! Some 20 cents let this hell out again! What
  is it that a person never learns? (P226)

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Loss of competence

• I dont even scratch these free lottery tickets.
  Once I relapsed, travelling abroad. Reason said
  go away. The devil said now you win! Tried to
  call my GA friends in Finland but did not reach
  anyone. For two days I was jumping on the walls
  of my hotel room, scared. Relapsing to the game
  was much worse than taking a drink for an
  alcoholic. I had to go through the shame and
  distress with my head sober.

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CONCLUSION de-semiotised pleasure

• Cause these games theyve made me feel so much
  suffering and pain inside, I no longer get ANY
  KIND OF SATISFACTION or pleasure when I play (as
  I did earlier) on the contrary, just the mere
  thought of betting gets me in the bad mood and
  almost make me vomit. (P117)

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• Thank you!

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Intermediate positions

• I. Hacking (1999) interactive vs. indifferent
  kinds
• A. Ehrenberg (1998) the double success of
  depression (diagnostics and modern individualism)