When we think of addiction, the first image that comes to mind is usually associated with a substance, whether illicit, like drugs, or legal, like alcohol and cigarettes. Addiction is therefore often perceived as resulting from an external influence, which would impose itself on the victim by making itself indispensable to his body. Yet there are many behavioral addictions. If the media likes to demonize the screens on this subject - young people would have been in turn dumbed down by cathode ray tubes, video games, their computers, social networks, and so on - we often forget to mention games of chance . However, these correspond completely, when they are practiced in an abusive way, to the definition of addiction:that is to say a compulsive behavior, which one would wish without success to be able to put an end to it, and this despite the damage caused by it. And games of chance, which include betting, scratch games, slot machines or even poker, are particularly vicious in this respect since they involve participants' money, and can in the worst case lead to their downfall. In fact, gambling addiction often results in physical and psychological disorders, with a significant proportion of problem gamblers having even considered suicide.
Seniors are not, in fact, the first victims of gambling. They represent just under 10% of players, and barely 4% of those whose practice is considered problematic. Traditionally, they are indeed rather young and precarious men, with a low level of education, and from working-class backgrounds – the sociologist Florence Weber explained the “taste for chance” within the working classes as an egalitarian force. Nevertheless, this does not mean that seniors are absolutely not represented in this population, and there is a certain specificity to this addiction — or at least to a problematic practice characterized by certain signs of addiction — when it occurs in elderly people.
Seniors exhibiting risky behavior are distinguished by a particular profile among other players, having to do with their advanced age. One of the first factors is the loneliness that affects many older people. However, games of chance are often synonymous with sociability. This is as true of the PMU, a place of conviviality par excellence – sometimes one of the only ones available in certain rural areas – as of the casino. Advanced age is often accompanied by major disruptions in life:retirement, but also the loss of a spouse or loved ones... We find ourselves with a lot of free time, which can cause boredom . All these events can therefore be a source of confusion and loss of bearings, and cause a problematic change in a practice that until then has remained innocuous.
Seniors are therefore easy prey for this industry, which actively targets them. It is not uncommon, for example, for some retirement homes to have relationships with local casinos to organize group trips there. This is explained by the greater capital available on average to the elderly. However, this can have the side effect of misunderstanding the losses made, at least initially:where a more precarious person would have quickly been forced by his wallet to limit the costs, someone better off can squander his jackpot more slowly, letting the addiction set in along the way. In short, if the sight of rich old ladies in furs and designer glasses screwed to casino slot machines is cause for laughter, it can sometimes - and this sometimes is important, because as said above, it only concerns a tiny minority of practitioners — hiding a darker reality. Besides, why talk about old ladies in the casino? Well because it turns out that the practice of gambling is eminently gendered:the more "active" activities, that is to say requiring a supposed flair, such as horse racing betting or poker, being predominantly male, those more "passive", that is to say based on complete chance, being more feminine! The mechanisms underlying addiction, on the other hand, are very similar regardless of the practice involved.
Of course, all this does not mean that the practice of the game in itself is necessarily problematic! For many players, this is part of their life for a long time, and is completely controlled, with the allocation of a fixed budget for example. And as said above, for many it is a social activity that never degenerates.
Specific problems arise in the practice of gambling when it concerns the elderly. With age, physical and cognitive abilities decline. Concretely, this means that older people are less likely to be aware of the risks involved in gambling. Some drug treatments are also particularly conducive to this loss of clarity. However, if doctors warn their patients of the combinations to avoid when prescribing a drug, this is limited to alcohol and other medicinal substances that they are likely to consume — no doctor would think of prohibiting his patient to visit the casino!
Added to this is the fact that, like other addictions, a diagnosis is more difficult to make for the elderly due to the absence of certain criteria, such as that of an impact on professional life. Not only that, but seniors also have more difficulty realizing their addiction than other segments of the population:on the one hand, because risky behaviors were not necessarily identified as such in their time, in other words because that they are less aware of it; and two, because they may feel uncomfortable realizing this — after all, middle age is supposed to bring some wisdom. Of course, no one should feel embarrassed to seek help, but that doesn't mean these defense mechanisms don't exist.
Concrete signs of a risky practice are:the involvement of increasingly large sums; the inability to set limits (in terms of time spent playing or amounts invested); dipping into one's savings or hoarding personal effects to finance one's practice; talk a lot about this subject, or on the contrary the fact of getting angry when the possibility of a risky practice is mentioned... These are not the irrefutable proofs of an addictive practice, but the observation of one or several of these factors should give you a clue.
If a problematic practice is proven – using the criteria mentioned above, among others, and not simply because you disapprove of this kind of hobby! — it is important to intervene. Let’s not dramatize too quickly:it can often be enough to talk about it. After all, many seniors don't realize that their hobby has become problematic, and while this discussion may not be easy, it may be enough to make your loved one realize their issues. Family support is essential in this respect. In more serious cases, do not hesitate to seek the help of a mental health professional. He or she may also identify underlying issues that cause gambling zeal, such as a depressive disorder. The dangers of gambling addiction are increasingly recognized, and with them their management. Support groups exist, for example, on the model of alcoholics anonymous.
However, as with other addictions, it is rather the causes of these that must be tackled. Why does your loved one feel the need to squander their time and savings on these games? The best way to deal with this problematic practice is still to offer your loved one a better living environment, by encouraging them to join other group activities for example, or to start or resume an artistic activity or sports practice.
