Over two-thirds of adults engage in gambling on a regular basis. For most people, gambling is a relaxing activity with no negative consequences. However, others develop an addiction to gambling that manifests itself as an irrepressible impulse to wager money.

Robert Ladouceur and his co-authors begin by looking at gambling through the ages and then present an overview of treatments that have been used for pathological gambling over the last two decades. Next they examine the cognitive traps that the gambler may fall into and the therapeutic interventions for putting an end to the irresistible need to gamble, with the penultimate chapter looking at how long-term abstinence can achieved. Finally, the authors discuss the difficulties that they have encountered in the process of therapy, as well as the strategies that have enabled them to surmount these problems.

Understanding and Treating the Pathological Gambler is a vital resource for all clinicians working with pathological gamblers and those with addictions. It is also a fascinating read for anyone who wants to learn more about the psychology of gambling.