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Stoptober/Sober October Blog
Two nationwide public health campaigns take place in the month of October; Stoptober and Go Sober for October. These campaigns encourage smokers and drinkers to join thousands of others in giving up cigarettes and alcohol during the month of October for their own health and to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. At The Primary Care Gambling Service, we wanted to mark these campaigns by looking at the relationships between smoking, drinking, and gambling, as well as looking at the support available to those experiencing gambling harm in Britain.
Problem gambling (gambling that compromises, disrupts or damages personal, family or recreational pursuits [1]) is often seen alongside smoking and alcohol misuse. In fact, one study estimated that there are around 280,000 people in England who meet the criteria for at-risk gambling and drink at a high-risk level, and a 240,000 people who are at-risk gamblers and smoke [2]. Another study found that cigarette smokers were significantly more likely to have gambled in the previous 12 months than non-smokers, and smokers were three times more likely to be a problem gambler than non-smokers [3]. They also found that the number of units of alcohol someone consumed on their heaviest drinking day was significantly associated with problem gambling.
With the relationships between gambling, smoking, and drinking clear, it’s important that we look at multiple aspects of someone’s wellbeing when providing care for those impacted by gambling harm. That’s why The Primary Care Gambling Service employs a multidisciplinary approach to provide holistic support for our patients. We provide free and confidential support for adults affected by gambling harm across Britain. We have several support offers including one-to-one therapies, group therapy sessions, and affected other support for those affected by someone else’s gambling activity. You can self-refer for our service by filling out our registration form, or by calling on 0300 0300 111.
Sources
[1] The Gambling Commission. Problem gambling and gambling – related harms, gamblingcommission.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/publication/problem-gambling-vs-gambling-related-harms
[2] Burton, R., Sharpe, C., Sheron, N., Henn, C., Knight, S., Wright, V. M., & Cook, M. (2023). The prevalence and clustering of alcohol consumption, gambling, smoking, and excess weight in an English adult population. Preventive Medicine, 175, 107683.
[3] Griffiths, M., Wardle, H., Orford, J., Sproston, K., & Erens, B. (2010). Gambling, alcohol, consumption, cigarette smoking and health: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey. Addiction Research & Theory, 18(2), 208-223.
Published: Sep 24, 2025