Co-Existent Fruit Machine Addiction and Solvent Abuse in Adolescence: A Cause for Concern?.

Abstract Fruit machine addiction and solvent abuse are two behaviours that appear to be emerging problems that occur primarily during adolescence. The evidence that solvent abuse and fruit machine addiction may actually co-exist within the same individual has yet to materialize. However, data presented here taken from a larger study of gambling cross addictions highlighted 16 agencies reporting that fruit machine gambling was specifically associated with some form of psychoactive substance abuse. By far the biggest sub group were cross-addictions involving solvent abuse and fruit machine gambling (9 out of 16). Despite the severe limitations of the data collected (i.e. a mixture of specific records, personal observations and anecdotal evidence) there is little doubt that the co-existence of these two behaviours occurs in some individuals — primarily male adolescents — although the prevalence is probably an insignificant minority.