Gambling Addiction Norway – experiences among members of a Norwegian self-help group for problem gambling

Most previous studies on self-help groups for problem gambling have been conducted in the US and Canada involving Gamblers Anonymous. We report findings from an interview study with an phenomenological approach comprising nine participants from two Gambling Addiction Norway self-help groups, thus examining another location and type of self-help group. Gambling Addiction Norway is atheoretical, the groups and their work are not based on specific beliefs or strategies for recovery. Participants met the criteria for current (n = 4) or life-time (n = 5) Gambling Disorder (GD). Thematic analysis was used to investigate how group processes were experienced. Three themes were identified. The first theme ‘Shared narratives and understanding’ included accounts of relatedness, understanding, hope of recovery, and socially rewarding experiences. The second theme ‘Keeping it relevant to problem gambling’ included accounts of disagreements over meeting structure, contemplation and realization of one’s gambling problem and gambling-related content. The final theme ‘Changes over time’ included accounts of starting in the group, reduction of gambling urges among people with current GD and relapse prevention among people with life-time GD. Results are interpreted in light of established theories of self-help groups and suggest that common therapeutic factors operate across various types of self-help groups for problem gambling.