Escaping Reality Via Gambling Leads to Addiction

Summary

Researchers have updated the Gambling Motives Questionnaire to a new GMQ-R-27 that explicitly includes “escapism” as a motive for gambling. The study, published in Comprehensive Psychiatry and involving Université de Montréal psychologist Prof. Beáta Bőthe, finds that using gambling to escape daily worries, stress and negative emotions is strongly linked to the development of gambling disorder.

The update recognises escapism not as a trivial pastime but as a form of self-medication that offers short-term emotional relief and can become compulsive if relied upon exclusively. The paper also notes that social forms of gambling (playing with friends or family) appear less consistently linked to addiction, though peer pressure and group risk-taking can still increase harm. The authors recommend clinicians and treatment programmes assess motives more carefully and promote alternatives such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy to break the escapism cycle.

Key Points

The GMQ-R-27 expands the standard Gambling Motives Questionnaire to include escapism as a distinct motive.
Escapism is defined as using imagination or entertainment to avoid unpleasant life experiences and emotions.
Gambling motivated by escapism is associated with a higher risk of developing a gambling disorder; it acts like a form of self-medication.
Social gambling may be less addictive in some contexts, but evidence is mixed and peer pressure or high-stakes group behaviour can raise risks.
Treatment implications: assess genuine motives for gambling and prioritise interventions such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy to address underlying negative emotions.

Context and Relevance

This study matters to clinicians, policy makers and operators because it reframes escapism from a casual reason to a significant red flag for harm. As regulators and treatment services look to reduce gambling-related harm, having a validated tool (GMQ-R-27) that flags escapism helps target interventions earlier. The findings also speak to wider trends around mental health and addictive behaviours: when leisure activities become the primary coping tool for stress, they risk becoming compulsive.

Why should I read this?

Quick and blunt: if you work in treatment, regulation or run gambling products, you should care. This update isn’t academic nitpicking — it identifies escapism as a serious risk marker. Read it to spot the warning signs sooner and to shape smarter, evidence-backed responses (think: better screening, more CBT and mindfulness options).