Australians love a punt - over 80 per cent will gamble at one stage or another. And yet, for a small fraction of us, gambling will cause very serious problems indeed. Why and how those problems occur, and what to do about it, are still very much matters of debate.

People seem to gravitate toward gambling primarily, at least as I would understand it, because of more sociological forces than any other. If you're someone who comes from a family where money is tight, or the community does not support gambling, well, chances are you're not gonna lean in that direction.

There is no drug out on the market specifically for gambling. There are a number of drugs, particularly Naltrexone, in the two forms of it, that seems to have a positive effect of decreasing gambling.

Some gambling occurs at the local liquor store or Seven-Eleven, like the little scratches. Have you ever seen anybody standing at the counter, scribbling off? For a few fleeting moments there's excitement, exhilaration, hope, and optimism. It's not that far from somebody who is investing high numbers on a risky investment, or someone who is in Las Vegas.

Gambling addiction takes many forms. It is a very broad addiction, if you'd like to call it that, because it manifests itself in so many ways. Gambling could be everything from the very overt: you go into Las Vegas or Reno or whatever, spending your money. But it's also the stock markets. It's also back of the schoolyard.

Presumably quoting from the Harvard Medical School report commissioned by the Vienna listed online gambling company Bwin, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has published the results of an HMS study that found many gambling addicts recover from their addiction naturally, without treatment, and that problem gambling is a more dynamic phenomenon than was previously believed.

A recent University of Pennsylvania study showed that 75 percent of seniors interviewed had gambled within the past year. Eleven percent were defined as "at risk" for developing a problem or had gambled more than they could afford to lose.

Many gambling addicts recover from their addiction naturally, without treatment, according to a study published this month in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The study challenges conventional wisdom about problem gambling, historically considered a degenerative addiction by groups such as Gamblers Anonymous and the (U.S.) National Council on Problem Gambling.

They tremble. They sweat. Their stomachs ache and their heads throb. They have difficulty sleeping. They vomit and would do anything for a fix. They are suffering a case of withdrawal pain. Yet they are slaves to neither drink nor drugs. Their addiction is gambling.

"Problem gambling can negatively affect significant areas of a person's life, including their physical and mental health, employment, finances and relationships."