Background and aimsSelf-exclusion programs offer an intervention for individuals with problem gambling behavior. However, these programs are insufficiently used. This review describes sociodemographic features and gambling behavior of self-excluders as well as goals and motives for initiating self-exclusion from terrestrial and online gambling. In addition, use of further professional help and barriers to self-exclusion are examined.MethodsBased on systematic literature search and quality assessment, n = 16 original studies (13 quantitative, 2 qualitative, and 1 mixed method) published between 1997 and 2017 in English or German language were analyzed. Results are presented for online and terrestrial gambling separately.ResultsOnline self-excluders were on average 10 years younger than terrestrial self-excluders. Self-exclusion was mainly motivated by financial problems, followed by feelings of losing control and problems with significant others. Financial problems and significant others were less important for online than for terrestrial gamblers. Main barriers for self-exclusion were complicated enrollment processes, lack of complete exclusion from all venues, little support from venue staff, and lack of adequate information on self-exclusion programs. Both self-excluders from terrestrial and online gambling had negative attitudes toward the need of professional addiction care.ConclusionTo exploit the full potential of self-exclusion as a measure of gambler protection, its acceptance and its utilization need to be increased by target-group-specific information addressing financial issues and the role of significant others, simplifying the administrative processes, facilitating self-exclusion at an early stage of the gambling career, offering self-determined exclusion durations, and promoting additional use of professional addiction care.

BackgroundThe proportion of 60+ years with excessive alcohol intake varies in western countries between 6–16 % among men and 2–7 % among women. Specific events related to aging (e.g. loss of job, physical and mental capacity, or spouse) may contribute to onset or continuation of alcohol use disorders (AUD). We present the rationale and design of a multisite, multinational AUD treatment study for subjects aged 60+ years.Methods/Design1,000 subjects seeking treatment for AUD according to DSM-5 in outpatient clinics in Denmark, Germany, and New Mexico (USA) are invited to participate in a RCT. Participants are randomly assigned to four sessions of Motivational Enhancement Treatment (MET) or to MET plus an add-on with eight sessions based on the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA), which include a new module targeting specific problems of older adults. A series of assessment instruments is applied, including the Form-90, Alcohol Dependence Scale, Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory and WHO Quality of Life. Enrolment will be completed by April 2016 and data collection by April 2017.The primary outcome is the proportion in each group who are abstinent or have a controlled use of alcohol six months after treatment initiation. Controlled use is defined as maximum blood alcohol content not exceeding 0.05 % during the last month. Total abstinence is a secondary outcome, together with quality of life andcompliance with treatment.DiscussionThe study will provide new knowledge about brief treatment of AUD for older subjects. As the treatment is manualized and applied in routine treatment facilities, barriers for implementation in the health care system are relatively low. Finally, as the study is being conducted in three different countries it will also provide significant insight into the possible interaction of service system differences and related patient characteristics in predictionof treatment outcome.Trial registrationClinical Trials.gov NCT02084173, March 7, 2014.

Aim To examine whether adding the Community Reinforcement Approach for Seniors (CRA‐S) to Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) increases the probability of treatment success in people aged ≥ 60 years with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Design A single blind multi‐centre multi‐national randomized (1 : 1) controlled trial. Setting Out‐patient settings (municipal alcohol treatment clinics in Denmark, specialized addiction care facilities in Germany and a primary care clinic in the United States). Participants Between January 2014 and May 2016, 693 patients aged 60+ years and fulfilling DSM‐5 criteria for AUD participated in comparing MET (n = 351) and MET + CRA‐S (n = 342). Intervention and comparator MET (comparator) included four manualized sessions aimed at increasing motivation to change and establishing a change plan. CRA‐S (intervention) consisted of up to eight further optional, manualized sessions aimed at helping patients to implement their change plan. CRA‐S included a specially designed module on coping with age and age‐related problems. Measurements The primary outcome was either total alcohol abstinence or an expected blood alcohol concentration of ≤ 0.05% during the 30 days preceding the 26 weeks follow‐up (defined as success) or blood alcohol concentration of > 0.05% during the follow‐up period (defined as failure). This was assessed by self‐report using the Form 90 instrument. The main analysis involved complete cases. Findings The follow‐up rate at 26 weeks was 76.2% (76.9% in the MET group and 76.0% in the MET + CRA‐S group). The success rate in the MET group was 48.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 42.9–54.9%] versus 52.3% (95% CI = 46.2–58.3%) in the MET + CRA‐S group. The odds of success in the two conditions did not differ (odds ratio = 1.22. 95% CI = 0.86–1.75, P = 0.26, Bayes factor = 0.10). Sensitivity analyses involving alternative approaches to missing values did not change the results. Conclusions In older adults with an alcohol use disorder diagnosis, adding the ‘community reinforcement approach for seniors’ intervention to brief out‐patient motivational enhancement therapy treatment did not improve drinking outcome.

Background and aims: As only a minority of pathological gamblers (PGr) presents for treatment, further knowledge about help-seeking behavior is required in order to enhance treatment utilization. The present study investigated factors associated with treatment participation in gamblers in Germany. As subclinical pathological gamblers (SPGr, fulfilling one to four DSM-IV-criteria) are target of early intervention due to high risk of transition to pathological gambling, they were subject of special interest. Methods: The study analyzed data from a general population survey (n = 234, SPGr: n = 198, PGr: n = 36) and a treatment study (n = 329, SPGr: n = 22, PGr: n = 307). A two-step weighting procedure was applied to ensure comparability of samples. Investigated factors included socio-demographic variables, gambling behavior, symptoms of pathological gambling and substance use. Results: In PGr, regular employment and non-German nationality were positively associated with being in treatment while gambling on the Internet and gaming machines and fulfilling more DSM-IV-criteria lowered the odds. In SPGr, treatment attendance was negatively associated with married status and alcohol consumption and positively associated with older age, higher stakes, more fulfilled DSM-IV criteria and regular smoking. Conclusions: In accordance to expectations more severe gambling problems and higher problem awareness and/or external pressure might facilitate treatment entry. There are groups with lower chances of being in treatment: women, ethnic minorities, and SPGr. We propose target group specific offers, use of Internet-based methods as possible adaptions and/or extensions of treatment offers that could enhance treatment attendance.

pioid addiction is one of the most common substance-related disorders worldwide. It is responsible for the majority of the morbidity and mortality caused by drugs in the population (1). Opioids include both synthetic (e.g. heroin, methadone, buprenorphine, fentanyl) and plant-derived substances (opiates, e.g. codeine and morphine). Opioids carry major risks of physical and pharmacological dependency (2). Intravenous use, in particular, is associated with a nonnegligible risk of communicable diseases (3) or death due to overdose or the long-term consequences of use (4). Finally, there is an increased risk of criminal behavior, specifically drug-related crime (5). Knowing how many individuals are addicted to opioids is important for setting health policy (6). In the first instance, calculations in Germany concern addiction caused by taking illegal opioid-containing substances. A preliminary national estimate for Germany as a whole in 1989, based on treatment data, gave a figure of 60 000 to 80 000 individuals who were problem users of opiates, cocaine, stimulants, or hallucinogenic drugs (7). A German expert group estimated the number of heroin users in western and eastern Germany in 1995 at 127 000 to 152 000 (8); for the same year, the number of intravenous drug users in western Germany and Berlin was estimated at a mean of 150 000 (97 000 to 204 000) on the basis of a survey among general practitioners (9). As part of estimating the number of individuals with problematic drug use in European Union countries, figures of 127 000 to 190 000 opiate users in Germany for the year 2000 were found using various methods. This calculation was based on treatment, police, and mortality data (10). Using these approaches, comparative estimates for 1990, 1995, and 2000 indicated a moderate increase in the number of opiate users (11). The aim of this study was to estimate the number of individuals addicted to opioids in Germany and its individual federal states for the calendar year 2016. Method This estimate is based on substitution treatment registry data, data from inpatient and outpatient addiction care statistics, and counts in 5 low-threshold addiction care Summary Background: Opioid addiction is one of the most common substance-related disorders worldwide, and morbidity and mortality due to opioid addiction place a heavy burden on society. Knowing the size of the population that is addicted to opioids is a prerequisite for the development and implementation of appropriate health-policy measures. Methods: Our estimate for Germany for 2016 is based on an enumeration of opioidaddicted persons who were entered in a registry of persons receiving substitution therapy, an enumeration of persons receiving outpatient and inpatient care for addiction without substitution therapy, an extrapolation to all addiction care facilities, and an estimation of the number of opioid-addicted persons who were not accounted for either in the substitution registry or in addiction care. Results: The overall estimate of the number of opioid-addict...