The Current Advances in Gambling Research (CAGR) conference was recently held in Cardiff and Dragos Dragomir, Goody Moody Clinical Director, attended along with one of our trustees, Annika Lindberg. The conference was funded by the GREAT Network Wales, Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO) and the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) and brings together academic and clinical experts, and experts by experience, from across disciplines to discuss the latest developments in gambling research in a supportive and critically reflective environment.
Dragos reflects on the conference:
It was a special year for CAGR as, for the first time, a greater emphasis was placed on the important role of those with lived experience of the harms caused by gambling. It was refreshing to feel their understanding that there can be no progress made in research, education or treatment development without joined involvement of those affected by gambling harm.
A dedicated Lived Experience session – More Than Just a Story – sat at the core of the conference and drew wide interest from all participants. It was also great to see a few other experts of lived experience that have supported so many people affected by harmful gambling in the last few years.
Meeting fellow attendees
I was honoured that Annika and I got to meet with Joel Billieux, Zsolt Demetrovics, and Damien Breves to talk about the latest advances in understanding the neuroscience of gambling behaviour and the developments of the pathways model of problem gambling in the last 20 years.
We had a great meeting with Agnes Nairn, the Co-Director of the newly launched Gambling Harms Research Centre at Bristol University and discussed the possibilities of collaborating in research of best practice treatment interventions for those most affected by gambling related harm.
The programme was packed with so much useful information and was delivered at a quite impressive pace! Four keynote presentations were brought by leading figures in the study of gambling and its treatment, namely Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Heather Wardle, Luke Clark, and Joel Billieux.
Presentation topics
Over 20 other presentations were delivered by researchers from all across the world. The presentations were grouped into four crucial topics for the current landscape of the education, prevention and treatment of gambling:
- Populations vulnerable to gambling
- Neural, cognitive and motivational processes in gambling
- Gambling advertising, social media and emerging data platforms
- Tracking, preventing and treating gambling related harm
Introducing our new programme to CAGR
I am grateful to have had the possibility to introduce Gordon Moody’s flagship women’s residential programme and to see the interest of all those present into this new avenue for support for women affected by gambling related harm. I gathered so much insight that we can use in the further development of our treatment services at Gordon Moody.
Thanks
Thanks must go to the organisers of the conference – you made it a great experience for all the attendees. Looking forward to doing it all again at #CAGR2023!