Can a pathological gambler ever gamble normally again?

Abstract

This paper comments the polemic between those who propose abstinence as the only valid aim of the therapies for the treatment of pathological gambling and those who, admitting abstinence as a useful objective in many cases, also propose controlled gambling as a probably valid alternative in other situations, Both the points of view of the self-help associations and of the mental health professionals are presented, some relevant research is reviewed and conclusions relative to the context of associations are offered.