A new problem gambling study is making headlines in the UK but the headline going unreported is just how similar it is to previous studies of its type.

A new study released by the British Journal of General Practice surveyed 1,058 individuals who paid visits to 11 different GP clinics in Bristol. The researchers wanted to determine whether the patients were suffering from problem gambling in addition to the original reasons behind their visits.

The survey found that 0.9% of these patients qualified as problem gamblers, while 4.3% reported problems that were “low to moderate in severity.” These ratios are similar to those previously reported in multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, British Columbia, Singapore and Macau.

The survey also found that risky alcohol use was associated with a nearly threefold increase in problem gambling symptoms while drug use was associated with a fivefold increase. Here again, multiple studies have confirmed that problem gamblers have difficulty saying no to lots of things besides gambling, most likely due to mounting evidence that their brains are wired differently from ‘normal’ people.