having been down the road of being a compulsive gambler, and been in recovery for almost 2 years, i would be happy to give a few words of support to any one who feels they are being over taken by this problem, or think that they might have a problem, or indeed any relatives of someone with a gambling problem.

I am not an expert, i have had no formal 'training' in the area of gambling recovery, only hard bitter experience, and i am not (yet) a qualified counsellor. That being said i would be more than happy to share thoughts with anyone who feels they want to off load about this problem, i can at least empathise, and perhaps point you in the direction of help.

Likewise, if any of the therapists who read this forum have clients who have a gambling addiction, i would be very happy to chuck in my tuppence worth. In my humble opinion the support needed is more specific than the general support given by non-specialised counsellors.

its a hidden addiction, and one that few people want to talk about far less admit to. it is not generally recognised, though conservative estimates suggest that there are in excess of 500,000 people in Britain who are compulsive gamblers. The number of people who have significant problems with gambling are not included in this estimate.

with the easy access and availability of on line gambling now, in my humble opinion, the numbers of people who are affected is also likely to significantly increase.

I just want to extend to you a supportive helping hand if i can

Love
rusty
xx

A list of trained counsellors in your area can be found at

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Stay safe

Advice here on boards is not counselling and should be taken very lightly

sue

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Hi Rusty,

I am sure your offer to share your experience will benefit others.

rusty wrote:

I am not an expert, i have had no formal 'training' in the area of gambling recovery, only hard bitter experience,

I think hard bitter experience makes you an expert.

take care,

dibs

Thats a loving thing to do Rusty thank you .

sue

online support groups are good too.
Here is a online gambeling forum for UK.

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yes pastmember, you are right, and thanks for the link.


Dont know if any of you are aware that on saturday the gambling laws changed in this country, allowing advertising of gambling products on tv.

there has been quite a shake up, and the new laws are apparently there to give more support to children and vulnerable people. Not overly convinced about this one, and i just hope that problem gambling does not increase. Its certainly very worrying

love
rusty
xx

that is exactly what it is sue, and it makes me feel very very angry.

smoking has been banned in public places, and the government is making an all out effort to stop people smoking, so they have to replace the revenue with something.

gamblers seem a soft touch.

they have done so much research and the governments stance is that they do not expect any rise in the incidence of problem gambling, but i dotn think that they have taken into account the addictiveness of gambling.

One of the most horrific introductions in the last couple of years has been FOBT's. This stands for fixed odds betting terminals. Its just a fancy name for a fruit machine, but this one is for roulette. They are in every bookmakers shop, and are highly addictive. They have been referred to as the crack cocaine of gambling. That coupled with internet gaming i think is a receipe for disaster.

Actually, i was reading recently that since the smoking ban the incidence of women playing bingo on line has significantly increased.

i fear that it is all doom and gloom in respect to gambling now.

love
rusty
xx