Gambling addiction devastates the people who love the gambler
A gambling addict told me the other day that he had just relapsed. He had spent the money he had saved to buy his mother some flowers and take her out for lunch on Mothering Sunday on a sure-fire bet on a horse race. The reason that he had telephoned The Haynes Clinic was simply that he needed to speak to someone who he felt would understand as he felt so much guilt, shame, sadness, anger and remorse. He had to tell his mother what had happened and that he was not able to take her out as he had lost the money that he wanted so desperately to spend on her. So that was a disappointment for her. More importantly, though, he gave both his parents a great deal of further concern to add to the years of worry and anxiety from their son’s gambling addiction. It is an illustration that addiction does not just affect the person with the addiction but all the people who love them – and often other associates too.
If gambling causes you intense excitement, be wary
The caller explained that his gambling had first started when he had been invited to go with friends to a horse race meeting and had finally placed a bet on the last race and the horse had won. It was not the amount that he won or even that he had won, but the excitement experienced from when he placed that bet to watching the race. His feeling of pleasure continued during the race and, when his horse crossed the line first, it was just a bonus. It was that feeling that he found special – that he had never felt before – and that is what he wanted to feel again. It was that day that was the start of his gambling addiction.
If you are a gambling addict and feel the urge to gamble, talk to someone experienced in addiction before placing the bet
What could have produced a different outcome to this sad story is if he had made the telephone call to The Haynes Clinic – or someone else with a knowledge of addiction – and spoken to someone before he relapsed and placed the bet. He then could have his acted differently and even taken his mother out for that Mothering Sunday lunch.
Gambling addiction affects a quarter of a million people in the UK with many more being at risk of joining them
Many people are currently going through times of financial hardship and to have the odd gamble could be seen as an answer to their financial problems. However, the most up to date statistics published by Public Health England in 2023 state that 0.5% of the population in the UK have a gambling addiction. This equates to approximately 246,000 people. A further 3.8% – some 2.2 million people – are “ at risk of addiction.” The danger with placing that first bet is that there is no way of knowing where the dice will fall for you. If that first bet – be it on the Grand National, on online bingo, on the chance of winning with free spins from the company advertising on our local football club shirts or from the encouraging advert we saw on the TV last night promoting gambling – if this gives you a feeling of excitement, be very wary. This could be the first step on a path of misery with you becoming another addiction statistic. Gambling advertising in all forms of media has reached record levels. The inducement to gamble has never been greater with even young people being persuaded to “have a go.”
Help for gambling addiction is available
That said, it is not all doom and gloom. Anyone with a gambling or any other addiction can manage a life without it (gambling, drugs, alcohol). They will need to work a programme of recovery with that programme being total abstinence based. It will never be OK to have ‘one last bet’ any more than an alcoholic can have ‘just one small drink’ or a cocaine addict can cut down to ‘maybe one line instead of two’. At The Haynes Clinic we have never, ever heard anyone tell us that they have had an amazing and enjoyable relapse. There is a direct relationship between our actions and the consequences and, by taking action which leads to a relapse, we will unleash the devastation of our addiction on every area of our life again.
Asking for help is key. If you feel that your behaviour is getting out of control, with you having an increasing and intense urge to engage in repeated behaviour, leading to negative consequences, than make that telephone call. Taking action sooner rather than later could make all the difference.
The Haynes Clinic deals with all forms of addiction including gambling. Call now on 01462 851414.