Book by gambler pulls no punches

Book by gambler pulls no punches
SARAH YOUNG

A Nelson woman who committed fraud to fund her gambling addiction more than 10 years ago has written a "world-first" book to help other gamblers, and is looking for sponsorship to help others nationwide.

Nelson resident Brenda McQuillan, who admitted stealing $8004 from the Nelson Polytechnic Student Association in 1999 to fund her gambling habit and now runs a weekly support group for gambling addicts, has written Problem Gamblers Support Group Logbook.

Written by someone who had really gone through the nightmare of addiction, it was something different from the usual books affiliated with Gambling Anonymous, which had become "a bit formulaic in some ways", she said.

"It's gamblers' support, as opposed to anonymous support. I'm quite happy to be open, because it's more helpful for others, and for me.

"It makes it much more difficult for me to go into a pub and gamble when others know.

"And one of the beauties of the book is it's no-holds-barred; it's just straight up. If you stuff it up, you stuff it up for yourself, but you get back on that wagon and try again."

Ms McQuillan started to play pokie machines in 1992 while in Sydney after meeting a "bloke who played them".

For five years, she was "fine", and moved back to Nelson after having a child.

However, the stress of her job as president of the Nelson Polytechnic Student Association got to her and she stole money to fund what had become a gambling addiction.

"It is my eternal shame that I did. People I worked with had fingers pointed at them. It was just dreadful. I should never have done it. But that's part of the downfall. You are not that person you thought you were.

"It just ruins your life – debt, bills going unpaid. I would walk into the house after having been gambling and turn the lights on to check if the power was still connected. I didn't have a phone for two or three years. You just go without. It saps everything."

For 10 years, she struggled to overcome her addiction, finally deciding to ban herself from pokie venues – the first person in New Zealand to do so – and then started a support group in April last year.

Now employed full time at MedLab South, she wants addicts to know they are not alone – "It affects everybody and anybody" – and things can get better.

While it was hard admitting her previous convictions, employers had been good, as long as she was honest and gave them the choice, she said.

The support group, which has between three and 12 people attending each week, started again last Wednesday after taking a six-week break over the winter.

The group helped her decide on the strategies to put in the book, which was officially launched on September 1, and she is now looking for sponsorship to create a how-to package to help people in other parts of the country set up a group, or use the book.

Nelson research director for the Problem Gambling Foundation Dr Philip Townshend said Brenda's book was exciting, and a "world-first" in terms of being written for gamblers by gamblers.

Help books were usually written by specialists like himself, he said.

"However, if someone like me does this, they are not written by a gambler and this is obvious to gamblers reading them."

He was only aware of three other similar groups in the country, in Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch, and there was definitely a need for more, he said.

"The gambling thing is always confusing for people. There's no drug involved and people struggle to understand why they can't stop by just making up their mind.

"It's one of those things where you need to have the support of other people that have experienced that form of powerlessness."

The support group meets at 7pm every Wednesday at 50 Halifax St, Nelson.