Gamblers taking steps to turn their lives around

Gamblers taking steps to turn their lives around
Plymouth Herald
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Many people gamble at some point in their lives, but at what point do you become addicted? CLAIRE JONES heard the stories of two men in Plymouth hoping to help others deal with their obsession.

THE vast majority of people who are addicted to gambling do not seek help.

In fact, NHS statistics show that only around five percent of people reach out and only one percent get treatment for their gambling problem.

If that problem is left to develop, debts can spiral out of control and people can become withdrawn and depressed, which can affect their professional lives and relationships with other people.

At a 12-step gamblers anonymous meeting in Mannamead, two men have admitted their problem and are taking active steps to change their lives for the better.

Both wished to not be identified so their names have been changed and they told their stories to help others currently addicted to gambling.

Dennis is aged 32 and after starting to gamble when he was 13, he soon got the thrill for winning.

He said: "Me and my dad watched the horse racing and I saw I could earn money. I used to keep my school dinner money to one side so I could use it to bet with on the weekend. I started with the horses and dogs and moved on to the roulette."

It was on the roulette Dennis' addiction spiralled out of control.

"That's what finished me. The roulette was the extreme of extreme of gambling. You get so caught up in it. It just eats all your money. You really believe you're going to win it. I knew I could be bankrupt if I carried on but it wasn't about the money, it was an obsession."

Altogether, over the 20 years Dennis was gambling, he believes he lost £100,000 to his addiction.

But now, since joining the 12 step gamblers meeting, Dennis is looking at the world with fresh eyes.

"It works for some people going to meetings but I needed the steps programme. I have got an addictive personality.

"This is a new 12 step meeting. It's good for gamblers and families to see the group exists and encourage people to come along and work through the steps.

"I need to do constructive things, and to be a part of the fellowship we have to reach a hand out and try to help people. By helping others that puts me further away from a bet. It doesn't have to be a gambler; it's just about doing a good deed for someone else."

Now Dennis is reaping the rewards from joining a group with others in his position.

"These meetings have turned my life around more than you could imagine. I know myself today, I love what I do, and I can control what I do. This meeting is about helping people and I'm learning to really enjoy that. Now I can see a future for me in the world. I don't want to end up in life with nothing," he concluded.

Tom moved to Plymouth when he was 18 and spent around £30,000 from the age of 19 to 24 on roulette.

Tom said: "I'm from a background of living on the streets and homeless hostels and I also got in trouble with the police. I was always on the take in life.

"I went to the bookies with my friend and won £7.20. I always won at first. Then I started losing and I would get my money anywhere I could. I lied to my partners, saying I was going to the shop and I wouldn't be back for three or four hours. I didn't care, I was losing my mind."

While Tom's addiction was at its worst he would even let it get between him and his children.

"I would have put my gambling before my kids. I would do it and then feel terrible about it. You need to win or get your money back. No matter how much I won I would still gamble and feed it back in," he said.

Tom soon had a scare and realised he needed to turn his life around.

"What brought me into the fellowship was because I was about to go to prison so I knew something had to be done. Some people there had been to where I had been, some hadn't, but they could all relate to me and I could relate to them. When I wasn't gambling I hated life. I would be angry, frustrated, and act badly. I am selfish and self-centred to the core. I can't help that. I was a loser, a total waster."

Tom joined a group and decided he would do everything in his power to not let his addiction control him anymore.

"I haven't been betting for two years now. I can carry money with me and trust myself to not go and gamble it. I work, I train at college one day a week, and pay rent. I'm trying to be a better person.

"The world seems to be a better place and I feel happy. I encourage people to get help and join a 12 step programme, it's the best thing I've ever done.

"It's just all about progress and doing the right thing. The best years of my existence lie ahead, so I'm going to make the most of them."

The new 12 step Gamblers Anonymous meetings are being held at 7pm every Thursday in St Edwards Church Hall in Mannamead.