2 in 3 people suffering with gambling addictions struggle to speak up: How to find support
Although gambling addictions seem to go under the radar when it comes to the conversation about struggling with addiction, there is a vast range of resources available, from self-assessment tools to helplines, if you feel you would like a little bit of help. And, next, speaking to Dr Linda Papadopolous, we’ll take a look at opening up the conversation surrounding gambling addiction.
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00:00 The more anxious they become, the more worried and ashamed, then the more likely they are
00:06 to seek dysfunctional ways of coping with that anxiety and therein lies that kind of
00:10 circular problem when it comes to gambling harms.
00:14 According to new research from charity Gamble Aware, as many as 64% of adults in Great Britain
00:19 who have experienced a gambling addiction have kept their experience hidden.
00:23 Perhaps one of the easiest addictions to hide, almost two in five of those who hadn't opened
00:28 up, stated feelings of shame, guilt and fear represented the key barriers stopping them
00:33 from finding support.
00:34 From instant win games to bets on sports to bingo and scratch cards, the research suggested
00:39 there isn't a caricature of a particular person gambling addictions can affect.
00:43 Instead, it can really impact anyone, with 76% of people reporting to feel better after
00:48 having gained the courage to speak about their private struggles.
00:51 The charity is issuing a call to end damaging stigma and to encourage people to open up
00:56 as best they can.
00:58 I think that in some ways gambling addiction is less known, right?
01:02 People don't speak about it as much and I think it's sometimes less easy to spot, right?
01:06 So I could be on my tablet gambling and I could still be sort of around the house.
01:11 I'm not having to leave the house.
01:13 You know, I'm not kind of, you know, someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you might
01:17 see it in my physical manifestation much more easily.
01:20 You're not going to see that.
01:21 So I think the secrecy is the most insidious part.
01:24 We don't look at the red flags, right?
01:27 So, you know, people who, you know, have, you know, do one scratch card and they're
01:32 like, "Oh, I won or oh, I lost."
01:34 That's one thing.
01:35 But when it starts becoming the thing that is getting in the way of you going to work,
01:40 is getting in the way of you doing things at home, is getting in the way of your relationships,
01:44 of your sleep, of your eating, we find a lot of people it's just, it's all encompassing.
01:49 That's the problem.
01:50 If it becomes the thing that you find yourself lying about to your loved ones, that's a problem.
01:55 If you're spending more than you can, absolutely that's a problem.
02:00 If you're losing track of time, that you sat down and you thought you'd be on your tablet
02:04 for 10 minutes and three hours later, you're still there.
02:07 That's a problem.
02:08 So I think one of the things people can do for themselves or for their loved ones is
02:11 to kind of think about what those red flags are to spot them and to deal with them.
02:18 The conversation surrounding addiction can be a tricky one.
02:22 So if you suspect a family member or loved one might be suffering silently, how can you
02:26 open up the narrative with them to demonstrate your will to support them through their struggle?
02:31 I think many times when we're trying to approach somebody about a problem they have, they become
02:35 defensive and they become defensive because they think they're going to be judged.
02:39 So I think you need to approach them with saying, "Hey, I'm here.
02:42 Let's figure this out together."
02:43 It needs to be collaborative.
02:44 So I guess you move the problem from in between you to kind of sitting next to someone and
02:48 kind of going, "Look, let's figure out what help is out there.
02:51 Let's go on the website together.
02:53 Let's type in 'Gamble Aware' together.
02:55 Let's make the call to the National Gambling Helpline together.
02:57 I'll be next to you."
02:58 No judgment, but still a sense of, "This isn't okay.