This is a sponsored post.
Remember when we talked about problem gambling?
No, well then you need to go here, here and here. It’s OK. I can wait
while you read them. You're back? Great, let's carry on.
It wasn’t uncommon for me to wake up early in the
morning and find Fred gone. He’d come back hours later. It turns out
he was up all night waiting for money to land in our account so he could
take it out straight away, catch a taxi to
the casino and put it through the pokies. Always confident of a big
win that never came. I did try and explain that the machines are
designed so that you never actually win, but he refused to believe me.
In the end I got sick of the arguing, so I stopped
complaining.
I really wish I had known about Gambler’s Help back
then. I wish I could’ve called them and got some advice as to how to
handle the whole situation. I tried to talk directly to Fred about it,
but it always ended in tears from me and
him disappearing to gamble some more. We had so many people chasing us
for money it was beyond a joke, and yet he still refused to listen.
Gambler’s Help is a free service. They’re
available all the time. You can call them on 1800 858 858 or email them. They even
have a super amazing live chat feature and public forum on their website.
Gambler’s Help offers counselling. Over the phone,
in person, with or without your partner. They can help with financial
counselling too. One in four people that contact them are actually not
gamblers themselves, but they have someone
in their life who is struggling with a gambling problem. You need to
know you are not alone. There are many people that have walked down
this road before you and they can help with practical and emotional
support.
To speak to someone directly, contact Gambler’s
Help on 1800 858 858, or to find out some more info and check out the
live chat or email counselling, just go the website.
