More on gambling addiction at
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
street homeless in London I got off
the coach at Canterbury, Kent. I
sought help from the nearest
homeless shelter and with what I had
just put myself through, I found a will
to seek help to try to stop gambling.
But I came up against a problem. I
realised that there was no accessible
face-to-face support at all for those
who have gambling problems. And
what became evidently clear as well,
was that knowledge and awareness
around problematic and excessive
gambling behaviour among staff was
very poor, bordering on non-existent.
Here I was, with a serious problem,
desperately wanting help, but
because there was no help and staff
were unknowledgeable, I felt
excluded and marginalised.
Unintentionally, and by some odd
fortune, I developed an alcohol
dependency. And straightaway,
treatment options opened for me. I
was referred to what was then a
dedicated NHS alcohol Treatment
service and periodically, for the next
few years, I participated in a whole
array of help and support that is
commonly found in addiction
treatment services. And because I
was engaging in treatment, I was
able to take a good look at my
gambling behaviour too.
I managed very successfully to
address my alcohol use and in a
matter of months was able to get to
a point where I was able to abstain –
and I stayed stopped for four years.
My gambling, however, persisted. I felt something was missing and I still felt
marginalised. I wasn’t getting something from the all the treatment I was receiving
through the alcohol service.
As with thousands of other people facing the challenges of overcoming addiction, I
had a serious relapse – time for rehab. I began the search in October 2009 when I was
27 and come March 2010 I was walking up the drive to the therapeutic community
where I stayed for 20 months. It was a therapeutically difficult and painful experience
but one which I am so grateful for. But still I felt marginalised because I had a
predominant gambling problem – and just as with my experience of the workers in the
homeless hostel, I felt this recurring sense that awareness and understanding of
gambling-related harm (GRH) was inadequately low.
Although I’d make positive advances in areas of my being and recovery, I
struggled to maintain my 20-month abstinence from gambling, and relapsed.
This was when, after ten years of trying to get a handle on my gambling, I
decided to approach the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
(CNWL) National Problem Gambling Clinic (NPGC) – currently the only dedicated
NHS service that provides gambling-specific support. I self-referred and in a few
weeks joined an eight-week cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course.
Unlike all the hours of CBT I had done previously, this course has been brilliantly
modified and refined to meet the needs of individuals with gambling problems,
just as the person with issues relating to alcohol or opioids needs tailored support.
Furthermore, I was able to meet others like me and for the first time didn’t feel
excluded or marginalised. I found the something that was missing. And I haven’t
looked back.
‘I became
intensely
consumed
with
recapturing
the potency
of emotions
attained by
the “Big Win”
and I began
to gamble
as often as
I could.’
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
GAMBLING
WITH PUBLIC
HEALTH
Let’s increase the
chances of a good
outcome, says
Lord Victor Adebowale
G
ambling is a common part of everyday life, accessible online 24/7 and
unavoidable across media and advertising platforms. Yet for some
people, it can become harmful and problematic, affecting
relationships, housing, employment and health.
The timing of the recent APPG on Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis
meeting on ‘harmful gambling’ coincided with the football World Cup – four weeks of
sporting action that gripped the nation and over which it was expected that the
amount spent on gambling in the UK rose to £2.5bn; an alarming figure.
In the UK nearly 9m adults will gamble over any four-week period, of which
430,000 can be identified as ‘problem gamblers’. It is an addiction that impacts all
pockets of society, yet one which only now is starting to be addressed as a public
health issue.
Dr Steve Sharman from the University of East London presented his recent
research findings on the correlation between homelessness and gambling – a
pocket of society many would not commonly associate with gambling, despite 82
per cent of homeless problem gamblers interviewed experiencing these issues prior
to homelessness. He explained how 24/7 casinos, which provide a warm, safe haven
for those otherwise on the street, and incentives such as free bathrooms and hot
food and drinks, become attractive but are only available if you are gambling – a
morally corrupt pay-off in my opinion.
Lawrence Goode from the Gordon Moody Association, a charity that provides
advice, education and high-quality innovative therapeutic support to male problem
gamblers and those affected by problem gambling, reiterated the wider non-direct
impact gambling can have on families and children. Of the 74 people who went
through their residential treatment last year, 72 relationships broke down and 69
children were temporarily without a father.
The government is making some effort to address harmful gambling, for example
recent government policy has cut the maximum permitted stake on fixed-odds
betting terminals from £100 to £2 – a controversial move welcomed by some in the
bookmaking industry – and PHE have committed to carrying out a review of the
damage to health caused by gambling. However, to make any real and effective
progress it is obvious that more funding, research and treatment options are needed
to address the health and social concerns harmful gambling presents in the UK.
Addiction is addiction, whether drugs, alcohol or gambling. It’s a behaviour
pattern and what the sector and NHS commissioning services need to realise is that
we should be providing holistic support, treating the person rather than an
individual problem.
Lord Victor Adebowale is co-chair of the APPG on Complex Needs and Dual
Diagnosis, and CEO of Turning Point
September 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 7