We have received so much positive feedback from this interview with our team member, Tony O'Reilly, on the brilliant 'Talking Bollox Podcast'.  Raising awareness in this way, gets more people seeking help and gets more people talking about gambling addiction and its causes - which helps to destigmatise the issue.  

You can listen to the audio version of the podcast here, or watch it on YouTube.  

While gambling addiction is often incorrectly viewed as a 'male problem', many women develop addictions to gambling.  We are proud to have had three inspirational women in recovery on The Problem Gambling Podcast, so far and would love to hear from more women who want to share their recovery stories.  

This short clip from our interview with Stacey Goodwin, hits the nail on the head, regarding one of the most common fallacies which drives gambling addiction - the dream that a 'big win' will solve everything.  

If you want to talk to someone in confidence, about your own issues with gambling, or a loved one's - or avail of our free counselling service, please fill out the Contact Form and we will arrange a call.  

Listen to the full interview with Stacey (A.K.A. 'The Girl Gambler') 

Nadine Ashworth is in recovery from a gambling addiction and is a Peer Mentor at the NHS Northern Gambling Clinic.  

Jenna Makela is an Expert by Experience, working with a Finnish support service for people with gambling problems.  

Claire Donegan is an Expert by Experience and the CEO of Thrive Recovery

Lisa Walker is an Expert by Experience and Outreach Worker with BetKnowMore

Most of the people who contact our service are interested in one thing: stopping gambling completely.  The vast majority of people we work with have made numerous attempts to quit gambling and, unfortunately, relapsed.  So, just like you, they have realised that they cannot gamble in a moderate or recreational way.  Having an unhealthy/addictive relationship with gambling is not a problem - as long as you don't gamble.  The real problem is repeatedly convincing yourself that you can gamble safely - when you have so much lived experience evidence to the contrary.  Many people cannot have a healthy relationship with gambling - just as many people cannot have a healthy relationship with alcohol or other drugs.  While the Government and Gambling Industry must take their fair share of responsibility for facilitating gambling addiction, they can't do your recovery for you (unfortunately).  So, here are some tips for starting out on your recovery journey.  While some of these are uncomfortable, I know from working with hundreds of people with gambling problems, that the people who do all of these are much less likely to relapse than the people who 'cherry-pick' the easier ones.  

• Self Exclude from all gambling venues that you visit regularly (local betting shops/casinos/arcades), as well as self-excluding from all online accounts.  Unfortunately, as Ireland does not yet have a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, either for land-based or online gambling, this can require a bit of work.  Most people also find it embarrassing to sign a self-exclusion form in a land-based gambling venue.  It's certainly not fun - but it can be a really important part of stopping gambling and staying stopped.
• Blocking Software such as Gamban, provides a 'belt and braces' approach, if you gamble online.  We recommend installing it on all devices that you have access to.  It blocks access to all gambling sites and apps.  Make sure to self-exclude from online account, before you install the software.
• Financial Accountability to another person (who you trust) is a really useful tool.  Most people hate doing this, but it really can help - especially in the early stages (first 6 months).  It can either take the form of handing over complete financial control to a trusted person or being accountable to them for what you're spending your money on.  It usually doesn't feel great and it can, sometimes, cause conflict - but, if you don't have money, you can't gamble.  Simples.  
• Fill Your Time with other activities that you enjoy.  Many people spend a lot of their free time gambling.  It's really important to fill that time with something else, that you find interesting, challenging or enjoyable - or else your mind will keep wandering back to thoughts of gambling, through boredom.  
• Talk About Your Gambling.  This could be at a Gamblers Anonymous Meeting, or on a one-to-one basis with a counsellor.  Residential treatment may also be an option.  Many people will attend meetings and also go for counselling or residential treatment.  

The most important thing to remember, is that recovery from a gambling problem is possible - especially if you make the tough decisions and put the right structures in place.  If you would like to get some inspiration from other people who have recovered from addiction to gambling, check out our Recovery Story podcast episodes.  It's also worth listening to our special podcast episode 'Recovery 101', where we discuss these tips in more detail (featuring Tony O'Reilly, co-author of 'Tony10').  

One of the biggest issues with problem gambling (Gambling Disorder/Compulsive Gambling/Pathological Gambling/Gambling Addiction) - apart from the fact that it clearly has way too many names - is the lack of understanding that exists about how a person can become addicted to a behaviour in the first place.  Because there is no addictive substance, like alcohol or nicotine, involved - most people believe that stopping gambling should be as easy as steering clear of the Betting Shop or deleting a gambling app from your phone.  The reality is that it's far more challenging and complicated than that.  

So, I've boiled down some of the reasons why so many people develop problems with gambling, in an effort to demystify and simplify things.

• Gambling Changes Your Brain Chemistry: Just like many stimulant drugs, gambling causes the release of the hormone and neurotransmitter, Dopamine, in the brain.  This occurs in the Reward Pathway of the brain - an area which serves the purpose of rewarding us when we eat certain foods or have sex (activities that are strongly linked to the survival of the individual and the species).  Gambling, just like many drugs, can 'hijack' the Reward Pathway - so that we 'feel' like we need to gamble (or smoke cigarettes; drink alcohol; use cocaine) in order to survive.  Just like with alcohol and other drugs, we develop a 'tolerance' to gambling, over time, and experience 'withdrawal' symptoms, when abstaining.  Tolerance and Withdrawal are the key elements of any addiction.  The good news is that the brain's chemistry will return to normal levels of Dopamine production, after a period of abstaining from gambling and persevering through withdrawal symptoms.  These often include: low mood, restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, anxiety.  
• Gambling Taps Into 'Behavioural Conditioning':  Just as we can be conditioned into checking our smartphones for social media updates, text messages and emails - we can be conditioned into developing an unhealthy relationship with gambling.  There are two main types of behavioural conditioning: Classical and Operant.  Classical Conditioning is sometimes referred to as a 'Pavlovian Response' - referring to the famous 'Pavlov's Dog' behavioural experiment.  Basically, this experiment showed that an unconscious response can be 'paired' with a stimulus (trigger), over time, when the trigger is repeated.  A person who has developed a gambling problem will usually start out watching sports without gambling on the outcomes, but, over time, will come to associate watching sport with gambling.  The two separate behaviours have been 'paired' together, so that the person feels uneasy when not gambling during a sporting event (withdrawal symptoms).  The good news is, that, just like Pavlov's Dog, the conditioning can be broken (extinguished) over time and most people can return to watching sport without having strong urges to gamble or intense withdrawal symptoms.  Operant Conditioning works on reinforcing behaviours through rewards - or 'punishing' other types of behaviours - usually through the absence of a reward ("carrot and stick").  'Star Charts', such as those used in early education, are a form of Operant Conditioning.  The teacher rewards behaviours that they want to encourage and see repeated.  The Behavioural Psychologist, B. F. Skinner, developed the theory of Operant Conditioning, based on behavioural experiments with animals (the 'Skinner Box').  When he was trying to describe his theories to the public, he compared the Skinner Box to slot machines - because they operate on the same principles.  Skinner observed that the most addictive 'Reward Schedule' was  a 'Variable-Ratio Schedule'.  This means that we all become more compulsive in seeking a reward, when it is unpredictable - rather than when it is predictable.  For most people with gambling problems, it is the anticipation of a reward, which provides the excitement, stimulation and Dopamine - not the reward, itself.  If you are reading this, as a loved one of a person with a gambling problem, you might not be able to relate to this.  However, you may be exposed to exactly the same types of processes in Social Media.  You can't predict when you're going to see a post that you find interesting or entertaining - so you keep scrolling.  You can't predict how many people are going to like, comment or share your posts - so you keep checking and get a little hit of Dopamine when your notifications go off.  Most people who have developed gambling problems are trying to deal with rewiring their behaviours away from both Classical and Operant Conditioning, which, in many cases, has been going on for years - developing deeply engrained, subconscious habits.  If you are a loved one, reading this, and you are still struggling to understand what this might feel like - maybe consider staying off all social media for one week and see how you feel.  Most of us will struggle with this, as we are surrounded by 'triggers' which remind us that it's time to seek out our Dopamine reward.  
• 'Hopium': As my colleague, Tony O'Reilly, often says: "Nobody ever believes that they can drink their way out of an alcohol problem - but everyone believes that they can gamble their way out of a gambling problem".  The vast majority of people who have gone through our counselling service, or call our helpline, have had some 'big win' (or several big wins).  This presents the person with 'evidence' that they can 'dig their way out of the hole' that they have dug themselves into (using the same shovel).  Unfortunately, for a person with a gambling problem, this hope is pure 'Hopium' - an irrational belief; a delusion.  A person with a gambling problem will just keep gambling - even after a big win - because they are not addicted to winning money.  They are addicted to the process of gambling and money just allows you to keep gambling (stay 'in action') for longer.  Many people, who are desperate to pay off gambling-related debts, believe that gambling is the only option available to them.  Of course, this isn't true - as so many people who have learned the hard way, can attest to.  

We have also recorded a podcast episode  on this topic, where we discuss Tony O'Reilly and I discuss in more detail.  

In this episode of the podcast, we look at the starting point for anyone wishing to stop gambling.  We cover the key areas of Access (self-exclusion), Time (what to do with your free time and to distract yourself from thoughts about gambling) and Money management.  We discuss the challenges that come up for our counselling clients, as well as the advantages to having this control measures in place.  The podcast is also available on Spotify and Google Podcasts.  

Episode 1 of a new podcast, aiming to explore a wide variety of topics, surrounding problem gambling and gambling related harm.  Presented by Tony O'Reilly and Barry Grant, this is an awareness raising project of registered charities, Problem Gambling Ireland and Extern.  Barry Grant is an addiction counsellor and the founder of Problem Gambling Ireland.  Tony O'Reilly is an addiction counsellor,  author and expert by experience.  In this first episode we discuss Tony's lived experience of addiction and recovery.  
If you would like to send us any questions or ideas for discussion topics in future episodes, just email info@problemgambling.ie, in complete confidence.  

Also available on Spotify.

Over the last number of weeks, I like many of the clients that I work with, have been reflecting on gambling behavior and addiction. A few weeks ago. I was working on a couple of projects in regard to education and awareness and as part of this work I was examining my betting history. My betting history is a 1106-page document detailing my online bets and activity. It is with one Gambling Company and comprises of 6934 bets that were transacted through one account.

Tony10… customer ID 169967

It details  

• 17 Lottery bets with €1208 staked – No Winnings
• €270,434.90 staked on Wagerworks Casino with total winnings of €269,408.90
• 17 Live Casino bets -Total Staked €5455 with total winnings €4580
• Sports Betting - Total Staked €10,413,619.66 - Total Winnings €9,072,880.77
• Total Combined Losses = €1,417,579.83

 
I was looking for patterns and behaviours that highlight various aspects that can potentially lead to a gambling addiction. These include game design, betting in running, gambling with credit and the concepts of the chase/losses disguised as wins. I was bamboozled by the numbers and the sheer scale of the gambling. I was shocked by the events that I ended up gambling on. I reflected on how I let it get that bad. But mostly, I was very taken aback by my emotional reaction to it all. I found that I was reliving the trauma and emotional experience that I lived through for months while hiding and trying to gamble my way out of trouble. Similar to when working with trauma, I was trying to reach out to the side of me that got gripped by this madness and ‘put a compassionate arm’ around that side of me that still hurts, still feels extreme shame and guilt.

All the responsible gambling messages and ads tell you to ‘stop when the fun stops’, ‘know and set limits’, ‘only gamble what you can afford to lose’, ‘take a break’, ‘think about what you are doing’ and never chase your loses. The only thought that I had while in the grips of a gambling addiction was ‘How Do I Fix This’ and ‘How Do I Stop This Pressure and Madness in My Head’. I was out of control and couldn’t think rationally and ‘Be Responsible’.
​
Looking back now I accept full responsibility and have lost a lot because of gambling but staring at my history that Saturday afternoon I started to get more and more angry at the lack of controls and protection that I wasn’t afforded as a customer. I wondered what would have happened if there was regulation in Ireland back when I was gambling, and if it may have made a difference to me if I had been educated about the dangers of gambling while in school (in the same way that I was about Drugs and Alcohol).

I can’t go back and change what I did and undo the pain that I caused so many by my actions but I have tried to become a better person and try on a daily basis to help people who are struggling with gambling addiction. The one thing that frustrates me most is that 9 years on from when my story broke, little has changed. We badly need regulation and education in Ireland regarding gambling addiction. Hopefully, when the next Government is formed and after we work through these uncertain times, we will finally get the 2013 Gambling Control Bill enacted and the regulation in place which is so badly needed in Ireland. Gambling addiction like so many other behavioural addictions is a ticking time bomb, and in my opinion, growing and growing even in these dark days when everything else has come to a standstill.

Tony O'Reilly is an Addiction Counsellor with Problem Gambling Ireland and the co-author of 'Tony10'.  

A Guest Blog Post from Mark.  We would like to thank Mark for making contacting and offering to share his story.  The original post can be found on Mark's blog: https://marksrecovery.blogspot.com/ 

**Please note that GamStop, which Mark mentions in this post, is only available to UK residents.  GamStop is a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme - the type of system which is badly needed in Ireland and which should be a priority of the proposed Gambling Regulatory Authority, when it is established**

"My name is Mark and i’m a compulsive gambler. My last bet was April 2nd 2019. The day of April 2nd was a massive turning point in my life, it was the day I finally admitted to my long term girlfriend, who is the mother of my two children, and to my parents that I was a compulsive gambler and needed help. The weekend prior was when I finally said to myself I’ve had enough, I had been betting for 14 years and it had beaten me so badly that I was a mess mentally and financially. Although no one knew that because I was an expert at hiding it. 

I started gambling like almost anyone in the UK or Ireland, The Grand National. The one day of the year where it seems like every man, woman and child has a bet on. The biggest horse race in the world. That and those glorious holidays spent in Portrush playing the 2p machines. I don’t for one second blame those experiences for my gambling problem, they are just my first memories of gambling. 

Once I turned 18 I opened an account with Blue Sq and that started my online sports gambling journey. Friday nights were spent betting on Wolverhampton all weather horse racing and the Dutch and French 2nd Divisions. All harmless fun, controlled gambling, small stakes. I was still working part time at this stage, left school that summer and gambling was not in the way. Once I got my full time job though that all changed. 

The first time I could put my finger on when my gambling changed was the first day of the 2008/2009 football season. I’d been working full time for about 3 years and my gambling was still under control. I gambled, but it wasn’t causing me any issues. That Friday I walked into a Paddy Power and decided instead of placing a load of stupid football bets for £1 or £2 I’d pick three teams for the season and do a £20 treble each week. Sheffield United, Leicester City and Leeds United were the picks. Of course, the first weekend it landed (the only time it landed all season I think) and my betting changed from that moment. I genuinely can’t remember the odds but I must have lifted over £100 from that £20 stake and after that staking £1 or £2 just wasn’t appealing. What was the point in that when I could stake £20 and win more. From that moment my gambling started to get out of control over time. Then came the loans, the credit cards, the payday loans.

I knew early on I had a problem. I self excluded from places over the years but never really wanted to quit. I was getting in debt but was able to continue with my lifestyle as I was living at home. I remember one day going to a cheque cashing place where I could write a cheque for £100, dated on my next payday, and they’d give me £90 there and then. I did two cheques for going out that weekend (and a couple of bets on the Aintree Festival) walked straight to the bookies and had the £180 on Denman to win the Aintree Bowl at even money. He suffered the first fall of his career. Back I went to the cheque cashing place for another £90. 

I moved out and into my friends house for a year and the gambling continued, although I had less money to gamble with. My credit rating was taking a battering but I was young and didn’t really care. Then I met my current girlfriend in the February and we moved in together that September. The gambling continued and was getting worse. I made the smart move to get a second job to supplement my gambling…...at a greyhound track. I’d be earning about £20 a night but gambling £60 or £80. Insanity. We had our first child in April 2012 and not long after she found out I’d be gambling some of the money we’d saved. It wasn’t a lot of money, but she was pissed (rightfully so). I managed to talk my way out of it and that was when I became really good at hiding things. She took control of the rent money and any money for our son so that was never in danger, thankfully. We had our daughter in 2016 but the gambling still continued. 

I would go through phases where I’d stop altogether for months on end, a year at one point, but I’d always go back to it thinking I was in control but I never was. When gambling I’d deposit £10, lose it, deposit another £10, lose it, rinse and repeat until all my money was gone. If I won it just meant I could gamble longer. It was never about the money. I thought it was, but really the money was the fuel that could keep me gambling longer. Most months I was skint a few days after payday and couldn’t gamble until the next payday.

At the end of 2016 I got an overdraft of £2k and gambled it all on soccer all around the world. Woke up and started gambling in Asia, moved across the globe into the Middle East, Africa, Europe and then fell asleep betting on South American football. It was out of control. Betting on Egyptian football on Xmas Day a particular lowlight.

Coming into 2018 I was in a “good place” with gambling, or so I thought. I was Matched Betting which was a way of making money via bookmakers offers. It worked well for a few months but it all went to shit in the Summer of 2018. Matched Betting introduced me to the casino side of things and I lost £3.5k on roulette. I’ll not go into the ins and outs of how I had that sort of money, lets just say I didn’t and I found a way to deposit via direct debit and of course those all bounced. Luckily Paddy Power rewarded me by making me a VIP customer after that. So I was chasing big style and getting free £50 bonuses each week from them but I could never get enough money to stop, because no amount was ever going to be enough. Their offers of Money Back if Horse X wins are normally £10 max refund, I was getting £100 max refund. Eventually I was running out of ways to get money and when I started to bet less with Paddy Power they removed my VIP status. I did win £1000 on an NFL bet and lost the lot on roulette the next week. Another lowlight.

2019 I could feel myself struggling. My life was consumed with gambling or working out how to get money to gamble and then how I was going to pay people back what I owed them. I was in a bad place, I was a bad person, lying, angry, grumpy but still no one knew the truth. 

Then came the weekend prior to April 2nd. I had just been paid and deposited some money into my Bet365 account and managed to get my balance up to £910 on the Friday 29th March. I should say by this stage I was fully gambling on tennis. Not match winner, that took too long, generally set winner or next game winner as that was quicker. Now this £910 would have cleared some of my urgent debts to allow me to continue on gambling. All I had to do was withdraw, and I was going to…...once I got it up to a nice round £1000. As you can guess I lost the lot. £300-£400 on Benoit Paire was one of the worst hits but I was gambling like a mad man. That was how I bet when I had winnings, the stakes got out of control. By the time I was leaving work at 6pm on the Friday the whole £910 was gone. I was betting on ATP, Challenger, ITF, any tennis that was on I was betting on it. Back in the day I remember betting on a tennis match where they had one ball. Still a story that brings a smile to my face if I’m honest. That Friday night I deposited whatever I had left in and managed to win back a good chunk of the money, but it still wasn’t enough. It still wasn’t what I had before. So the whole weekend went like that, up and down, up and down. I went to a family dinner and sat betting on my phone the whole night. That’s how my life has been the last number of years, I’m present at gatherings, or nights out but my mind is deep in my phone gambling away not giving a shit about anyone. 

Eventually the money ran out that weekend. I was a mess. I could have actually made it work financially and gotten through the month but mentally I was gone. I could tell my brain had put me into a nosedive and the only way this was all ending was in disaster. Maybe not this month, or this year but I was been flown towards rock bottom. 

I sat down on the Monday and wrote out everything that I owed, who I owed it to, a budget going forward. It was grim enough reading, £18k in the hole. The money wasn’t the issue, it was how it was making me feel, the time I've been wasting. I found out when and where the nearest GA Meeting was to me and wrote that down too. So I found a set of balls and on the Tuesday I told my girlfriend. My attitude was that life can’t be any worse for me than it currently is. I was a mess, I cried, I honestly expected her to tell me to get out and I wouldn’t have blamed her, but she was amazing. She was angry obviously, but she was so supportive. Then I called my parents round and told them. They were disappointed, confused but also really supportive. Then the next day I told my closest friends who were again all really supportive. I owe them some money too and they’ve been great about setting up a payment plan to pay that back. 

I registered for GAMStop and self excluded online for 5 years which has taken the avenue of online gambling away from me. A vital step if online is your vice. 

I then went to my first GA Meeting on Wednesday 3rd April. The time doesn’t suit me for that, Monday at 9pm is my meeting but I felt I needed to get to one ASAP. I don’t know what I expected GA to be but it’s one of the most amazing groups I’ve ever found. It’s a dumping ground for all my shit and it’s a place where I can listen to other people’s stories. Without sounding sexist, it’s something a lot of men could do with outside of addiction, a place to talk about life and how they are feeling. I take a 50 mile round trip every Monday to get there. When I was gambling if I had to travel 50 miles to get internet to gamble you can guarantee I’d have traveled every day. When I leave a meeting, I’m buzzing, for all the right reasons. I’m a lifer when it comes to GA now and i’m fine with that. 

I’ve been clean for 10 weeks now, and I've had no urges to gamble. My life is amazing, it always was but I was too wrapped up in my addiction to notice. I have an amazing girlfriend and two amazing children along with my parents who are absolutely fantastic. My friends are another support network I couldn’t do without now. 

I’m also a member of the problem gambling sub on Reddit and they run a weekly meeting via Skype every Wednesday which is becoming part of my weekly routine (they are also adding an additional one on a Tuesday).

Recovery is now my focus along with my family. The debt can be managed, stopping gambling is one day at a time, but the main focus of my recovery will be fixing my character defects, helping others, being open and honest to people and not being a selfish asshole. 

I have no issues with the gambling industry or people who gamble, I just know that I am unable to gamble as it ends in disaster. I feel there should be more discussion around problem gambling and the industry should be putting more money into helping problem gamblers and to help identify problem gamblers. It’s a fine line though, as I know if a bookie told me they felt I had a problem and wouldn’t accept a bet I’d have been angry and just went somewhere else. You need to be ready for recovery to fully embrace it. I never was until April 2nd. For the people in recovery we need to be ready to help those that get to the stage where they are ready for recovery. We are the ones who these people will come to rely on as we’ve been through it, you can tell when talking to someone who hasn’t had a gambling addiction they just don’t understand. Over the coming years I think there will be a significant rise in people looking for help with problem gambling. 

For now though, for me, my next bet won’t be about the money I lose, I’ll lose my girlfriend and children as well and that’s not a bet that’s worth making."

In addition to the website and helpline service, we also provide outreach services, in the form of talks, workshops and training, nationwide.  Our goal is to have at least one problem gambling specialist providing outreach, counselling and group facilitation services in each county.  
 
Currently, we do not have a core funder, to cover the cost of a full-time helpline service.  This means that, at present, we can only provide a 'call-back' service (as I am unable to take calls while I'm with counselling clients or delivering outreach).  Our fundraising goal for 2018 is €96,000.  This would cover the cost of two full-time staff to provide a full-time helpline and outreach service.  It would also be used to cover travel and other related costs on the outreach service.

When I tell people what I do for a living, someone will usually say: 'You should get the bookies to pay for that'.  And, of course there is a logic to that sentiment: the industry that creates the addictive product should pay to clean up 'their mess'.  At a superficial level, this kind of makes sense.  The problem with this approach, though, is that addiction services end up working for an industry that they are (or should be) in direct conflict with.  International research has shown that between 40% and 60% of gambling industry profits come from people with gambling problems.  There is no business in the world that would willingly exclude half of its customers.  

Pope Francis recently said: “Gambling companies finance campaigns to care for the pathological gamblers that they create.  And the day that the weapons industry finances hospitals to care for the children mutilated by their bombs, the system will have reached its pinnacle.”  Scrape the surface and the conflict of interest is quite clear.  

The Irish Government does not have a funding stream for problem gambling services.  The HSE Service Plan does not mention the word 'gambling' once.  Our proposal (in collaboration with the Rutland Center) that a portion of the Betting Duty, which brings in roughly €50 million per year, could be allocated to problem gambling services (instead of the Horse Racing & Greyhound Fund) was unsuccessful.  

A few months ago, my wife and I went on a research trip to a couple of amusement arcades in Tramore.  I wanted to get a feel for the experience of sitting at a 'one-armed bandit' for a while.  Despite that fact that I grew up on the Meath Road in Bray (100 metres from the prom) and, later, moved to Lahinch in my teens, the gambling sections of the arcades had never held any appeal for me.  I would play video games or hang out with my friends as they pumped their pocket-money into poker machines on wintry west-coast nights.  While I developed many unhealthy habits in my teens, gambling wasn't one of them.  

​So, we gave ourselves a 20 quid limit each and set about playing some of the machines (poker and slots).  As I came to my final 10 cent stake on one of the slot machines, five "7s" appeared before my eyes.  I had won the princely sum of €75 (much to the disdain of the poor woman beside me).  We promptly left the building and our 'free money' paid for dinner. 

As an addiction counsellor, working with clients who have gambling problems, I always ask about a 'Big Win' that stands out in their minds.  For some people it can be tens of thousands, for others it can be in the hundreds.  For some, it is the time they turned 50 pence into £10 at the race-track as a young child,   The 'Big Win' is important as it is often the 'evidence' (or 'logic') that continues to drive the person to gamble, even when they know, deep down, that they cannot gamble their way out of the financial (and/or emotional) hole they are in.  

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is considered to be one of the most effective treatment approaches for problem gambling, focuses, in part, on disputing irrational beliefs.  So, for example, if a person was getting treatment for anxiety or panic attacks, and they had an intense fear of fainting in public places (this is very common), the therapist might explain that this is impossible as fainting is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure, whereas the Fight or Flight response causes blood pressure to rise.  Quite often, by empowering the person with the knowledge that fainting is not a realistic scenario, anxiety levels can be reduced. 

Unfortunately, with gambling, the person usually has hard, indisputable evidence, that gambling their way out of difficulty is a viable option.  They have done it (to some extent) in the past.  They have clear memories of the 'Big Win' along with other wins and 'winning streaks'.  The fact that it is extremely unlikely to play out that way, gets overridden by this 'evidence' - especially when a person is desperate, anxiety levels are high and their ability to think clearly is impaired (as it is for all of us in stressful situations).  The 'Big Win' also gives that sweet hit of dopamine (the same neurotransmitter that is released when using cocaine).  Just like with cocaine, and other drugs, a tolerance develops and you can find yourself needing to gamble more frequently and with larger amounts of money.  

If we go back to my measly €75 jackpot on the one-arm bandit, it certainly isn't anything to write home about.  However, it was a payout at odds of 750/1.  I now have 'evidence', stored in my memory for all time, that it is possible for me to turn 10 cent into €75.  'Logically', this means that I have  the ability to turn €1 into €750 or €10 into €7500 . . . and so on.  If I were to combine that 'logic' with an emotionally aroused state (stress/anxiety), where I am less likely to be able to control my impulses and make rational decisions - along with a potentially addictive, dopamine-producing activity, like gambling - it's pretty easy to see how I might start thinking that this could be the answer to some (or all) of my problems.  

Does this mean that the 'Big Win' will keep a person gambling problematically forever? Of course not.  The reality is that  a person with a gambling problem has, invariably, had many wins along the way.  Unfortunately, one of the things that separates people with gambling problems from non-problematic gamblers, is the person's inability to walk away with their winnings.  This needs to be the focus of the conversation - because this is where 'logic' goes out the window.  When a person is chasing their losses, they have an overwhelming need to get their money back.  Unfortunately, the same person will usually gamble away their winnings, because they see it as 'free money' or 'the bookie's money'.  Usually, clients will have experienced countless incidents  of this.  I always ask clients, 'What are the chances that you would leave the bookies shop (or casino/arcade), if you won enough money to clear all of your debts?".  The answer is consistently: 'Practically zero'.  This is because a problem gambler is not addicted to winning money - they are addicted to the gambling experience (which only occasionally involves winning money) .  Having money just allows the person more time to get that lovely dopamine hit and self-sooth from Life's problems.  

If you find yourself chasing that 'Big Win' and the feelings that came with it, just remember that money is the least valuable thing you can gamble with.  A gambling problem puts your mental/physical health and relationships at risk.  If you are concerned about your gambling and the impact that it is having on your life, don't suffer in silence.  Help is available.  

Barry Grant, CEO, Problem Gambling Ireland