Published: 15.07.2019, 15:09
2 min read
Amid calls for the Australian government to overhaul the country’s gambling sector, one great grandmother has joined the effort to help gambling addicts kick off the problem.
The woman, herself formerly addicted to gambling, who used to steal from her friend to satiate her behavior, said that she lost count of the amount of money she spent at the height of her addictive behavior.
Going by the name Elizabeth, the 73-year-old revealed that she would sometimes have to lie to her children on why she did not have money.
She eventually got divorced, and her best friend kindly took her in. But when she ran out of money for gambling, she broke the trust her friend had bestowed on her. Thinking that the reason she was not winning was that she did not have enough money, she went back home and stole some cash from her best friend.
Elizabeth was only able to break the vicious gambling cycle after attending sessions run by Gamblers Anonymous. The elderly lady is now a counselor and talks to other gambling addicts through the phone.
According to Elizabeth, it is possible for gambling addicts to quit the habit; all one needs to do, is to put as much work to try to stop gambling, as they try to go and feed their addiction.
Despite its relatively low population, Australia boasts close to 20% of the world’s physical slot machines. Moreover, Australia loses the most money when gambling, according to statistics.
Meanwhile, the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre is offering treatment for gambling addicts. According to Dr. Sally Gainsbury from the University, people who want the therapy are involved in what is known as “psycho-education”. In Psycho-education, experts study how gambling outcomes are determined.
The experts then work on behavioral strategies, such as changing the route one uses to go home, minimizing the temptation of walking past a gambling den.
