Are you experiencing problems with gambling? Maybe someone from your family or relatives needs help to overcome gambling addiction? Learn where you can find professional help on this matter right now, without delaying the solution of this problem. Here is the list of organisations that provide their professional help for gamblers and their families. We have also gathered some useful pieces of advice for those who experience gambling problems.
STAY IN CONTROL
Any problem is much easier to prevent than to treat. That is why you need to keep control of your gambling habits and do not allow them to rule your life. Gambling may bring fun, but there are some boundaries that should not be overstepped if you want to avoid gambling problems. Here are some essential tips on keeping your gambling experience under control:
Feel free to ask for help if you cannot control your bad gambling habits on your own:
Gambling Help Online: Gambling Help Online - Free gambling support in Australia. The project is funded by the Australian government to help people with any gambling issues throughout the country. You can find the offices of this organisation in each part of Australia, as well as get help online without leaving your home.
The website of the Gambling Help Online organisation provides its visitors with lots of useful information and services: from live chat and common discussions to gambling calculator (to find out how much time you really spend on gambling) and inspiring recovery stories.
Tel: 1800 858 858
Chat: Link
Website: gamblinghelponline.org.au
Treat Addiction
If you are still not sure whether you have gambling addiction or not, there are 10 signs to check this fact, and we will eagerly share them with you:
Have you found any sign that matches with your behaviour? This is an obvious sign of gambling addiction and the reason to seek professional help within one of the following centres for gambling awareness:
Gamblers Anonymous Australia. Gamblers Anonymous holds more than 100 meetings for people who suffer from gambling addiction every week. The membership is free and anonymous. The organisation also has groups for family members of the gambling-addicted persons.
Website: gaaustralia.org.au
Contact Page Link
Get practical support with your gambling problem | Gambling Therapy. Gambling Therapy is an international online project that aims to help people with gambling addiction all over the world. The website of the organisation provides you with links to support groups, forums, as well as live chats and email-based support opportunities.
Website: gamblingtherapy.org
SMART Recovery Australia This is an organisation that helps people with different addictions to overcome them. Gamblers can get help from the professionals within group meetings (including online groups) and personal training. The organisation also has a support program for family members of an addicted person.
Tel: 02 9373 5100
Website: smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au
Email:
Gambling Addiction Treatment in Melbourne & Gold Coast | DayHab This is a centre for addiction treatment where professional psychologists and trainers work with gamblers to set them free from their bad habits. The centre offers psychiatric assessment, counselling, group therapy, interactive workshops, and aftercare planning for gambling addicts and their family members.
Tel: 1800 329 422
Website: Link
Email:
STAY ALIVE
Gamblers often experience depression and have suicidal thoughts. However, there is always hope for better times! Contact any organisation from the list below to learn the reasons to keep on living.
These organisations can also help family members and relatives of the gambling addicts in the most challenging situations.
Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support - Beyond Blue. This is a support service for those who feel anxious, depressed, or even suicidal. Here you can get help from professionals 24/7 via hotline or live chat, as well as communicate with people who have similar problems within the dedicated online forums.
Tel: 1300 22 4636
Website: beyondblue.org.au
Forum: Link
Mental health counselling & suicide prevention | Suicide Call Back Service It helps Australians to deal with suicidal thoughts and consequences of anxiety and depression. The service not only provides suicide prevention help but also offers professional assistance to those who lost relatives due to suicide.
Tel: 1300 659 467
Website: https://suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Contact form: Link
The Samaritans | Anonymous Emotional Support | 135 247 This organisation represents another opportunity to communicate with professional psychologists when you feel anxious or depressed. The project also provides its members with personal and group training, as well as forums where people share their experience.
Tel: 135 247
Website: thesamaritans.org.au
Email:
Suicide prevention hotline | Mental health counselling in Melbourne & Victoria Australia It is created to provide emergency psychological help for people who are going to commit suicide. The project offers a 24/7 hotline, as well as online video counselling for people who feel anxious and depressed.
Tel: 1300 651 251
Website: suicideline.org.au
Chat: Link
ASPF – Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation This project is part of the Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation and provides professional psychological assistance for people who suffer from anxiety and depression. The telephone service of this project includes 12 minutes of informational record about the causes of suicidal thoughts and ways to overcome them.
Tel: 1800 465 366
Website: aspf.com.au
Useful links: Here
MANAGE YOUR DEBTS
There is no other addiction as expensive as gambling. Basically, addicted gamblers spend all the funds they possibly can (including those that have been earned, borrowed, or even stolen) in order to feed their inner demons. That is why it is usually vital to get professional assistance not only in the psychological sphere but also in the financial one.
Here are some professional centres that can consult addicted gamblers to give them chances for their financial recovery:
National Debt Helpline – Free financial counselling. This is the largest project that helps people to recover their financial prosperity. You will find a lot of useful information for different kinds of situations connected with debts, as well as the hotline and live chat for those who seek professional advice.
Tel: 1800 465 366 (Monday to Friday, 9.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m)
Website: ndh.org.au
Contact form: Link
Moneysmart.gov.au This is the project of ASIC (Australian Securities & Investments Commission) for people who find themselves in a difficult financial situation. The website has a lot of interesting articles and tools to help people manage their income, overcome debts, plan investments, and grow wealth.
Tel: 1300 300 630 within Australia or +61 3 5177 3988 from abroad (Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Website: moneysmart.gov.au
Ask questions: Here
Debt Free Australia: Free and Confidential Advice This is a licensed debt expert that helps people in difficult financial situations since 2006. This organisation consults people with debts and finds individual solutions for each case. The consultation process is free, which is very important for people in debts.
Tel: 1800 676 598
Website: debtfreeaustralia.com.au
Contact page: Link
Australian Debt Relief & Help with Debt in Australia | Debt Negotiators They aim to give you a debt relief in 3 steps: free financial consultation, budget advice, and personalised plan for financial freedom. The organisation helps in different financial situations: from a credit card debt to mortgage refinancing.
Tel: 1300 351 008
Website: debtnegotiators.com.au
Email:
Beyond Debt | Debt Relief For Australians It offers the opportunity to get your debt relief with the help of financial experts and professional negotiators. The organisation takes care of interests and fees, as well as collector calls and other negotiations. A debt agreement implies an individual program to make you debt-free in 5 years.
Tel: 1300 096 989
Website: beyonddebt.com.au
Email:
STOP GAMBLING
The decision to stop gambling once and forever is the last step for those who realise that they cannot control their gambling behaviour anymore. However, there is always a temptation to start gambling again. If you want someone to handle your addiction, then you would prefer a self-exclusion from casinos, clubs, taverns, and other places where you could gamble.
Self-exclusion program for gamblers can be performed with the help of the following organisation:
Exclusion Support - ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. It provides gamblers with an exclusion program that forbids people to participate in any gambling activities. You can download and fill in the self-exclusion form to start the corresponding process. After your request proceeds, you will have no right to enter any licensed gambling houses in Australia.
Tel: 02 6207 0359, 1800 858 858
Website: gamblingandracing.act.gov.au
Email:
Popular Myths about Gambling
To wrap up, we have decided to share some myths about gambling with you. Here are 5 of the most popular myths about gambling for you to stay informed and forearmed:
🔔 Myth 1. “As long as I can afford to gamble, it is not a problem.”
Basically, gambling addiction influences not only your financial status — addicted persons experience problems with socialisation and emotional instability. They usually ruin their families and hurt the people they love. Moreover, gambling addicts commonly overlook their financial issues and see their debts only when it is too late.
🔔 Myth 2. “You cannot always loose; at some point, your luck must change to better.”
Most gamblers understand their winning chances in the wrong way because they tend to summarise their overall experience within a gambling session to one “winning probability”. In reality, every time a roulette spins or cards are dealt, you have the same chance to win, no matter how many times you have won or lost before.
🔔 Myth 3. “An addicted gambler is only the one who bets every day.”
The main point of gambling addiction is not expressed in gaming session frequency or duration but in the consequences of uncontrolled betting. If you have debts and still cannot control your emotional impulse to bet further, then you probably have a problem with gambling, even if it happens once in your life.
🔔 Myth 4. “My relatives and friends are guilty of my addiction.”
One of the common mistakes of an addicted person is to blame everyone around except him- or herself. The first step to treat gambling addiction is to accept your own fault. Family members of an addicted gambler must not take the blame but help this person through professional treatment.
🔔 Myth 5. “An addicted gambler is easy to recognise.”
One of the main symptoms of addicted behaviour is the denial of the problem by the gambler and attempts to hide it from relatives and friends.
Get help today!
Feel free to ask for help immediately if you see any symptoms of gambling addiction in your behaviour or among your relatives and friends. It is always better to prevent the damage that might be done by gambling addiction than to repair it.
Choose any organisation from the list above and contact professionals right now!