In the Zone: Boredom in the time of Coronavirus

We find ourselves in a very strange moment. While some people are overwhelmed with the size of their to-do list, others are finding it difficult to find things to do at all. Counsellor Sam discusses the role of boredom in changing your habits.

I don’t want to manage their money anymore. How do I tell them?

If you've been helping a friend to manage their money while they try to change their gambling habits, it might come to the point where you decide you can no longer help. Here are some tips to help you have the conversation.

Part 4: Jessica’s story: surviving the gambling experience

A lack of knowledge and understanding by migrants about help- services within the Australian can be a significant barrier to seeking help and the function and purpose of western counselling is a considerable barrier for migrants to seek help (Feldman, S. et al 2014). Jessica talks about what worked for her and what she recommends …

Jessica’s Story Part 3: Family, Community and the difference between Gambling in Australia and China

The open and accepted nature of gambling within the Australian cultures can be at odds with Chinese policies and practices around gambling. For example, gambling in Jessica’s home country gambling is restricted unlike Australia where may forms of gambling are freely accepted. This more open-minded view of gambling and its emphasis on individual ‘responsible gambling’ …

Jessica’s Story: culture and gambling problems – Part 2

The idea of seeking any form of assistance in many immigrant communities is often considered taboo. The issues of stigma and ‘saving face’ means that rather than seeking professional help these people with gambling problems often turn to family or close friends for help. This can be a problem for many who do not have …

Change

Starting to think about change is a big process. Often when people begin the process of counselling, we will ask them ‘what is it that motivated you to make this appointment?’ Here is what some of our clients have had to say about the process: ‘I reached a point where I realised I was about …

Losing big

Professional Golfer John Daly has always been a maverick in a sport known for its conservative image. He is also a bit of a gambler. In a recent media interview Daly revealed he lost a staggering $55 million between 1991 and 2007. For a long time Daly didn’t know how much he’s lost. He thought …

The Pokies Play Tricks On My Mind

In the week I had a message from JKS who is struggling with keeping gambling under control – in particular pokie machines. They talk about the tricks their mind plays and how they feel about telling lies to their family to cover up where they have been and where their money has gone.  Read JKS …

The World’s Most Notorious Gambler

'Nick the Greek', the world's most notorious gambler is perhaps one of the most well known examples of a person with problem gambling desperately chasing his losses - a sure way to cause yourself more harm and potentially get into even more debt. Nick's game was poker and he had a "career" in the game …

Women and Gambling

Hi All I have just read Catherine, Rosa and Caroline's stories again and it prompted me to think about how many other women are out there trying to gamble away their sadness, grief, losses, horrible memories, anger, frustration and loneliness? I hear from lots of people about their gambling, and as with Catherine, Rosa and …