A Big win for Problem Gamblers
When Rodney Downes turned 18 and got a job, he switched from playing arcade games for hours to hitting the pokies. ‘I was quite shy,’ he says, ‘I’d go sit in front of a machine and hide in my bubble to deal with my problems.’ He had never learnt how to handle money. ‘I didn’t have any idea of the value of the pieces of paper I was feeding the machines. When I had access to money, I would gamble.’
Rodney first tried to get help after losing a job because of his habit. ‘I could see it wasn’t right,’ he recalls, ‘[but] I wasn’t really committed to stopping and to admitting I was like other people.’ By his mid-20s, gambling was a serious problem. He didn’t gamble much at a time, but gambled frequently. ‘I knew then for sure that I did have a problem, but I still told myself that I could handle it.’
Then in January 2009 he went to a Salvation Army Oasis Centre. He started seeing a counsellor and attending group meetings. He found these ‘very beneficial’, he says. ‘I was able to connect to other people who were the same. Our stories are all different, but we are all compulsive gamblers. We could be true about our emotions—it was quite empowering.’ His wife also spoke to a counsellor who was able to help her better understand Rodney’s problem. ‘That helped the family side of it and the home life,’ he recalls.
As a couple, they set up a system of controls over their finances. At first that meant handing all access to money to his wife, but now we ‘work through all our finances together’, Rodney says. ‘I’m learning the value of money. I wouldn’t like to think how much I’ve lost. It’s scary to think about.’
Problem gambling is a significant social issue and has a major impact on many lives. For every problem gambler, at least several other people are adversely affected by their behaviour. The effects can be devastating on finances, health, relationships, children, employment and communities. The number of people seeking help for gambling increased by 25 per cent in 2009 compared to 2008, according to the Ministry of Health. The Salvation Army Oasis Centres assisted 27 per cent more people last year.
Lisa Campbell-Dumlu, National Operations Consultant for the Oasis Centres, says the increase is likely because of the recession, raised awareness of gambling harm, decreasing shame associated with problem gambling, and promotion of problem gambling assistance services. There has also been a renewed focus on providing early and brief interventions to people at risk.
‘We know gambling problems hit poorer communities the hardest,’ Lisa says. Oasis Centres collaborate with other Salvation Army services, such as Community Ministries and the Bridge Programme, to offer brief intervention services to their clients accessing food parcels, budgeting advice and alcohol and drug assistance. ‘These services are accessed by a very vulnerable population and are a great place to offer early and brief interventions around problem gambling,’ Lisa says. For example, in 2009, approximately 40 per cent of people receiving assistance at the Manukau Community Ministry were affected by problem gambling.
Salvation Army Oasis Centres offer a range of free services for gamblers and their families. They provide comprehensive assessments, crisis intervention, counselling for individuals and couples, ‘affected other’ counselling, family therapy, and group sessions. They also make referrals to other specialist services.The philosophy is to care for and support people wherever they are in their lives. They seek to educate problem gamblers, their families and the community, and empower people to make positive choices for healthy lifestyles.
Rodney says the Oasis Centre really helped him by being a place where he could go to ‘open up’. The support he received there has ‘just been amazing’, he says. ‘They’ve guided me on the right path through the tools of understanding.’
from War Cry magazine