If a member of your family has a gambling problem, he or she can get help. So can you. The Ontario government sets aside a portion of the money taken by slot machines at charity casinos and racetracks to provide:
Free treatment, including counselling, is available to anyone affected by gambling. This includes family members. Counselling can help you and your family repair hurt feelings and lost trust.
What Is Counselling?
Counselling is a place to talk about what is happening in your life. It is safe and private, and you won’t be judged. Problem gambling counsellors are specially trained to understand your difficulties. You decide with your counsellor how often you want help and what to talk about.
There is no shame in seeking help. It is the first step to regaining control of the problems that gambling has caused.
In Ontario, counselling is free to anyone affected by problem gambling—not just the person who gambles. In most areas, an agency that offers specialized counselling for problem gambling is available close to home. In addition, telephone counselling and a self-help guide are also available. You may also benefit from credit and debt counselling services, family counselling and other resources. The Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline (1 888 230-3505) can link you to the support and resources you need. It is open 24 hours a day.
Some agencies offer evening and weekend appointments for face-to-face counselling. Counselling can be one-on-one, or with your partner or family. Group counselling may also be available.
Counselling is confidential, within legal limits. Your counsellor should explain these limits to you before counselling begins. He or she should also tell you what you can expect from counselling, and what will be expected of you.
How Can Counselling Help Me?
When a member of your family has a gambling problem, it can be hard to find hope for the future. Counselling can help you see that things can change. It can also help you see your family’s strengths and the positive steps you may already be taking.
Counselling is a learning process. With new information, you can make good decisions. Counsellors can help you solve your main problems. This may include fixing your financial situation, healing family relations and restoring trust between you and your partner. Counselling can also:
- help you understand the things that seem out of control
- help you decide what actions to take
- give practical information about dealing with money problems
- link you to credit counselling, legal services and other resources
- help you understand and reduce the triggers for your family member’s gambling
- get information about services in your community
- help you manage stress, anxiety and depression
- help you see that you are not alone.
How Can Counselling Help the Person Who Gambles?
Counselling cannot make the person with gambling problems change. Only he or she can do that.
At first, many people do not want to stop or change their gambling. Instead, they may go to counselling to get help with money or family problems. Through counselling, they learn that their gambling is a problem.
The counsellor will give information, advice and support. This will help the person see that gambling causes harm, and decide what to do about it. The counsellor will probably encourage the person to take a break from gambling, so he or she can get gambling under control and see what harm it is causing.
Counselling can help your family member:
- find healthy alternatives to gambling
- identify his or her gambling triggers
- identify false beliefs that may cause problems
- find ways to cope with the urge to gamble.
Counselling works best when the whole family pulls together and supports each other. This is why help is available to all members of the family.
For more about how counselling can help the person who gambles, please see the guide Problem Gambling: The Issues, the Options.
Low-Risk Gambling
Some people decide they must stop gambling completely. Others may set time and money limits for gambling, or stay away from the gambling activities that cause the biggest problems.
If your family member decides to continue gambling, make sure he or she reduces the risks. Low-risk gambling means people:
- limit how much time and money they spend gambling
- accept their losses, and don’t try to win them back
- enjoy winning, but they know it happened by chance
- balance gambling with other fun activities
- don’t gamble to earn money or pay debts
- don’t gamble when their judgment is impaired by alcohol or other drugs
- never borrow money or use personal investments or family savings to gamble
- don’t gamble to escape from problems or feelings
- don’t hurt their job, health, finances, reputation or family through gambling.