Gambling addiction: when to get help

Gambling harm is not a lack of willpower or a character flaw. It can take hold in much the same way as alcohol or drugs, and it is treatable. Sapphire treats behavioural addictions such as gambling, often alongside drinking, drug use and the anxiety, depression or stress that can sit underneath.

Signs it may be time to get help

Gambling Help Online, the national free counselling service, and other Australian services describe warning signs like these:

• betting more, or more often, to get the same excitement
• chasing losses, or feeling you need to win it back
• hiding gambling from people close to you, or lying about money
• borrowing, selling things or using bill money to gamble
• feeling restless, irritable or low when you try to stop
• gambling to escape stress, boredom or difficult feelings
• arguments, missed work or sleepless nights because of it.

If several of these sound familiar, it is worth talking to someone now, rather than waiting for things to get worse.

Free help, any time

You don't need to pay for a first step. Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential counselling online and by phone, 24/7, through the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. They can also point you to free face-to-face gambling help services in Queensland. If gambling has left you with debts, the free National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 connects you with a financial counsellor.

Practical steps you can take today

• Block the easy access. BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, lets you exclude yourself from licensed online and phone wagering in Australia.
• Ask your bank about gambling blocks. Many Australian banks let you block gambling transactions on your cards.
• Hand over some control. Some people ask a trusted person to help manage money for a while. It can take pressure off, not just add rules.
• Tell one person. Secrecy keeps gambling going. Saying it out loud often brings relief.

What treatment looks like

For many people, counselling through a free gambling help service is enough. Others need more, especially when gambling is tied up with heavy drinking or drug use, when mental health is suffering, or when home has become a place of conflict and temptation.

At Sapphire, treatment for gambling sits in the same individual plan as any drinking, drug use and mental health concerns, worked on by the same team. That can include one-on-one and group sessions with psychologists and counsellors, using approaches such as CBT, motivational interviewing and family therapy, with trauma-informed care throughout. Alongside therapy there is structure, rest, good food, equine sessions and time away from the phone apps and venues that make it easy to slip. You can see what each option involves on our programs page.

A live-in stay is one option. The outpatient program, three full days a week for four weeks, may suit someone who needs to keep working.

The first step with us is a short, confidential call of about fifteen minutes. We listen, ask a few questions about gambling, drinking, mood and what is happening at home, and answer yours about cost and fit. Then you decide what happens next. If a free gambling help service would suit you better, we will tell you that too.

Money worries and treatment

When gambling has drained savings, the cost of private treatment can feel out of reach. Ask about payment plans, and look at the free services above first if that is what fits. Our paying for treatment page lays out every option plainly, including the public ones.

If you are worried about someone else

Gambling harm affects partners, children and parents too: lost savings, broken trust and a lot of worry. Gambling Help Online supports families as well as people who gamble. You can also call us on someone's behalf to ask what treatment involves. Our page for families explains how families can stay close during a stay.