IT begins innocently enough. A small flutter to pass the time with friends. Five dollars here, 10 dollars there.
But as Lynette explains, the gambling bug can hit anyone and spiral out of control.
“For a start it wasn’t a problem for me. But I started to go more and more. I would spend my food money and then money that was meant for bills – it was really addictive.”
Lynette, who didn’t want her surname published, said the problem worsened over a two-year period and she had to approach the Salvation Army for food.
Playing the pokies was a way of escaping family problems and there was always the promise of a pay-out just around the corner.
It’s now four years since Lynette first got into real trouble and she credits Gambler’s Help with turning her life around.
“At first I thought everyone is going to know I have a problem,” she told the Weekly. “Then I thought, is it worse that they know or is it worse to lose everything I had worked for in my life and to feel bad about myself all the time?”
While not an easy step, Lynette feels seeking outside help was the only way she could break the grip the machines had over her.
“I went to see a counsellor and we worked out ways I could slow down. We talked about things like self-exclusion. It might not work for everyone but it’s what has worked for me.”
Lynette now plays pokies only when interstate, as a special treat that she never wants to take over her life again.
It’s still not easy, and the temptation is always lurking.
“I do feel a bit isolated because so many of my friends go and play them,” she says. “But it takes such an enormous toll on the community; the welfare agencies are struggling to cope with the effects. I really wish they had never been brought to Victoria.”
Gambler’s Help offers family and friends free confidential and professional counselling.
Details: 1800 858 858
