Australians are among the biggest gamblers in the world, always quick to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup or drop some cash in the pokies. However, with almost 40% of Australians gambling every week, Vicky Northe and Dr Jane Oakes are calling for more public health education regarding gambling addiction, especially within the mining community.
Jane and Vicky work in private practice providing gambling treatment services but prior to that Vicky led The Alfred Statewide Gambling and Mental Health Team in Victoria while Jane was the coordinator for the National Gambling Helpline and worked as a clinical lead in specialised gambling treatment centers in Australia providing treatment for individuals with gambling disorder.
Vicky and Jane are also part of the Bali Calm Rehabilitation therapeutic team.
“Gambling addiction is a chronic condition and finding the answer as to why people continue to relapse despite the harm they experience is what led me to do my PhD in gambling,” said Jane.
“People try so hard not to gamble. Yet no matter how much they want to stop they are unable to once gambling takes over.
“Helping people live a life free of gambling has been mine and Vicky’s passion ever since we started working together ten years ago.”
Both Jane and Vicky agree that there needs to be more conversations around gambling and effective treatments.
“Still to this day questions aren’t being asked,” said Vicky.
“Even in the mental health space it’s not talked about enough. Too often when we talk about mental health we are asking about substances like drugs and alcohol and not asking questions about gambling.
“Yet a study that was done over decade ago that looked at suicidality in gambling found even back then that among those presenting with gambling-related harm close to a one in five people presented to emergency departments with suicidal thinking.
“The more you look into it the more connections you find between mental health and gambling, and then you delve a little deeper and you start to see the at-risk groups.”
Vicky said one of those at-risk groups is people working in the mining industry, especially FIFO workers and shift workers.
“This became especially evident when I moved to central Queensland and started seeing a lot of people coming into my private practice that work in the mining industry.
“These are people who are on good money, they have worked so hard, but they don’t have anything to show for it as they have gambled it all away.”
Gambling can significantly change how the brain works. Every time we experience pleasure, whether it’s from food, music, or a win on a betting app, the brain releases dopamine, a chemical that creates a sense of reward.
Online gambling, with its fast pace, instant results and constant accessibility, can trigger particularly intense dopamine surges. The brain quickly learns to associate this rush with gambling itself so even just seeing a betting ad or hearing a familiar notification sound or the clinking of coins or flashing lights from poker machines can spark powerful urges to gamble.
Over time, the brain develops a tolerance, meaning those dopamine hits become less effective and the person needs to gamble more often or take bigger risks to feel the same excitement. At the same time, the brain’s ability to think is impacted. Dopamine affects memory, attention and decision-making and even when someone knows gambling is causing harm, they may still feel unable to stop.
“All it takes is one gambling ad and then the dopamine rush is so high that all critical thought is lost. You forget the harm, you forget your family, all you can think about is gambling.
“This is what leads people to gamble even when it is causing harm and is also why it is so very difficult to quit,” said Jane.
“It’s a vicious cycle, losing money and then being hooked back in desperately trying to win back what has been lost. It’s like being on a constant merry-go-round and you can’t get off.
“While it might sound difficult to believe often gambling is not even about the money or rather the money stops having value. For many clients, over time the dopamine rush becomes more central than financial gain. What people are really chasing is the dopamine hit and they may even feel a sense of relief once all the money is gone because they don’t have to worry about gambling again until the next pay comes in.”
Vicky and Jane said that currently there are not many residential rehabilitation programs available that specifically address gambling disorder which is why they created their own tailored program and linked with Bali Calm Rehabilitation.
While both have training in a wide range of therapies, from psychotherapy to cognitive behaviour therapy and narrative therapy, they believe the most effective form of treatment is exposure therapy.
“There’s lots of different therapy models and while we will always tailor the therapy to each person after all our years of work in this field we have both concluded that in our clinical experience, exposure therapy has proven to be a highly effective approach for gambling addiction,” said Vicky.
“You can try to keep a lid on the gambling urges by avoiding triggers, but the moment someone is exposed to a familiar cue or they have access to money, that lid can come off and the urge can take over,” added Jane.
“Exposure therapy is about gradually helping the gambler to face the things that trigger the urge to gamble so over time that urge starts to fade and eventually can lose its power over the gambler. It’s like slowly lifting the lid in a safe, controlled way so the urge weakens, and eventually, it loses its power.
“The goal is to help people stay clear-headed and in control, even when faced with past temptations to gamble. Within a couple of weeks, people often say, ‘My urges are easing, I’m actually starting to feel some peace in my life.’ That’s when we begin gradually exposing them to the situations that used to trigger them. It’s all about building up their resilience so they can be around gambling environments without feeling the pull to gamble.”
Vicky said that another important step is to help people to come to terms with what they’ve lost and move forward.
“In some cases that might be incredibly traumatic as you may have to accept that you’ve lost your car or your house and most of the time it’s not just the person gambling who has lost but also their family.
“We work with them to face the emotional impacts, such as regret or shame, and help them to let go of the idea they’ll ever bring back the money they lost.”
Jane and Vicky also support clients through Bali Calm Rehabilitation, a specialist addiction facility where some Australians choose to seek treatment in a more supportive environment. They provide therapy via telehealth, run group sessions, and continue care when clients return home.
“Sometimes people want the option of rehab and getting completely out of their environment. While they are there, Jane and I provide therapy via telehealth, which complements their participation in therapeutic rehabilitation journey, and when they leave we continue to support them.
“What we want people to know is there are always options and there is always hope. Yes it will take work, but it is achievable.
“Anybody that is gambling even a little bit more than they would like to, then now is the time to ask for help.”
Jane said she finds it disappointing when people say that all people need to stop gambling is willpower.
“There’s that stigma about gambling, that it is a failing of the person and of their willpower. Conversations aren’t going to really happen until we break that down. No one should ever have to feel guilty or ashamed.”
| If gambling is causing harm – even just a little more than you’re comfortable with – now is the time to seek help. National Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858 Parkbench Therapy and Consulting: www.parkbenchtherapy.com.au Bali Calm Rehabilitation: www.calmrehab.com To find out more about home based therapy go to: this would allow the option of rehab or home based. https://calmrehab.com/ |
