I Never Thought That Buying $2 Scratchies Could Become A Serious Problem.

Question: I never thought that buying $2 scratchies could become a serious problem. Well, it has for me and my husband. We used to get one or two whenever we were passing a newsagent, now we go out of our way to buy them. We spend up to $50 a week but neither of us can afford that much money. We tried to cut back and succeeded until my cousin's boss won $25,000 and since then we've been buying them every day. We've never won a big amount ourselves but that doesn't stop us. We don't bet on the horses or play the pokies but I'm convinced we have a gambling addiction. Do we need to get counselling for this or is there a more simple solution? Gail

Answer (1) Yes Gail, you do have a gambling addiction. Whether it's stuffing money in to a pokie, betting on the races, or anything else you can conceive, it's all designed from the ground up, to ultimately take your money. Gambling does give you what is called intermittent reinforcement (ie: a little encouragement now and again just to keep you going) but in the end, the odds are stacked against you. It's how the gambling peddlers make their huge profits, much like the heroin dealers once you're hooked. The big drop/win does occasionally occur, usually to someone else and not too often. When you add up what you win over time, versus what you lose, it all starts to look very shabby indeed. The simple solution is to stop gambling. If you can't do that, I recommend you spend the money you'd waste on gambling for some therapy. It could turn out to be the best money you've ever spent.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist

Answer (2) There are cases where people have stopped gambling when the means is not available. But you would need to move to a remote island to do that. I am glad you do not go to the pokies or bet on the horses. Scratchies unfortunately don't wait for you to come to them like the TAB or the local club or pub. Scratchies come to your friendly local newsagent, they are innocuous looking and cheap and as addictive as any other form of problematic gambling.

Most gamblers - regardless of the type of gambling or wagering they do - are hooked by a win or the vicarious win of another. You will know that the problem is not about intelligence, age or any other demographic. It is about focusing on a highly improbable outcome - a big win - and ignoring the repeated losses. Chasing the big win is a major trap that increases desperation and losses. People often develop a habit as a coping mechanism and gambling can variously be a distraction, a source of excitement or numbing escape from emotions associated with grief, frustration, mental illness or the predictability of much of our lives..

We do not know how people self-cure but contacting a counselor with gambling-specific experience would be advisable. If fees are a problem, you may choose to contact the agency in your state or territory which provides free gambling counseling usually funded out of a government levy on the gaming industry. In Victoria, you can ring the free, anonymous, 24 hour counselling and referral line, Gamblers' Help, on 1800 156 789. For other states, contact Directory Assistance or do a Google search of the web. A number of private counsellors with a background in this field are also available.

Answer provided by John Hunter, Counsellor