Southill Family Resource Centre offers new gambling support services to the community

Southill Family Resource Centre offers new gambling support service to the community. Dylan Johnston, Gambling Counsellor with Michelle Tynan, Manager of Southill Family Resource Centre

Southill Family Resource Centre has launched a new counselling service to support individuals struggling with gambling addiction

A new gambling support service has been launched by Southill Family Resource Centre (SFRC) to support individuals and loved ones affected by gambling addiction. Fully funded by Gambling Awareness Trust, the free and confidential service is one of 20 similar programmes being provided through family resources centres across Ireland.

The new service has been launched in response to the growing need for accessible gambling support, as the issues surrounding gambling become harder to detect with digital and gamified gambling platforms easily available.

Speaking about the support offered at SFRC, Dylan Johnston, SRFC Gambling Counsellor said, “We offer one-on-one gambling counselling for those affected by gambling addiction and for their families and loved ones. Being part of a wider picture within the Family Resource Centre network, we have access to many qualified psychotherapists, so we can offer support to the entire family network.

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

“It is also worth noting that gambling isn’t just a male phenomenon, with gambling amongst women on the rise. We are noticing that not enough women are reaching out for support. Women more frequently gamble with online casino games, slots, bingo, lotto and scratch cards. If this is becoming a problem, you should definitely reach out.”

The Gambling Counsellor highlighted the SFRC’s commitment to addressing challenges within their community by offering a wide range of services. He described the warning signs of gambling addiction include increasing betting amounts, borrowing money, secrecy around finances, lying about gambling habits, missing social events, or obsessively trying to win back losses. The first step to recovery is reaching out, and SFRC encourages anyone concerned to contact the service.

Mr Johnston said, “You might start off betting €5. But then it goes up to €10, €20 and €50. Before you know it, you’re borrowing money, and you’re getting into a lot of trouble that way. So be careful if you notice your tolerance going up. The temptation to gamble is a lot more potent today than ever before, with adverts becoming more tempting, frequent and addictive. Gambling is becoming more online, and more gamified, and people can gamble a lot more money a lot more quickly online.”

“They can resort to online slot machine games and wheel games. People could spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of euros in just a matter of weeks. The nature of gambling addiction is that it is a lot more secretive, and people could be gambling by themselves at home, and it would be very hard for people to tell. However, there are signs such as frequently borrowing money, lying about gambling, becoming secretive or defensive, missing life of social events or chasing losses – going back to win back money you’ve lost – or financial secrecy.”

Support options include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), financial advice through MABS, web-blocking tools like GAMBAN, and even banking restrictions available through providers like AIB, Bank of Ireland, and Revolut. Building a strong daily routine and support network is also emphasised as key to long-term recovery.

Dylan Johnston says the first step in dealing with an addiction is looking for support, he said, “Overcoming gambling addiction begins with reaching out for support. It’s a tough challenge to face alone, so please consider contacting our confidential counselling service at [email protected] or by calling 083-4143684 or 061-440250.”