Gambling is very attractive to young people. If a friend or a person your age is engaged in gambling, you may also feel the need to participate. You may also feel that this is a good way to cope with stress, boredom or monotony in your daily life. Easy access and your ability to use technology, enables daily contact with betting and gambling activities and you may be attracted to participate.
Nevertheless, when this activity stops being fun and becomes a big part of your day, then life can become pretty messy. If you feel that gambling has taken up a significant part of your life, this website, in collaboration with PERSEAS Counselling Centre for Adolescents and Families, can help you regain the control that you have lost.
We are here for you. In order to directly communicate with PERSEAS Counselling Centre for Adolescents and Families please call 1456 and talk with an Advisor in a confidential manner.
- You spend less time with your friends and you find excuses to spend your time gambling
- You feel stressed or you are upset because of your gambling activities
- You are more concerned with betting or the odds than with the actual game on which you have placed a bet
- You are often absent from school or university or your results and grades have been drastically diminished
- You have a sudden interest in anything that has to do with gambling and you are constantly placing bets
- You ask your family and friends to lend you money
- You often have fights with your family about your excessive gambling or you lie about where you spend your money
- You try to win back the money that you lost by betting more money on another bet
If you believe you are facing a problem or that you are at the early stages of gambling addiction, you can initially talk with someone you feel comfortable with and whom you trust. You should not be ashamed or feel guilty for the problem that you are facing and be sure that you can get the right help.
- You can call 1456 to speak with a specialised Advisor regarding your problem, keeping your anonymity in a confidential environment
- You can talk to your family or to a close friend and ask for their advice
- You can talk to one of your teachers or with the counselling services at your school or university
Once you have talked to someone about your gambling problem, then everything will become easier for you and you will be ready for the next step.
If you realize that a person you care about (like your parents or your best friend) is over-engaging in gambling, you may feel worried and not know how to react or help them.
Perhaps your loved ones’ engagement in gambling creates tensions, quarrels and problems, creating concerns for you about your safety or about the safety of the persons around you. Furthermore, you may be worried about your family’s finances and may be hurt by the attitude of your loved ones. You may think your loved one is wasting his life and you would like to help him, but you don’t know how.
On this website, you can find information and tips on how to deal with these situations.
The following are some behavioural signs that you may notice if someone has a gambling problem:
- He is irritable or in a bad mood or he gets into fights for insignificant reasons
- He spends less time in family or social activities and outings
- He stops engaging in activities that interest him or he disappears from home for long periods of time
- He borrows money from his family and friends
- He is frequently absent from school or work, and his performance has deteriorated
- He has a reduced or no mood to deal with anything other than gambling
- He does not pay his bills or forgets to go shopping for necessities
If you believe that a family member, a friend or a person of your social environment is facing a problem or is at the early stages of gambling addiction, then you can ask for help and find out ways in which you can approach and handle the problem.
- You can call 1456 in order to talk to a specialist Advisor about the problem, keeping your anonymity in a confidential environment
- You can talk to one of your teachers or with the counselling services at your school or university.
We are here for you and we deal with your concerns. Call 1456 today (PERSEAS Counselling Centre for Adolescents and Families)