Le Cheile – Gambling Awareness Session

In Le Cheile Mentoring, we had noticed a growing trend in problem gambling amongst some of the young men referred to our service.

Knowing that gambling can potentially have a devastating impact on mental health and potential in life, as well as having a negative ripple effect on families who often feel powerless to help, we wanted to understand a bit more about the issue and we asked Tony O’Reilly from Problem Gambling Ireland to talk to the volunteers.

The training was an eye-opening evening of education and awareness into the complexity of gambling addiction and the growth of online gambling.

Tony shared his own very personal experience of gambling and how his life spiraled out of control because of it. Tony talked about how the inner turmoil and extreme stress caused by the financial impact of gambling led him to a very dark place in his life where he couldn’t see a way out.   He explained to our volunteers how people who gamble often withdraw from potential support as they try to gamble their way out of the problem and Tony advised some helpful approaches when working with people who gamble.

Tony’s passion for educating and advocating in the area of problem gambling is clear.  His personal story sheds light onto the growing issue and impact of gambling, but also inspires hope in the potential for redemption, recovery and rebuilding.

A valuable, relevant and memorable training for our volunteers!

Helen McCarthy – Le Cheile