The Personal Stories of People Who Have Overcome Gambling Problems:

On this page you will find links to the courageous, real-life stories of people from the Central Coast who have faced, challanged and overcome their gambling problems.

Reading about other people's experiences shows us that we are not alone. Stories provide education, support, and reassurance; can help people understand and reflect on their own life journey; and most of all provide hope.

If you would like to share your story, please contact us.

We are deeply grateful to the clients who have shared their stories here. Thank you.

Thomas's story - Carrying an enormous secret around.

The impacts on myself from gambling? The biggest one was stress. I was carrying this enormous secret around. The way I saw myself changed significantly over a period of time. I became very good at lying – extremely good at lying, and that scared me. The breaking of the trust, especially when you relapse and you relapse again..

Jane's Story - My ex-husband never acknowledged that he had a gambling problem

More than 40 years after I found out about my ex-husband's gambling problem I still feel guilty. I'd become pregnant and I'd resigned my job and we had no money. I needed to work out how to keep the marriage together and a big part of that meant I would need to get him to stop gambling...

Devoured: A fictional short story about gambling addiction.

Deflection. Denial. Anger. Lies. Manipulation. These were the tools of the Devourer. But worse, they were the last bastions of my True Self. For without them she would see the reality of Me. The shredded soul. The shamed self. The shattered man, whose life and worth had been devoured by addiction...