A man who gambled away his family’s savings has not placed a bet in six months and is urging other people to try free counselling.
A free drop-in service is being run at the Wishart, Constable Street, Dundee, all this week to coincide with Gamble Aware week.
Robert Williams, a 32-year-old Dundee tradesman, said his gambling started to get out of hand when he went online in 2008.
He said: “Sitting in my house, gambling, I didn’t really see the money coming out of my account. I was just pressing a button.
“Over time, it started adding up to thousands and thousands of pounds over the course of two years.
“Then I spent a lot of money I shouldn’t have, from our savings.”
His hidden gambling addiction only came to light when his wife discovered the money was missing.
He initially attended meetings but relapsed and started spending money on machines in bookmakers even taking out credit cards and finance to play.
He said: “I tried to be quite sneaky, taking cash out so it wouldn’t show on my statements. I had noticed a change in myself. I became on edge and when adverts for bank and credit cards came on TV I used to change the channel.”
After confessing to his wife, Mr Williams started using the TCA counselling service at the beginning of this year.
He said: “The counselling was a massive step in my recovery. The most important thing is to find someone you can trust.
“While I was gambling, I was quite isolated. I felt quite low at points. For me, my biggest thing was my pride. I saw it as a weakness that this addiction had a hold of me.”
After using the service for six months, Mr Williams said it is still a comfort to know it is there.
He added: “I know they are always there if I need them and that is a massive relief.”
Madge Thornton, of the TCA, said although it has specially trained counsellors, not enough people know about the free service it provides to problem gamblers and those affected by others’ gambling.
The TCA can be contacted on 01382 456012 and the charity also operates out of Perth and Arbroath.