Hi Jane,
It does sound as though your son is struggling. I would think it must be very painful, as a parent, to watch him struggle. I feel for both of you. But I think he’s fortunate to have someone like you who clearly cares and wants the very best for him 🙂
Personally, I believe that any form of dependent behaviour, regardless of whether it’s alcohol, gambling, etc tends to reflect underlying pain and issues. So I think, if he hasn’t already, a good starting point for receiving help is perhaps making an extended appointment with his GP. The GP can assess his mental health and possibly put together a mental health care plan if deemed appropriate. That would entitle him to a certain number of appointments with a psychologist that are Medicare rebatable.
Also, I would like to mention Gambling Help Online, in case you’re interested. If you’re interested, I think that you should be able to find them if you search on your browser. It’s an Australian organisation that is funded by all our state and territory governments as well as federal government. It offers a range of services including a gambling helpline, online chat, forum, etc that are all geared towards helping people with gambling problems.
I hope this gives you a few ideas. Good on you for reaching out here. Again, I think it’s wonderful that you’re so supportive of your son. If you feel like writing again to chat, ask questions, vent, please don’t hesitate to do so. There’s obviously no pressure to write more than you want, but just know we are here if you need us 🙂
Kind and caring thoughts,
Pepper
