Imagine waking up in the morning and all you can think about is going to the casino. Your debts are piling up, there are problems at home because you never see your family, and you desperately need to get away from that terrible feeling of guilt and failure. And all you need is one big win, so you place a bet, and another, and another. Maybe you lose, but maybe, just maybe, you win. But you put that money on the table too, and before you know it, you've lost it again...

This is the world of the compulsive gambler, Keith (who wants to be quoted on a first-name basis only) tells me. He should know ? he's a compulsive gambler who couldn't stand being away from the casino until he joined Gamblers Anonymous, a support group for people addicted to gambling.

"I was at the casino 24 hours a day," he tells me. "I lived not far from the casino ? ten minutes to get there ? and at first it went quite well. In the beginning it went pretty well, I made a living like that for seven months of my life."

The world of a compulsive gambler: losing sense of time

But he ended up spending too much time at the casino. "You don't have any idea what time it is," he says. "You don't know if it's night or day. I never noticed that, but one gambler mentioned it in a meeting. The time he spent, he didn't know if it was morning, noon or night. He had no idea."

Symptoms

Symptoms of a gambling problem, according to Keith, include the amount of time spent gambling, the money lost, and trouble at work and at home. The casino is a place of safety, he says. "You feel comfortable there. Your problems disappear."

Keith says he first realised he had a gambling problem when he went on holiday with his family. "It was the first time in a long time I was away from any betting industry for longer than seven days," he recalls. "That Sunday when we came back, I was racing to get back to Cape Town."

So he dropped off his wife and kids at their home "and within twenty minutes I was in my car going to the casino? Before I got there, I thought to myself, 'What are you doing?'" Keith sought help the next day.

Got the better of his demon

Seeking help? Phone toll-free number 0800 006 008

Since he gave up the casino, Keith's had two close shaves, which he ascribes to emotional need, and he's still paying off his gambling debts. But he hasn't gambled since April 27, he says proudly, and is confident he has got the better of his inner demon.

Now he says he'll never gamble again. Keith spends much of his time counselling compulsive gamblers, helping them to break the habit.

"You cannot believe the difference in people," he says. "That's what makes me feel good, because I made a difference in somebody?s life? I'll never gamble again, I know why. I've found something very good within myself, to help other people with my problem, and it works for me. I can never go and help a gambler if I'm still gambling."

What to do if you think you or someone that you know might have a gambling problem:

"Just phone," says Keith. "The most important thing you can do is to phone that helpline number."
Phone 0800 006 008 or go to Gambling Anonymous' website to see when a meeting is taking place near you.

Keith explains why getting help ? whether it be over the phone or at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting ? is so important: "Because at that stage, when you phone the helpline, you don't know what's going on in your life. You've got no idea what's going on. This disease is powerful, you can never be cured of it. You can never go back to gambling again like a normal person."