Tackling Gambling Stigma
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Mizanoor

Mizanoor came to the United Kingdom from Bangladesh for higher education. He then had problems with his immigration status. He was alone, far from his family, and unable to work or study. He started gambling on roulette in bookmakers because he was the victim of a hostile environment and needed money. But soon found he could not leave the bookmakers until he had spent all his money. 

Gambling became a way to cope with his distress and a form of self-punishment. He lost friendships as he would borrow money to gamble. He asked for help at the emergency department but was turned away. Then he found GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous. The psychologist explained his addiction to him and taught him ways to deal with it. He is rebuilding himself by volunteering, but still living with the trauma of his addiction and has no money. He wants people to get help early, so they do not experience so much harm.

Contributions

When I do the Gamblers Anonymous meeting, so I just raised the voice, “so why we’re here? We need to go outside”. Like when I in the video, if you watch anything, so that advertisement is coming for Ladbrokes, for Paddy Power. So why not come in the GamCare ad, why not come in the GA ad or the National Gambling Clinic. Why it’s not coming? So yes, we are doing good. If I notice earlier than my loss, it’ll be less. When I lost £5000 pounds, I can easily cover. When it’s £50000 this more and more for me, more burden for me. Yeah, if I go from 5 and 10000 loss, then it’s fine. That’s within my means. So we need to go forward.

Show text version

They encourage to do. And there is very little advertisement for help. You know, very useless, totally useless. If you don’t know, I went to the […] hospital emergency department because money in my pocket I cannot trust myself. And to the emergency department, I say to my doctor, it’s like that, I am facing this type of problem. So, they totally ignore me. Why you are here. It is for emergency. You cannot come here. I’m pressing problem. I cannot sleep. I cannot eat. A lot of things in my head. So, they just don’t give me any treatment, they just print one paper. There are some addresses there like, GA meeting, GamCare number. So it’s not enough. Like they hate, it’s like that. They hate me or they hate this type of people.

Mizanoor
Stigma
Show text version

It is still, there is urges. If I am in like an off mood, if I’m stressed, then this comes, still it comes, like a shadow. I’m not working. I’m not, because I know the technique. Gambling triangle techniques. No need to carry the cash, no need to do the – less distressed. So, all the things I know the techniques, how to beat the urges now. But before, Oh my God. I’m just swimming in that. There’s no way to beat those urges.

Mizanoor
Harm
Show text version

All time like I’m thinking, so how to win roulette, when I need to put, like all my head is like this. So how can I, I’m just touching the Google, how I can win the roulette, when I need to place, which machine. I’m going to the Chinatown to see how the Chinese people, which number they grab, because Chinese people, they win. This is a fake belief in my mind.

Mizanoor
Gambling Experiences
Show text version

When I do the Gamblers Anonymous meeting, so I just raised the voice, “so why we’re here? We need to go outside”. Like when I in the video, if you watch anything, so that advertisement is coming for Ladbrokes, for Paddy Power. So why not come in the GamCare ad, why not come in the GA ad or the National Gambling Clinic. Why it’s not coming? So yes, we are doing good. If I notice earlier than my loss, it’ll be less. When I lost £5000 pounds, I can easily cover. When it’s £50000 this more and more for me, more burden for me. Yeah, if I go from 5 and 10000 loss, then it’s fine. That’s within my means. So we need to go forward.

Mizanoor
Gambling Companies

Gambling addiction is now a serious, serious problem. It’s like ruin whole family. Because it’s a matter of money, totally. Like anyone alcoholic, they cannot consume alcohol more than £50 or £100 per day. But gambling, they can finish all the money.

Stigma

Everyone is gambling, I know that. Doesn’t matter they are religious. People are gambling from all community. It doesn’t matter their religion, occupation. More or less, everyone is affected. Yeah, this is the system, everyone is affected. Because it’s not the money matter. Well, if it’s money matter, when I’m winning, so I can quit, I can go out, I’m not going out because I am waiting for the moment I will be empty, for that moment. So it’s not money.

Stigma

When I finish my single pence, I mean the last pence. Then I come out and burn my cigarette, then I feel like I’m getting some peace. This happen with me. Day by day. It’s like one day, two year, three years. Every time. If I don’t have money in my pocket, I’m just gambling in my gym. Like I found some amount of money with that money, I’m gambling like that. So I cannot push my pain for a single moment.

Gambling Experiences

Just suddenly I reach there because at the time I am facing the immigration problem. So, I cannot continue my study. So the immigration issue, I cannot continue my study, so no right to work, no study, So it forced me to [my] first addiction, gambling addiction. It’s like my immigration problem that leads me to that addiction. And it’s like easy money comes.

Gambling Experiences

I don’t have a single pence to buy a bottle of milk in my festival, big festival, like Christmas, we celebrate Eid in India. I don’t have any money to buy a bottle of milk, pint of milk. So enough is enough. And just keep roaming, no one trust me. My friends, if I phone them, they just ignore my phone because one minute, two minutes later, I will ask for money. Can I borrow some money? So, they ignore me. I’m from Muslim town and my family members, my mum is a teacher, my father in government… So, for me, gambling is impossible, impossible for me, because we hate this type of thing, gambling, drunken.

Harm

It’s a matter of life. Like now, I am a dead horse. I’m not gambling now for three years, but I’m empty. I don’t have money. Still I have trauma, when I see the bookies shop, I am just shaking. It’s like trauma.

Harm

They encourage to do. And there is very little advertisement for help. You know, very useless, totally useless. If you don’t know, I went to the […] hospital emergency department because money in my pocket I cannot trust myself. And to the emergency department, I say to my doctor, it’s like that, I am facing this type of problem. So, they totally ignore me. Why you are here. It is for emergency. You cannot come here. I’m pressing problem. I cannot sleep. I cannot eat. A lot of things in my head. So, they just don’t give me any treatment, they just print one paper. There are some addresses there like, GA meeting, GamCare number. So it’s not enough. Like they hate, it’s like that. They hate me or they hate this type of people.

Recovery

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