Hear a personal story of working through the Twelve Steps of Recovery and how it helped Georgete break free of a recurring and destructive gambling problem. Learn what's involved with each step and how you can access this recovery program.

Georgete shares how working through the Twelve Steps with a sponsor and attending online meetings through Recovery Road Online helped her to reach one year gambling free. She shares how the Twelve Steps taught her important skills for living a better life.

Listen now and get answers to these questions:

• What are the Twelve Steps? How can this program help someone who has struggled with gambling?
• What's involved with each of the Twelve Steps?
• Will working through the Twelve Steps benefit me if I'm unsure about connecting with a Higher Power?

Share this episode with someone who will find it helpful. Our hope at Fold em is to help people struggling with gambling to connect with support.

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia:

Canada: click here

United States: National Council on Problem Gambling

United Kingdom: GamCare

Australia: Gamblers' Help

If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.

To connect with a Twelve Step Recovery program, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers, Families and Friends in Recovery

To connect with other supports for gambling problems, here's more options:

The Broke Girl Society

GamTalk

SMART Recovery

To read a summary of this podcast, check out the blog at www.problemgamblinghelp.ca

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.

To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also email us at Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

It can be done. You can admit to yourself and others that gambling is causing problems for you. You can stop gambling, deal with the financial impact, and rebuild trust with important people. You can also put things in place to prevent a relapse. Laura joins us in this episode and shares how she did all of this.

Listen to episode 82 and hear about:

• Why it can be hard to admit to yourself that your gambling is out of control
• Laura's story of getting help, facing hard stuff, and getting through it
• How Laura stopped gambling and has stayed away for more than year

Laura dedicates this episode to her doctor, Catherine Textor - "An amazing human who showed me compassion and zero judgment and provided a safe place to admit I needed help."

To read a summary of this episode, visit the blog at gamblingproblemhelp.ca

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia:

Canada: click here

United States: National Council on Problem Gambling

United Kingdom: GamCare

Australia: Gamblers' Help

If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.

To connect with online groups and supports, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

GamTalk (online chat forum)

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers, Families and Friends in Recovery

The Broke Girl Society

To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also reach out through Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.

If you live with chronic pain and gamble, you're more at risk for developing a gambling problem. If you've had a gambling problem and live with chronic pain and/or health conditions, it's important to get help for both issues to prevent a relapse.

In this episode of Fold em, hear Patty's personal story. She tells us that when she was gambling, both physical pain as well as stress and worry decreased. However, over time as gambling got out of control, it made life much more difficult for her. Patty shares how recovery provided her with the patience and support needed to steadily pursue treatment for her health conditions. And, although these haven't gone away, she's feeling much better.

You also hear from Kuldip Gill, a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Vancouver who is a clinician with Gambling Support BC. She explains why chronic pain creates risk for gambling addiction and offers guidance on how to address both pain and gambling issues successfully.

Listen to episode 81 and hear:

• Why it is important to be cautious if you gamble and experience chronic pain or health issues
• A personal story of stopping gambling and getting help for pain and health issues
• How to help yourself feel better as you pull back from gambling

If you want to learn more, read the blog for this episode at www.problemgamblinghelp.ca

To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also reach out through Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia:

Canada: click here

United States: National Council on Problem Gambling

United Kingdom: GamCare

Australia: Gamblers' Help

If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.

To connect with online groups and supports, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

GamTalk (online chat forum)

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers, Families and Friends in Recovery

The Broke Girl Society

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.

Making changes isn't easy. When gambling gets out of control, change is often more challenging. It can be hard to get to that place where you're ready to pull back from gambling. When you do stop, there are so many other issues to address (finances, relationships, your health) that it can feel overwhelming. It's not unusual to find that gambling hooks you in again.

In this episode, we offer guidance on how to get a good start with making whatever changes you want to tackle. We'll offer tips for staying on track and handling setbacks. You hear Shane tell his personal story about stopping gambling and getting his life in balance. Dr. Taslim Alani-Verjee, a Clinical Psychologist from Toronto, shares practical suggestions for being successful with change.

Listen to episode 79 to hear:

• A personal story of taking action to stop gambling and get life back in balance
• Strategies for getting a good start when making changes for yourself
• How to avoid setbacks and get back on track when they happen

To read a summary of this episode, go to the blog at www.gamblingproblemhelp.ca. To hear an earlier conversation with Shane about preventing relapse, listen to episode 69 (Sept 22, 2023). To connect with Dr. Taslim Alani-Verjee, visit her website at drtaslim.com.

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

If you would like to connect with online groups and supports, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

GamTalk (online chat forum)

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers in Recovery

The Broke Girl Society

To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also reach out through Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.

Thanks for listening!

As you get pulled into gambling, your thinking changes. Your mind finds ways of convincing you to keep gambling, even when there are signs to stop. To an outsider, ideas such as "a win is just around the corner" or "I have a system that's guaranteed to win" seem irrational. But when you're in it, it feels real and true.

In this episode, I'm joined by John Woods. After struggling with gambling for over thirty years, he placed his last bet in January 2017 and went on to write a book called Gambling Addiction Explained: How to Stop Gambling and Regain Control of Your Life.

Listen in and learn about:

• Five common mind traps of problem gambling
• How to recognize and resist gambling's mind traps
• Why seeking help and guidance can free your mind from problem gambling

To find out more about problem gambling's mind traps, read the blog for this episode at www.problemgamblinghelp.ca. You can also download John's free report on Mind Traps at www.gamblingaddictionexplained.com. Purchase his book Gambling Addiction Explained on Amazon or through his website.

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia:

Canada: click here

United States: National Council on Problem Gambling

United Kingdom: GamCare

Australia: Gamblers' Help

If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.

If you would like to connect with online groups and supports, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

GamTalk (online chat forum)

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers in Recovery

The Broke Girl Society

To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also reach out through Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.

Experiencing grief and loss is hard enough. But, when grief leads to gambling problems, it gets harder.

Grief (like other big stressors) can create risk for gambling getting out of control. It can also set the stage for a relapse if you previously stopped gambling.

In this episode of Fold em, we hear from Sam about her experiences with grief and problem gambling and what has helped her with both issues. Heidi Furrer, a counsellor with Gambling Support BC who facilitates a workshop on grief and gambling, offers ideas for getting on solid footing again.

Listen to episode 77 and hear about:

• Why grief and loss can trigger gambling problems
• How to cope with both grief and problem gambling
• The benefits of continuing to stay connected to a loved one who has died

To learn more, read the blog for this episode at www.gamblingproblemhelp.ca. Inspiration for this episode came from Lorraine Hedtke's work on Re-membering Practices. Find out more at www.rememberingpractices.com.

If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services. Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111.

To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia:

Canada: click here

United States: National Council on Problem Gambling

United Kingdom: GamCare

Australia: Gamblers' Help

If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.

To connect with online groups and supports, here's some options:

Gamblers Anonymous

Gam-Anon

GamTalk (online chat forum)

Recovery Road Online

Gamblers in Recovery

The Broke Girl Society

Connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast. You can also reach out through Foldempodcast@gmail.com. We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes.

Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.