The Dare to Connect problem gambling support program is seeing a great deal of success. The program has helped dozens of gambling addicts in Moreland, and it may see a state-wide rollout sometime soon. Program Manager Gabriela Bryne told the Herald Sun that Dare to Connect has seen a high successful.
About 90% of the participants who take part in the program have been able to significantly reduce their gambling in favour of participating in various other fun activities to occupy their time. In its fourth staging, Dare to Connect will help 15 compulsive players reduce their gambling by encouraging them to take part in other activities. The program offers participants the opportunity to engaging in social activities.
For many of the participants involved, these activities help to fight off loneliness – one of the major reasons that they were driven to gambling in the first place. “A lot of people in my age group are in trouble like myself, because they have nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and so they go to gaming venues to have a chat and a little bit of a gamble and it turns into a big gamble,” says a participant named Marianne.
Dare To Connect was launched in 2014 by Chrysalis Insight as a relapse-prevention program for problem gamblers. Currently, the program is offered to residents of Moreland, and it may be extended throughout the state of Victoria. If this occurs, Dare to Connect would be able to help hundreds of problem gamblers find more productive ways to spend their time.
The next staging of Dare to Connect will begin on February 20, 2015. More participants are needed; so, if you know someone who would benefit from the program, please contact [email protected].
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