august 2015 oregon pgs treatment provider call: gamtalk special presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Online support for gambling problems
Presented by Dr Richard Wood
Who is GamTalk?
• A not-for-profit organization, registered in Canada, serving N. America and beyond.
• Managed by psychologist Dr Richard Wood, local moderators and a fantastic community!
• Approx 11,000 members and more than 40,000 unique visitors per year
• Operating since 2008
What is GamTalk?
• A free-to-access 24/7 online support community, a source of info and support
• Available to anyone, anywhere, with an Internet connection
• Moderated peer based discussions, forums, chat-rooms, stories of hope, links
Stories of Hope
How does GamTalk work?
Community
Started talking for first time (68% agree)
Feel less alone (73% agree) Always available
Being part of a Community helps (75% agree)
Direct to other resources
Help beat urges(62% agree) A reminder of how far
you have come
Popular with women 65%F / 35%M
Work alongside other support
Who uses GamTalk?
1st Jan 2014- 1st Jan 2015
Why GamTalk?• Online support is a part of the solution• Building a community takes time and resources
(GamTalk started 2008)• GamTalk is an established N. American focused service• GamTalk compliments and supports existing local
services (e.g., referral from/to support lines and treatment)
• GamTalk is flexible – we can work with you to offer a great service for your community!
www.GamTalk.org
“Hi everyone! I have this site "bookmarked" on my computer and refer to it often. A lot of you are becoming like friends to me and I can relate to everyone's story.”
“Since my last post I have joined GA, and self-excluded myself from the casino, Thanks for everyones comments I'm doing a lot better now than before.”
“Even though I am surrounded by family and friends , they cannot relate unless they have been there. So when I read experiences and real people dealing with the exact same issues I am facing on a daily basis with compulsive gambling, I know I am not alone.” “Welcome- I am also new. I have found this
site very helpful for my recovery. I am not perfect but I have already grown and this site helps with insight to this terrible disease. I am striving for remission one-day-at-a-time.”
“Today my husband is working late. In the past, I would have gambled. Today I came here it feels good to make that choice. Don't get me wrong. I thought about it. I missed it. And then it scared me. So here I am!”
“I am really grateful for this site and the feedback I am getting from it. As I told my addictions counselor, that I always feel alone dealing with this horrible addiction, this site offers some comfort to me.”
A few GamTalk quotes
“Feeling really glad to be a GamTalk member, I was lurking around here from quite some time and finally decided to be a part of this place. I’m ******from US saying hello to all members.”