“All I can focus on is gambling so I have lost connections with others.”
Loneliness can impact all people at different stages of life and in different ways.
At Beacon Counselling Trust we recognise many of our service-users accessing our mental health support services will have experienced loneliness of some form. It can deeply affect our self-worth and sense of belonging within our communities.
Often people struggle to talk about the loneliness they feel through their gambling behaviours and how it is affecting their physical health and well-being. We have been bringing the conversation of loneliness into the open and sharing more on projects helping to tackle isolation felt by all those suffering from gambling-related harms.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week members of our team attended the ‘Making Connections’ event hosted by Preston Wellfest and took part in various workshops and taster sessions. Other organisations took part in the event including the Samaritans, Lancashire Women, Lemon Dance, SLEAP, Red Rose Recovery and MindsMatter.
We recognise that gambling-related harms can leave you feeling lonely and isolated, which can have a negative effect on your mental health.
