Hi b, welcome to the Forum, i'm sorry to hear what you going through my friend.
It is horrible; i'm sure he didn't mean to be as callous as this act sounds, but he isn't in the right frame of mind to think about what needs to be done, even though it would have meant a great deal to you all.
I know it is very hard to have him away from you, but you have to ask yourself whether it would be worse if he was there, suffering in front of you and your younger siblings.
There is little you can do unfortunately my friend until he wants to help himself; he needs to accept this and do everything that is necessary to conquer this affliction - i'm sure he is not a bad person; I gambled for twenty years before stopping over five years ago - it made me do a lot of things that I could never imagine myself doing now - it turns your personality inside out.
Make sure your Mum doesn't help him financially or give him access to money; he is very vulnerable at the moment and helping him in this way will only serve to make things worse. You have to put yourselves first - he will appreciate that in time, i'm sure of that.
JamesP
Hello Subber1992,
Well done on finding the forum and talking about how gambling has affected your family.
It sounds like the gambling problem has created distance and unhappiness for your family members, which is difficult for everyone. It is good that you're using some support here. If anyone in your family is suffering with depression, it could be helpful for them to discuss that with their GP.
If you'd like to talk with a GamCare Adviser, you can do so on freephone 0808 8020 133, or on our Netline. Perhaps you'd like to let your mother know about GamCare too, so she can use us for support as well. GamCare provides free counselling appointments for people affected by problem gambling, including family members who may benefit from weekly therapeutic support.
You don't say the ages of your younger siblings, but if they are children they might also like to use the 24 hour freephone for Childline, for emotional support: 0800 1111
https://www.childline.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx
Take care,
Adam.
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