A former compulsive gambler who spent over four decades addicted to gambling is now gathering support to start a recovery support group in Northland.
Bill Gray, 61, recently moved to Whangarei from Auckland, where he had indulged in virtually all forms of gambling since the age of 13 until about a year ago, when he sought counselling to quit his addiction.
He first sought counselling through the Salvation Army but his life changed for the better after attending a gambling addiction support group in Auckland.
When he moved to Whangarei about three weeks ago, he said the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) that dealt with those addicted to alcohol, wouldn't accept him in their programme because he was not an alcoholic.
The AA group works by using a 12-step programme. The same programme is used for Gambling Anonymous (GA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) programmes worldwide.