New Stoke-on-Trent clinic to help gambling addicts

An NHS clinic has opened in Stoke-on-Trent, to help treat those with serious gambling addiction issues.

It has the capacity to treat hundreds of patients a year and aims to teach them to deal with their issues and control their own behaviour.

The clinic, based in the Cobridge area of the city, believes it is the first of its kind in the West Midlands.

One of the first people to benefit, who wished to remain anonymous, called the clinic an "absolute lifeline".

She said: "I could spend over £1,000 in a day. At first you think 'I can win it back' and it's about enjoyment, but it quickly becomes not about that, you know you're not going to.

"It's depressing, I hated myself."

She said the support she had received had given her "the ability to turn it around".

Clinical psychologist, Dr Angelique Marcou, said: "A lot of people with gambling difficulties experience anxiety and low mood."

She is one of the staff working at the clinic and added: "Giving them the tools and skills to manage that, as they go forward in life is really important."

A forthcoming government white paper on gambling is expected to tighten regulation in the sector.

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