My neighbour (40/m) (“N”) confided that his recently retired father (70/m) (“G”) has started going to the casino twice a day (all day but he comes home for dinner).
G’s losses affect the food they eat (multi generational household).
N doesn’t really know what to do. I’m not so concerned for N, moreso his mother/G’s wife.
It’s not my business but, when I was a kid my boyscout leader committed suicide after gambling away his house so I’m pretty sensitive to this sort of thing. I’d like to help if I can.
Any advice?
You cant, ultimately people are responsible for their own actions and short of threatening them you can’t to much to stop a person from living life how they want. Its a gamblers choice to gamble just as its a smokers choice to smoke. As much as it sucks to watch like an onlooker to a train wreck, sometimes you have no choice but to watch someone’s vices destroy their life and negatively impact their family’s wellbeing as a whole. We reap what we sow. G’s wife is also somewhat complicit, if theres ever a time and place for wives to make their husbands lives hell or threaten to leave their sorry ass its when the husband gambles their family away into poverty to chase the rush. Sorry to hear about the suicide thing though, that sucks and its understandable why you are sensitive.
The wife is complicit because she’s not making his life miserable enough? Do you hear yourself?