More About Me
Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am the founder of the last bet coaching programme.
For as long as I can remember my family has been affected by addiction, my grandad was a compulsive gambler along with other men in my family, and my mother struggled with alcohol addiction throughout my childhood. I have two sons and one of my sons and some of his peers struggled with problems relating primarily to sports betting and other gambling modalities.
Trying to understand what drives gambling behaviour in order to help the people I love has been a mission of mine for a very long time. Over the years, I noticed several similarities between the way my son talked and felt about himself and the way my mother had related to her issues too. The beliefs they both held about themselves and their destructive behaviour and the negative self-talk they shared with me made me wonder if perhaps gambling was merely a symptom of a deeper issue that would need to be addressed. Could changing these thought patterns and beliefs really change the behaviour.
My countless chats with my son and input from other gamblers in recovery over the next few years made me realise this was rarely about the betting itself or the promise of hitting the big win it may have started that way but like many problem behaviour patterns it had started to fill a void in life and helped them avoid feelings that they didn’t know how to deal with.
For some it was boredom, a lack of purpose and low self-esteem and a need to escape but the “whys” are obviously different from person to person. The real hook was fear, fear of not being able to stop was a reason to keep playing, fear of not being able to gain pleasure from any other activity without gambling was another, and the fear of having to face real life and deal with feelings without the distraction from life that gambling brings. They were stuck in a loop of chasing losses and an activity that once seemed fun and exciting was in fact stealing the joy from the real life that was still waiting for them.
Over the coming years I got quite obsessed with studying everything I could that might assist me in helping the people I love find their way out of the
cycle.
Luckily for our family my son responded well to addressing his issues and we worked together to fill the void that he believed stopping gambling would leave behind, He found new ways to use his time that would give him the drive and the buzz that he had once looked for in sports betting and I’m proud to say he is now a success story in his own right.
There are so many organisations and charities available today that can help you. If you have asked for help previously and it has not worked for you it simply means you have not found the one that suits you, sometimes the person helping you is just not the right fit or the methods they use just don’t resonate with you. It does not mean that you cannot be helped. I have listed just a few of the many free services available on my web site. But if you are interested in exploring the private coaching route and feel like one-to-one private sessions might suit you then please feel free to get in touch.
Neuro Linguistic Programming and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy have given me a fantastic toolkit to help people to make changes at a deeper sub conscious level. As a strategic life coach, I also like to spend time on helping you build the life you choose to lead going forward rather than just addressing the issue we can work together to plan your future too.
I now offer a 10 minute free zoom call with anyone looking to book onto this course, this gives you time to ask any questions and decide if you would like to work with me and gives me the opportunity to sign post you to a more suitable resource if I feel another agency could serve you better.
If you are reading this because someone you love is struggling then by all means show them this information but please do not book a discovery call on their behalf, not everyone is at a stage in their journey when they are ready for change. This takes commitment.
If you are tired of the vicious cycle and are ready to take action, then:
If after reading this, you have any questions you would like me to answer then please feel free to email me at hello@lastbetcoaching.com Please check the course information section for more details of the programme.
I hope I see you soon,
Sarah