AN Enniskillen man who lost his son to suicide following a gambling addiction has spoken out about his fears in relation to the stigma attached to gambling and seeking help across rural communities.
Speaking to the Herald, Pete Keogh who lost his son Lewis in 2013 highlighted that even though people from rural areas suffer with serious gambling addictions just as much as anywhere else, there is still a dangerously low proportion of those who have felt comfortable enough to come forward and say that they need professional help.
“Having lived in Fermanagh nearly all of my life, I know there’s an issue that people have with gambling in this county.
“However, since the passing of our Lewis, only two people have made contact with me and that’s either through their mother or grandmother.
“I don’t see myself as an expert or an avenue for people to go down, but my wife Sadie and I are now fearful of the stigma that is attached particularly in rural communities like Fermanagh.
“People would prefer to say that a person took their own life because they were in £100,000 debt and didn’t know how to deal with it, however in most cases people take their own lives in relation to gambling because they just don’t know hot to get out of the addiction.”
To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link https://bit.ly/3gOl8G0
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere