The Dynamic Power of Increasing Awareness
In teaching classes and giving presentations about problem gambling, I often say something like:
“The purpose of the QCFE is”:
(A) to increase awareness of problem gambling and
(B) to offer help and hope to those affected by it
In this blog I want to talk about the first of these two stated purposes—increasing or raising awareness.
On one hand “Increasing awareness” means the simple act of giving information (about problem gambling). But on the other hand, this giving produces many different outcomes in those receiving. For example, if I speak to a random class of students on the topic of Problem Gambling, this may…
Inform someone with no legitimate knowledge of problem gambling (kids for example), that problem gambling exists and can cause serious and sometimes tragic problems in the lives of gambler and their circles of influence. In this example the outcome of sharing information was (generally speaking) preventative. That is, the awareness helps prevent the hearer from experiencing problem gambling personally and helps them to prevent the problem in others (such as parents or teachers might want to do).
The same information might also clarify “problem gambling” in the minds of gamblers and non-gamblers, helping them identify warnings, signs and help available for problem gambling, which in turn may stop gambling from becoming problem gambling and ultimately be a lifesaving resource for help through treatment to recovery.
The last aspect of awareness I want to mention is as a prerequisite to all effective preparation and solution. The power of awareness in this relationship can be stated like a ratio:
The better the quality of awareness (about problem gambling):
The better the ability of the community to prevent, treat and recover from problem gambling.
To increase and improve your awareness:
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