Vadodara: He began gambling online for entertainment but Prakash (name changed) soon got so addicted that he fell into heavy debt. His family struggled to make ends meet and that's when they sought help from 181 Abhayam, who counselled him. According to Abhayam officials, Prakash, who is in his twenties, works in a factory in the city.
He earns a decent salary, but was not contributing to the household for the last few months. "His mother would ask him for money for their monthly expenses, but he had stopped giving anything at home. The man's father works as a security guard and earns a meagre income," Abhayam officials said.
When Abhayam counsellors asked him why he was not contributing at home, Prakash revealed that he was in debt. "He said that he was gaming and gambling online and got addicted to it. He kept losing money but continued gambling on sports with the hope that he would win.
Soon, he started gambling with a large part of his salary," Abhayam officials added. Prakash kept losing and had to borrow over Rs 1.50 lakh from some people.
A major part of his salary was spent on paying off his loans. Prakash's father's income also stopped as he suffered a fracture a few months ago and couldn't go to work. The Abhayam team counselled Prakash and asked him not to spend any money on gambling online.
Prakash was also asked to save some money from his salary for domestic expenses, and he agreed to help his family. City-based psychiatrists say many youngsters are addicted to .