Speaking openly and conversationally to Fermanagh’s youth about how gambling almost destroyed his life and his journey to recovery, Gaelic footballer Oisín McConville explained why he believes it is especially “difficult” for women to get help with gambling addiction.

Oisín revealed to the audience of over 200 young people at the ‘1 Life, 1 Choice’ hosted at St. Macartin’s Cathedral Hall, Enniskillen on Monday April 15, that the biggest influx of people into Gamblers Anonymous are women between the ages of 25 and 45.

He explained:

“The reason why that is, is because every soap on TV is sponsored by some sort of bingo company, which introduces a whole new demographic. The people who were in the bookies, the people who were always gambling were always men between the ages of 18 and 80. That was always the case, now it’s completely different.”

He continued: “Women between the ages of 25 and 45, they might have some spare time at home, try a bingo site, have a £25 free bet, it doesn’t happen, so they chase after it and chase after it.”

Oisín commented that it is difficult for women to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings because they are “male dominated.” He said:

“When I used to go into Gamblers Anonymous meetings previously it was 16, 17, 18 men. Now if you walk in it’s 14 men and two or three women.”

“It’s very difficult for women to get help because it’s very difficult to stay in those rooms if you are on your own,” he added.

During his frank talk, Oisín shared his experiences of gambling addiction in the hope of raising awareness and offered advice to the young people on how to help others who were struggling with addiction. Oisín noted that to offer support, a person must be approachable, understanding and non-judgemental.

He highlighted that being non-judgemental is key because when he was struggling with his gambling addiction, he found it very difficult to ask for help as he believed people were “going to disown” him.

In the afternoon, the conference welcomed William Burns, the father of a young man who died after taking one ecstasy tablet. Following his son’s death, William launched the campaign warning ‘#1pillwillkill.’At the conference he spoke of the devastating impact of the death on their family and how it had spurred him to raise awareness among teenagers about the dangers of taking drugs.

‘1 Life, 1 Choice’ was organised, co-ordinated and hosted by Fermanagh Youth Development Project (FYDP), an innovative project which helps to change the lives of young people who had become disenfranchised from education and employment prospects.

The project was set up by Fermanagh Rural Community Initiative (FRCI) when they received financial assistance of £205,180 through the International Fund for Ireland’s Personal Youth Development Programme, which is managed by Rural Action. FYDP currently engages with 21 young people from Enniskillen and the surrounding areas, accommodating courses, training and a vast array of experiences including personal development, good relations, team-building activities, job skills, one-to-one mentoring support, confidence building and life skills.