作为一个赌徒的妻子，那是既让人紧张也令人心碎的事情。在我发现他在赌场现场出现之前，他把赌博这件事隐藏得很好。我不能再接受谎言，所以我们分手了。之后，他去寻求帮助戒赌的途径，经过了一段时间，我们又在一起。结婚后没多久，我才意识到，他仍然去赌博（他的报税表让我意识到，他每年都在赌场进行豪赌），一年的时间，大量的钱被他通过各种方式在赌场上挥霍掉。

　　我每次下班回家，总是神经兮兮的认为灯会亮起来 - 这种情况不会被一个普通的朋友注意到，但对我来说就不一样了，当听到警钟长鸣，我就会担心他是否在赌场。我变得多疑，经常检查计算机上的历史文件，看看是否他有在网上赌博。这样的事情占据了我的大脑。我知道这不是一个很好的方式。心理健康问题成为具有传染性的疾病，在赌徒和其家庭中蔓延。

　　我向我的家庭成员隐藏了我的痛苦，因为我不希望他们认为我的丈夫不好。一些家庭成员知道后很是同情，成为我的很好的倾听者，他们在电话里能够让我尽情哭泣。在困难的时候，跟自己的亲人诉说一下心中的苦闷是那样的重要 - 无论是家庭成员，朋友，还是来自辅导员的一个电话，都有助于让我恢复理智。

　　我想，我的这些话不但是说给我的伴侣听，也是说给那些有着同样赌博问题的人听的… …请醒过来！不要破坏你自己的生活和那些爱你的人的生活。看一看，如果你没有在赌博中输光所有的财产，你将会拥有多少东西，而且，不要认为重新开始没有可能，现在为时未晚。我相信，我们只有一次生命，所以要用双手紧紧握住，塑造最成功的生活。你会获得专业的指导和支持，同时你的家庭也会帮助你。（幸运的是，那里有一些组织能够提供免费的支持）

　　我会一直和我的伴侣走下去，并鼓励他，让他在各个方面的帮助下，改掉这种不良的习惯。

　　译文

　　Being the partner of a gambler can be both stressful and heartbreaking. His gambling had begun well before I was on the scene and he hid it well. After us having a break because I could not cope with the lies anymore, he went for help and after a while we got back together. To cut a long story short, we married and not long after I realised he had still been gambling （using his tax return was what I now realised, for his annual big binge at the casino） along with the other means of getting more money such as hocking things through out the year.

　　I have now turned into a nervous wreck wondering when I come home from work, will the lights be out - this simple situation would not be of concern to the average partner, but to me, alarm bells ring as I worry whether he has gone to the casino. I become suspicious and have been known to check the history files on the computer to see if he has been gambling online. He occupies my brain…and not in a good way. The mental health problem becomes contagious to both the gambler and the family.

　　I hide a lot of the pain I go through from most of my family as I don't want them to think badly of him. The few family members that do know are sympathetic and good listeners whilst I sob down the phone. It's so important to have someone to talk to during those difficult times - whether it be a family member, a friend, a phone-in counsellor, etc. It helps save a smidgen of my sanity whilst.

　　I guess, my message is really to say to my partner and any others with a similar problem is …Please wake up! Don't damage your life and the lives of those who love you. Look at what you could have had if you hadn't gambled away all that money and possessions and don't think it is too late to start afresh. I believe we only have one life so grab it with both hands and make it a successful one. Get the help of a professional to guide and support you and your family through it all. （Thankfully, there are some organisations out there that can offer the support free of charge）

　　I will stick by my partner and encourage him to get all the help he needs to break free of this habit.