18-year-old brother struggling with gambling - need advice, please (Salam)
Salam everyone, I need some advice because my family feels stuck and I’m really overwhelmed. My 18-year-old brother has had a gambling problem for about two years. Over the span of a year he took around £2,000 from our mum and spent it on gambling apps. When we found out, my parents confiscated his phone, punished him and confronted him. He promised he’d stop. We trusted him and eventually returned his phone. Three months later we found out he’d gambled another £1,000. We don’t even know where that money came from. Same pattern - phone taken, confrontation, restrictions. We tried hard to find an imam or counsellor who could help him but couldn’t find the right person. We took him to the GP and he was referred for therapy, but because he’s 18 they contacted him directly and he refused to go. We removed his access to phones and gambling for a while and hoped he was changing. He went to Egypt for a gap year to study religion, and we really thought the new setting might help. Recently I logged into his iCloud and found screenshots that show he’s been gambling again. He’s been using private browser mode since August. His screen time is over 10 hours a day. He’s alone in Egypt and my parents don’t know. I’m carrying this burden by myself and I don’t know whether to tell them or what the best next step is. Has anyone dealt with something similar from an Islamic perspective? Should I tell mum and dad now, or try to handle it quietly so he doesn’t get even worse consequences? Any advice on finding a trustworthy imam, Muslim counsellor, or community support for gambling addiction would be really appreciated. JazakAllahu khair.