Hi SonNee
I can tell you how I think you should cope with your father’s addiction but sadly nobody can tell you that if you do a or b then you will save your father.
You are a fantastic achievement in your father’s life; you are a brilliant light among so many failures that his addiction will have brought him and therefore the most important thing you can do for him is to succeed.
I hope you will write again soon and tell me that you have graduated and that you are going to medical school.
Your plans for him so far have not resulted in your father waking up to his addiction and when that happens it is time to try something different. Therapy groups and dedicated counsellors are marvellous but getting an active compulsive gambler to appreciate them is another thing. Forcing them to go is a waste of time, they must want to change their lives, or nothing will change.
I hope that knowing that you are being heard and understood will give you some support. Your father can control his addiction but he has to accept that he owns it first. Maybe you could download the Gamblers Anonymous 20-Questions from their website – it might help him to realise that his addiction is recognised and that there is support.
You could also try https://www.oasas.ny.gov/gambling/index.cfm for support.
Please keep posting
Velvet
