Help Directory Now Available

A detailed listing of gambling addiction counsellors in Nova Scotia is now available to the public.

The Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming Authority today released a directory of front-line counsellors along with information on how to contact them.

"The 1998 Annual Gaming Report of the authority recommended the compiling and publishing of such a listing. We are calling it the Help Directory," said Elwin MacNeil, chair of the authority.

"This booklet will receive provincewide distribution and be available to those who feel they may have a gambling addiction- related problem, be it themselves as individuals, other family members, or personal friends. This is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and probably throughout Canada. It will be a useful tool to those involved in the addiction field, as well as the general public".

The Help Directory will be available to the general public at places where gambling is conducted. Copies of the booklet can also be obtained from the Alcohol and Gaming Authority located at Alderney Gate in Dartmouth or by telephone at 902-424-4521. Copies are provided free of charge in small quantities. The directory will also appear on the authority's website at www.gov.ns.ca/aga/updates.htm .

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media copies of the Help Directory are available at Communications Nova Scotia, third floor, 1723 Hollis St., Halifax; e-mail [email protected] .