To witness these scenes is to witness the truth – it bypasses your brain and touches your heart.
Audience Member, SHARC performance.
THREE SIDES OF THE COIN DOCUMENTARY
[21 mins]
See the magic of the creative process and how theatre can create remarkable change. Participants with personal experience of gambling harm are the heart and soul of Three Sides of the Coin. On their road to recovery, they tell their stories. As performers they have a profound effect on audiences, as well as getting the wider community talking about gambling.
COMPELLING MOMENTS
FROM TWO SIDES OF THE COIN
[7 mins]
This short video clip best captures the power of ordinary people with extraordinary performance ability. A tribute to the lived experience!
ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
[1 min]
Project manager Judy Avisar is interviewed by the Responsible Gambling Foundation about how Threes Sides of the Coin project enhances professional development in the addiction and other human services sectors.
ESCAPING THE ZONE
[10 min]
This documentary poignantly captures the fears and remarkable insights of 7 recovering gamblers who have been invited to perform their stories at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. It’s a huge journey of self-discovery and immense courage, exposing what it is to have a gambling addiction.
[Some faces have been blurred to protect those who would like to remain anonymous.]
© VCA, University of Melbourne 2013
HEAR FROM THE PARTICIPANTS
[4 mins]
We performed at a Financial Counsellors’ Conference on the Goldcoast and captured our core group’s reflections on the personal impact of being involved in the Three Sides of the Coin project.

FROM RUIN TO RECOVERY ANTHOLOGY
It all began with Melbourne writer Arnold Zable and a series of writing workshops for people struggling with gambling addiction. The end result was a remarkable anthology of first person accounts about the effect of gambling on people’s lives. As Zable put it, ‘These writers know gambling from the inside. They had the courage to enter into the world of their addiction…and have dared to bear witness to their painful descents into obsession.’
If you would like to purchase From Ruin to Recovery, please email Judy Avisar javisar@sharc.org.au
FROM RUIN TO RECOVERY RADIO PLAY
[13 mins]
Listeners are taken on an emotional journey that explores the underlying reasons that lead to addiction. The message is: I am more than a gambler.
It is a call for understanding that gambling addiction can afflict anyone, and that it needs addressing without judgment, and with sufficient resources.
LIFE MATTERS INTERVIEW, RADIO NATIONAL
[15 mins]
A great interview with our artistic director, Catherine Simmonds and one of our participants, Paul Fung on Life Matters (ABC Radio National)
If you need support, contact Gambler's Help 1800 858 858 or Lifeline 13 11 14
The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation provides funding to Self Help Addiction Resource Centre to support people to tell their stories of gambling harm through the Three Sides of the Coin project.