About Compulsive Gambling
What is compulsive gambling?
The essential feature of compulsive
gambling is the chronic and progressive failure to resist impulses to
gamble. It persistently disrupts personal, family, or vocational pursuits.
Compulsive gamblers are preoccupied with gambling; they consider gambling
to be a source of action and excitement, not just money. Unfortunately,
increasingly larger bets are usually needed to maintain the level of
excitement. Some compulsive gamblers eventually turn to illegal means
of obtaining funds, including bad checks, fraudulent insurance claims
or embezzlement.
Are you a compulsive gambler?
Most compulsive gamblers will
answer "yes" to at least seven of the following questions (prepared
by Gamblers Anonymous):
- Do you lose time from work due to gambling?
- Is gambling making your home life unhappy?
- Is gambling affecting your reputation?
- Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
- Do you ever gamble to get money with
which to pay debts or to otherwise solve financialdifficulties?
- Does gambling cause a decrease in your
ambition or efficiency?
- After losing, do you feel you must
return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
- After a win, do you have a strong urge
to return and win more?
- Do you often gamble until your last
dollar is gone?
- Do you ever borrow to finance your
gambling?
- Have you ever sold any real or personal
property to finance gambling?
- Are you reluctant to use "gambling
money" for normal expenditures?
- Does gambling make you careless of the
welfare of your family?
- Do you ever gamble longer than you
had planned?
- Do you ever gamble to escape worry or
trouble?
- Have you ever committed, or considered
committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
- Does gambling cause you to have difficulty
sleeping?
- Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations
create within you an urge to gamble?
- Do you have an urge to celebrate any
good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
- Have you ever considered self destruction
as a result of your gambling?
Are you living with a compulsive gambler?
If you are living with a compulsive
gambler, you will answer "yes" to at least six of the following questions
(prepared by Gamblers Anonymous):
- Do you find yourself constantly bothered
by bill collectors?
- Is the person in question often away
from home for long, unexplained periods of time?
- Does this person ever lose time from
work due to gambling?
- Do you feel that this person cannot be
trusted with money?
Does the person in question faithfully
promise that he or she will stop gambling; beg, plead for another chance,
yet gamble again and again?
- Does this person ever gamble longer than
he or she intended to, until the last dollar is gone?
- Does this person immediately return to
gambling to try to recover losses, or to win more?
Does this person ever gamble to get money
to solve financial difficulties, or have unrealistic expectations that
gambling will bring the family material comfort and wealth?
Does this person borrow money to gamble
with or to pay gambling debts?
Has this person's reputation ever suffered
due to gambling, even to the extent of committing illegal acts to finance
gambling?
Have you come to the point of hiding
money needed for living expenses, knowing that you and the rest of the
family may go without food and clothing if you do not?
Do you search this person's clothing
or go through his or her wallet when the opportunity presents itself,
or otherwise check on his or her activities?
- Do you hide his or her money?
- Have you noticed a personality change
in the gambler as his or her gambling progresses?
- Does the person in question consistently
lie to cover-up or deny his or her gambling activities?
- Does this person use guilt induction as
a method of shifting responsibilities for his or her gambling upon you?
- Do you attempt to anticipate this person's
moods, or try to control his or her life?
- Does this person ever suffer from remorse
or depression due to gambling sometimes to the point of self destruction?
- Has the gambling ever brought you to
the point of threatening to break up the family unit?
- Do you feel that your life together is
a nightmare?
Where to get help
Local Helpline Telephones:
New
York City, NY: (212) 265-8600
Long Island, NY: (516) 586-7171
Gamblers Anonymous GAM-ANON
International Service Office International
Service Office
P.O. Box 17173 P.O. Box
157
Los Angeles, CA 90017 Whitestone,
NY 11357
(213) 386-8789 (718)
352-1671
GAM-ANON provides information and help for
the family members or friends of compulsive gamblers
Email us