How can you tell?
How can you tell when your gambling is an issue?
Do you or someone you know do any of these?
- Gamble to avoid dealing with problems or disappointments
- Skip work or study to gamble
- Spend more time gambling than with family and friends
- Think about gambling every day
- Gamble to win money, not just for fun
- Gamble to win back money lost by gambling
- Feel depressed because of gambling
- Lie or keep secrets about gambling
- Borrow money to gamble
- Argue with family and friends about gambling
- Gamble for longer periods of time than originally planned
- Gamble until every dollar is gone
- Lose sleep due to thinking about gambling
- Don't pay bills and use the money for gambling instead
- Try to stop gambling, but can't.
- Become moody when trying to stop or cut down on gambling
- Try to increase the excitement of gambling by placing bigger bets
- Break the law to get money to gamble
Any one of these things might be a sign that you have an issue with gambling. Even if you're just a bit worried about your gambling or someone else's, it's a good idea to get help sooner rather than later.
For free, confidential, professional help contact Gambler's Help on 1800 858 858.
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I think a family member may have a gambling problem, borrowing money and lying to us. We have decided it's time to approach him about it, how should we best move forward without making it worse!
My son is 20 years of age, he tried to gamble once and he won, He taught he will win as always, when he won the 6000.00 up to 11000.00 and he bet a big amount of money to win more, unfortunately lost it all. Now he is couldn't concentrate his study and feeling depress. The 11000.00 is always on his mind. I don't want my son to get hook up and cannot get out in this gambling. Please give me the best advise before it is too late.
Thanks. I really liked that. Helped me a lot.
http://www.xcheaphotel.com
I started gambling to keep my mind off all the pain I have due to both soft tissue and nerve problems following a car accident, and to avoid coming home to a husband that always seemed to be yelling at me for years. I as so many, started off by winning a large amount and got hooked. Needless to say, I quit winning and tried time and time again to re-coup my losses and even took out a credit card with a 15,000 limit in my own name and used the full amount (plus more) on gambling. I was the one controlling the finances and quit paying bills thinking I would be able to put the money back in once I won again. It never happened and I ended up having to tell my husband and mother in law as I'm in this country from USA and have no family here to help me besides them. I even took all the money out of my children's savings account and Christmas club account. Luckily, my family is being understanding and is trying to help me get out of the mess I've put myself in. I've given my mother in law (as my husband is hospitalised now with a serious life-threatening condition) complete control of all our bank accounts now so am hopefully going to stop gambling as I've got no access to money anyhow. I will be attending gamblers anon. as a condition put on me. I still have the urge, even though I don't even have enough money to buy groceries, or even to put 10 dollars worth of petrol in my car. I've hit rock bottom... and would definately still be gambling had I not needed to come clean to get financial help. It is going to be hard, but hopefully I will be able to stop thinking about it. I never even heard of a "pokie" venue before I came here from the US in 2001. Now it's got control of my every thought, even before my husband and 3 young children. I used to be so level headed and responsible, now I'm just pathetic and have often thought of running away back to the states and leaving my family behind-- and have even had fleeting thoughts of suicide. Gambling needs to be banned or something.
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