How does gambling become a problem? You’ve heard the expression
“It’s only a game”. When you start spending more time and money gambling
than you should, a game stops being just a game. It starts to become a
problem.
Gambling can be identified under different forms such as:
bingo, cards for money, lotteries (lotto 6/49, Atlantic Choice, etc),
scratch and win or pull-tab tickets, video lottery terminals (VLTs), slot
machines and other games at the casino, sports betting, race track betting
and high-risk stocks.
- Time spent
-
Do you often spend more time gambling than
you intended to?
-
Do you spend more time gambling than you used
to?
-
Do you often find yourself thinking about gambling
when you are doing something else?
-
Have you dropped hobbies or activities that
you used to enjoy because you now spend that time gambling?
- Money spent
-
Do you sometimes have trouble sticking to a
spending limit when you are gambling?
-
Do you ever gamble with money intented for
other things?
-
Do you sometimes borrow money so that you can
keep gambling?
-
Have you ever asked family or friends to help
you out with gambling debts?
- Responsibilities
to others
-
Has your gambling ever put a strain on your
home life?
-
Have you ever missed an important family occasion
because you were gambling?
-
Have you ever missed school or work because
you were gambling?
-
Do your friends or family complain about your
gambling?
- Moods and mental
states
-
Do you ever feel guilty about your gambling?
-
Do you feel anxious, restless, or irritable
when you can’t gamble?
-
Does your gambling produce mood swings - high
when winning, depressed when losing?
- Self-control
-
Do you find it difficult to walk away from
the game, even when you know you should?
-
Do you sometimes keep gambling in an effort
to win back money you’ve lost?
-
Do you become absorbed and lose track of yourself
and everything around you while playing?
- Desperate behaviour
-
Have you ever lied about your gambling?
-
Have you ever written a bad cheque, stolen
money, or broken the law in other ways because you were desperate
to keep gambling or pay your debts?
How did you score?
How many times did you answer yes to the questions above?
______
If your score is zero, you probably don’t have a gambling
problem. But stay on the alert.
Re-assess the situation if you see any of these tendencies
starting to appear in your gambling behaviour.
If you answered yes to even one question you could have
a problem, or at least a potential problem. It may be time to do something
about it - before you can answer yes more often.
For additional information contact 1-800-461-1234.
Download printer-friendly Word97
file here
|