Gambling Problem?

Question

What is a way to tell if you have a gambling problem??

Answer 1

If you've gambled away your savings.  

If you've considered gambling away your house and cars.  

If you take out loans to enable your gambling habit.  

If you owe money to people from whom you've borrowed money with which to gamble.

Answer 2

seeing gambling as a way to win money is normal.

when you start to look at money as a means of gambling, then you have a problem

Answer 3

When you are gambling with rent and money for bills...spending too many hours online if you are gambling online...those are just a few of the signs (since I don't know the person's background)...

Answer 4

When you have to ask what a gambling problem is.

when the dealer or slot attendant know you by name.

when you go out for a good time and you end up in the casino.

when you go gamble to make the rent or any other bill.

when you hide your finances from a significant other.

when you lie about where you've been.

When you constantly tell stories of how much you've won but not how much you've lost.

when the casino sends you a vip card

Answer 5

if you gamble over and over again, and u go bankcrupt

Answer 6

I agree with the three previous answers -- if the cost to you from gambling (in money and in time) is interfering with your life, then you have a problem.

In addition, though, you might have a problem that hasn't yet gotten out of hand.  Some people gamble compulsively, playing for small stakes at first, but then betting more as they chase losses or seek more excitement.  You might be in the early stages of a gambling problem even if you're only betting pennies.

Here's an experiment that will help you figure it out.  Go cold turkey for a while -- say, a month.  During that month you make no bets whatsoever.

Probably one of two things will happen.  One possibility is that you'll occasionally have a thought like, "I think I'll play some online blackjack now.  Oh, wait, I said I wouldn't gamble this month.  OK, I'll find something else to do.  No big deal."  If you get through the month with no trauma worse than that, then you probably don't have a gambling problem.

The second possibility is that going cold turkey will really upset you.  You'll find yourself constantly thinking about gambling and wanting to do it.  You may cheat ("This one doesn't count" or "A month is too long, that's silly, I haven't gambled in two days so that's enough to prove the point").  Even if you don't cheat, you'll feel seriously deprived because you're not gambling.

If you find yourself in the second category, then you probably do have a gambling problem, even if right now you're gambling only for money you can afford to lose.  You should get help with the problem BEFORE you get to the stage of drawing down savings, "borrowing" from friends, missing rent payments, etc.