Identfying Problem Gambling

Every year millions of people around the world have fun gambling. Most of them will lose a little while some will win a little. For a select few though the urge to gamble will be uncontrollable. These are what we call problem gamblers and these are the people that can lose a lot of money. This condition is actually a mental illness that people all around the world suffer from.

It is still unknown why certain people have addictions to gambling. Some studies have pointed out that many problem gamblers have had issues with other forms of addictions but this is not true for all. Another study pointed out that many problem gamblers developed this problem after a big win in the casino. This causes the person to have a need to win big again. Other people develop a habit over time where they need to gamble more to get that same feeling back. No matter why someone has an issue with gambling it’s important that they realize the problem and get help. Below is a series of questions about gambling. If you answer yes to 7 or more of these then you may have a problem with gambling.

• Question 1. Have you ever lost time from work or school because of gambling?
• Question 2. Does gambling make your home life unhappy?
• Question 3. Does gambling affect peoples opinion of you?
• Question 4. Do you ever feel guilty after gambling?
• Question 5. Have you ever gambled to win money to pay a debt?
• Question 6. Has gambling affected your ambition?
• Question 7. When you lose do you get the urge to get back to win back your loses?
• Question 8. When you win to you want to return and win more?
• Question 9. Do you gamble until your last dollar is gone?
• Question 10. Have you ever borrowed money to gamble?
• Question 11. Have you ever sold something for gambling?
• Question 12. Do you have money on the side specifically for gambling?
• Question 13. Has gambling ever made you do something careless?
• Question 14. Do you often gamble longer then planned?
• Question 15. Do you gamble to ease your mind or to forget about something?
• Question 16. Have you or have you thought of doing something illegal to finance your gambling?
• Question 17. Does gambling cause you sleep problems?
• Question 18. Do you get the urge to gamble when you have been let down?
• Question 19. Have you ever celebrated something by gambling?
• Question 20. Has you gambling ever made you think of suicide?

If you’ve answered yes to seven or more of these then you may want to seek some professional help as you may have a problem with gambling. Most countries have programs to help people with gambling problems. Many of these programs are government funded while other like Gamblers Anonymous are private institutions. Have a look online for some help in your local area because if you have a problem the longer you take to deal with it the more it will cost you in the long run.