Are you a problem gambler?

Gambling represents different things to different people. For most it is entertainment, a break from routine. For others, it is a way to make money, though most of the money is made by the casinos and the bookmakers rather than the players.

No matter why someone gambles, it isn't a problem unless gambling leads to significant negative consequences to the gambler and the people in the gambler's life. Those negative consequences usually involve personal finances, personal relationships, and the interruption of the gambler's normal life.

While there is no easy test to tell if you are a problem gambler, if you answer 'yes' to most of the following questions, you probably have a serious gambling problem:

• Do you keep gambling after you lose more than your limit for that day or that game?
  
  
• Do you gamble to win back your losses?
  
  
• Have you ever had to borrow money, take a cash advance on your credit card, pawn some of your personal property, or take out a payday loan to continue gamble?
  
  
• Have you ever lied about your gambling to your friends, family, or coworkers?
  
  
• Did you ever skip work or some other personal or professional obligation to go out and gamble?
  
  
• Have you lost any sleep over your gambling?
  
  
• Do you feel like going out to gamble after something either very good or very bad happens in your life?
  
  
• Do you feel awful about yourself after you gamble?
  
  
• Are you afraid that your reputation would suffer if the people in your life knew just how much you gambled?
  
  
• Have you considered doing something drastic like bankruptcy, suicide, or abandoning your family to escape your gambling related problems?
  
  
• Do you binge gamble for hours or days at a time?
  
  
• Do you go overboard with other vices while gambling?
  
  
• Do you have gambling companions who you would never consider introducing to your non-gambling friends, family, or coworkers.
  
  
• Have you ever lied, cheated, or broken the law to have an opportunity to gamble?
  
  
• Has gambling gotten in the way of your relationships or interrupted your regular routines?
  
  
• Have you done anything shameful or illegal in order to get money to gamble?

If you have answered 'yes' one or two of these questions, and if it only happened on one or two occasions, you have a problem that you can probably control. If you answered 'yes' to at least half of these questions, or worse, you can think of a bunch more questions to ask based on your own experiences, then you need help in a big way.

What should you do if you have a problem?
The answer is simple. Like the case with many other kinds of addictive and abusive behaviors and lifestyles, the first step is to admit you have a problem, and the second is to ask for help. Because gambling problems may also be connected with money problems and relationship problems, you'll probably have to deal with several problems at once.

If you have the strength to make a personal commitment to face your problems and deal with it, then you will have what it takes to deal with all of the problems that are revolving around your gambling issues. If you don't know where to find treatment options, start with Google, your spiritual adviser, or your local branch of Gamblers Anonymous.