Online Gambling: Symptoms of Addiction
Online gambling has made it easier for anyone to bet on almost any game you want, from roulette to blackjack to poker. And with the proliferation of Texas Hold’em both online and off more people are becoming hooked on gambling. While a majority of them enjoy and are entertained by these sites there are always going to be those who will be seduced by the ease and fun of the gaming world and suffer the consequences of not being able to control their spending. And while in the past you had to physically get up and leave the house to do your gambling online sites are now sprouting up everywhere, ready to take your credit card and your money without you having to leave your seat. You can gamble anytime – day or night, weekdays or weekends, in your business suit or in your pyjamas.
But how can you tell when your gambling fun is creeping towards addiction? Gamblers Anonymous has a list of questions you should be asking yourself and answering as honestly as you can. These questions can also be applied to your friends and family who you fear might be slipping down the road to addiction.
1) Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
It’s easy to justify taking an extra vacation day or skipping a class or two if you’re “on a roll” or having a good run at the table. But this can quickly turn into a daily occurrence with dire consequences for your job or academic career. Suddenly your boss wants to see letters from your doctor, or your grades begin to slip dramatically and your degree or diploma is in jeopardy.
2) Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
Have you ever fought with your spouse over money? Or maybe you’ve become so attached to your online gaming that your family time has suffered, leaving your children with one parent. Do you fight about the bills constantly?
3) Did gambling affect your reputation?
Do your friends avoid you because you’re constantly borrowing money from them? Have you cut off ties with friends and family because you owe them money?
4) Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
Do you feel guilty each time you log online and seek out a new game? Do you feel lousy each time a game ends, whether you win or lose?
5) Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
Do you count on your winnings as a main source of income for your household? Are you counting on a win to pay the rent or bills?
6) Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficency?
Is your job suffering because you’re not putting your full effort into it? If you do get to work on time are you putting your full effort into your job or are you slacking off and thinking towards getting home and back to your computer?
7) After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
Just one more game and you’ll be back on track; just one more game and you’ll be able to recoup your losses and be on the way to that big win – right?
8) After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
It’s your time; you’re on a streak. Why would you walk away now when you can win so much more? A few more hours and you’ll be in the big moneyâÂ?¦
9) Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
With online sites this is deceptively easy to do – usually online gambling sites require you to submit credit card information so that you can deduct the amounts directly from your account. You may be spending money you don’t even have and end up with a huge cash advance on your credit card showing up on your next bill.
10) Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
Have you approached friends, family and asked for a small loan “just until payday”? Have you gotten advances on your salary or cash advances on your credit cards or applied for extra credit cards specifically for gambling?
11) Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
Have you been looking over your treasured mementoes or family heirlooms, thinking what they could bring if you sold them? Considered a yard sale just for extra gambling cash instead of putting it towards something for the household?
12) Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
The rent and the bills can wait until you hit it big – and then you’ll pay them all off with interest!
13) Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
Have you become a shut-in? Is your time online taking you away from your spouse and from your family at all times of the day and night? Are you missing important family events because you’ve got a date with the computer?
14) Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
Are you staying up late at night or getting up out of bed to go online and gamble for hours? Have you ever booked a sick day because you were up all night playing online and didn’t want to leave the computer to go into work?
15) Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
Escape the stress and tension of the job by playing a single hand of poker� or two, or twenty or thirty!
16) Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
This doesn’t necessarily mean murder. It can be as simple as stealing from your spouse’s saving account or your childrens’ college fund. Or maybe taking a bit out of that coffee fund jar at workâÂ?¦
17) Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Do you stay awake trying to count up how much you’ve lost, or replaying past games in your mind to analyse how you lost?
18) Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
A fight with the spouse and you charge into the computer room to spend time with the only people who understand you – your online gambling friends. You don’t get that job promotion because you haven’t proven yourself to be worthy and you hide online for hours at the poker tables.
19) Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
You get that promotion at work and rush home, not to celebrate with your spouse with a nice dinner out but to play online poker. Or you get that nice raise and immediately calculate how many extra hands of poker you can now afford.
20) Have you ever considered self-destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?
You don’t see any way out of the pit you’ve dug yourself into, debts piling up on your credit cards and alienating yourself from your spouse and children. Your job is in jeopardy and your friends leery of seeing you, lest you try to borrow even more money from them.
Strange as it may seem, Gamblers Anonymous says that if you answer “yes” to even SEVEN of these questions that you may have a gambling addiction and should seek treatment. True, not every gambler is an addict and many gamblers can control their gametime and expenditures. But with the proliferation of online gambling sites it’s easier for the new and curious player to get hooked and rack up huge debts on their credit cards or empty their bank accounts electronically in no time at all.
Online gambling sites have become one of the most popular places to visit on the Internet, providing quick and easy access for anyone to their favorite casino games. But with this ease has also come the unfortunate side effect that many people are finding themselves addicted to online gambling resulting in thousands of men and women dealing with huge amounts of mental and financial problems.
But being addicted to gambling doesn’t mean the end of the world. By seeking treatment and the support of groups such as Gamblers Anonymous and other organizations you can find help to break out of this vicious habit and rebuild your financial and personal life. If you find yourself answering positive to many of the questions above, why not stop by one of the many websites listed below and seek some help? You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to win!
