Golden Roulette

If someone were to ask you what the signs of gambling addiction are would you know? If not, you should read on so that you will know what to look for in your own life and in the life of those around you that like to gamble. If you are cognizant of what to look for you can head off the addiction before it has a chance to take hold and become hard to beat.

If you or someone you love exhibits five or more of these symptoms then you should seriously consider getting help from an addiction specialist.

• Constantly thinks about gambling or constantly talks about gambling;
• Increases the amount bet constantly, needs to place larger bets and spends more and more money on the tables or machines;
• Has tried to quit or talks about quitting but has not been able to yet;
• Gets cranky or angry when told its time to stop or interrupted while playing;
• Talks about stopping but is unable to stop;
• Has turned to illegal ways to get money or immoral ways;
• Has family problems that can be directly linked to gambling;
• Is in a financial crisis due to spending too much money on the tables or the machines;
• Sneaks away to go to the casino or cleans the computer history to keep others from seeing the games.

If you or someone in your life has five or more of these and some other symptoms you can find online, you should plan an intervention or get yourself help. If you have an addiction, you can’t control it, you can only stop it. Addicts are unable to do things in moderation and so there is no middle of the road.

If you determine that you need help to stop gambling, you can get private help through a therapist or rehab or you can go to a public group called Gamblers Anonymous that is free and puts you in contact with others who have the same problem. The bottom line is making sure you get help somewhere.