Читать книгу Casino Gambling For Dummies - Swain Scheps - Страница 116

Exceeding your established gambling budget by a few hundred dollars on a trip to Vegas or your nearby riverboat casino is one matter. Getting yourself tens of thousands of dollars in debt over time is another matter entirely; this sort of trouble is a serious gambling problem. Gambling addiction is a complex problem far beyond the scope of this book, not to mention this chapter. But I’d be irresponsible not to address it in a chapter about managing your gambling money.

Gambling debts almost ruined Edgar Allan Poe and Thomas Jefferson and have devastated many families. Whether you’re a beginning gambler, an occasional gambler, or a regular bettor, you need to know the signs of gambling addiction. Here’s a helpful set of questions that might give you some insight:

 Is gambling your only recreational activity?

 Do you often exceed your gambling budget for a given time period (for example, a month or a pay period)?

 Do you often spend time thinking of ways to acquire money to gamble with?

 Have you ever lied to someone important to you (spouse, parent, sibling, child, boss, or Starbucks barista) about how much you gamble?

 Has gambling ever caused problems with your family members or friends? To be specific: Has gambling ever been the reason a person who was once close to you has cut ties with you or avoids you?

 Has gambling ever interrupted or caused problems in your professional or academic life?

 Have you ever felt the need to bet increasing amounts of money relative to your income to maintain a set “level of excitement”?

 Have you ever taken a long-term loan with the express purpose of using that money to gamble?

 Have you ever written a bad check or stolen money to gamble?

 Has gambling ever caused you to be late on payments of your primary bills (mortgage, car, or health insurance)?

 When you aren’t gambling, do you feel restless or irritable?

 Have you ever tried and failed to stop, cut down, or control your gambling hobby?

 Do you ever gamble to relieve feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness, or depression?

If your answer is YES to more than two of those, you just might be a person — one of many — who is vulnerable to gambling’s dangerous charms. Check out Appendix B for more resources that can help you with gambling addiction.