It can be confusing and difficult to determine if you are living with a compulsive gambler.
Look at and answer the following 20 questions, if you answered “YES” to 6 or more -you may be living with a compulsive gambler. Remember that help is always at hand, call our helpline or GET to a meeting, you don’t have to cope alone.
- Do you find yourself constantly bothered by debt collectors?
- Is the person in question often away from home for long unexplained periods of time?
- Do they ever lose time from work due to gambling?
- Do you feel that they cannot be trusted with money?
- Do they promise faithfully that they will stop gambling, beg and plead for another chance, yet gamble again and again?
- Do they ever gamble longer than they intended to, until their last pound is gone?
- Do they immediately return to gambling to try to recover losses or to win more?
- Do they ever gamble to get money to solve financial difficulties, or have unrealistic expectations that gambling will bring the family material comfort and wealth?
- Do they borrow money to gamble with or to pay gambling debts?
- Has their reputation ever suffered due to gambling, sometimes even to the extent of committing illegal acts to finance gambling?
- Have you come to the point of hiding money needed for living expenses, fearing that you and the rest of the family may go without food and clothing if you do not?
- Do you search their clothing, go through their wallet/purse when the opportunity presents itself, or otherwise check on his or her activities?
- Do you hide their money?
- Have you noticed a personality change in them as their gambling progresses?
- Do they consistently lie to cover up or deny their gambling activities?
- Do they use guilt induction as a method of shifting responsibilities for their gambling onto you?
- Do you attempt to anticipate their moods or try to control their life?
- Do they ever suffer remorse or depression due to gambling, sometimes to the point of self-destruction?
- Has the gambling ever brought you to the point of threatening to break up the family unit?
- Do you feel that life together is a nightmare?