The Oklahoma Association for Gambling Addiction Awareness

Horse sense is a good judgment which keeps horses from betting on people. W.C. Fields

Signs of Problem Gambling

DSM-IV Criteria for Pathological Gambling

· Preoccupation-always thinking about gambling, reliving previous gambling experiences, planning next gambling experience, etc.

· Tolerance-needs to gamble more money and more often to achieve the same experience.

· Withdrawal-becomes irritable when he cannot gamble, attempts to cut down or stops gambling.

· Escape-gambles as a way of escaping from problems or bad mood.

· Chasing-after losing, gambler returns trying to win losses back.

· Lying-lies to spouse, family members, friends and counselors about gambling.

· Loss of control-has made repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop gambling.

· Illegal acts-has committed illegal acts to finance gambling. (i.e. hot checks, stealing, forgery)

· Risked significant relationship-has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity due to gambling.

· Bailout-has relied on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.

Gamblers Anonymous offers the following questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem. These questions are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling.

TWENTY QUESTIONS

Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
Did gambling affect your reputation?
Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
Have you ever considered self-destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.

Gamblers Anonymous
International Service Office
P.O. Box 17173, Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 386-8789 - Fax (213) 386-0030

www.gamblersanonymous.org

Gam Anon

Are You Living With
A Compulsive Gambler?

If there is a gambling problem in your home, the Gam-Anon family group may be able to help you cope with it. If you are living with a compulsive gambler, you will answer "YES" to at least six of the following questions.

Do you find yourself constantly bothered by bill collectors?
Is the person in question often away from home for long, unexplained periods of time?
Does this person ever lose time from work due to gambling?
Do you feel that this person cannot be trusted with money?
Does the person in question faithfully promise that he or she will stop gambling; beg, plead for another chance, yet gamble again and again?
Does this person ever gamble longer than he or she intended to, until the last dollar is gone?
Does this person immediately return to gambling to try to recover losses, or to win more?
Does this person ever gamble to get money to solve financial difficulties or have unrealistic expectations that gambling will bring the family material comfort and wealth?
Does this person borrow money to gamble with or to pay gambling debts?
Has this person's reputation ever suffered due to gambling, even to the extent of committing illegal acts to finance gambling?
Have you come to the point of hiding money needed for living expenses, knowing that you and the rest of the family may go without food and clothing if you do not?
Do you search this person's clothing or go through his or her wallet when the opportunity presents itself, or otherwise check on his/her activities?
Does the person in question hide his or her money?
Have you noticed a personality change in the gambler as his or her gambling progresses?
Does the person in question consistently lie to cover up or deny his or her gambling activities?
Does this person use guilt induction as a method of shifting responsibilities for his or her gambling upon you?
Do you attempt to anticipate this person's moods, or try to control his or her life?
Does this person ever suffer from 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 your life together is a nightmare?

What is Gam-Anon? Gam-Anon is a fellowship of men and women who are husbands, wives, relatives and close friends of compulsive gamblers. You need not wait for the compulsive gambler to seek help before coming to Gam-Anon.

In Gam-Anon we learn effective ways of coping with the gambling problem. By seeking help for ourselves and gaining serenity and peace of mind, we find that we are better able to cope with our problems on a day-to-day basis and in some cases motivate the gambler toward seeking help for him or herself.

Gam-Anon International Service Office, Inc. PO Box 157 Whitestone,
NY 11357 718-352-1671 phone 718-746-2571

www.gam-anon.org

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