Signs and Symptoms of Problem Gambling
- Gambling to escape from obligations or life’s daily pressures
- Gambling for longer periods of time
- Preoccupation with gambling – constantly thinking and preparing for gambling
- Lying, cheating or criminal activity to finance gambling
- Neglecting family and personal needs such as sleep, nutrition, schooling and general well being
- Neglecting work and other obligations
- Gambling more often and playing higher stakes to “win back” lost money, sometimes termed “chasing losses”
- Frequent unexplained absences or not telling others where you’ve been and/or what you’ve been doing
There are many types of gambling. Legal gambling has seen a significant increase since casinos and slot machines became available. Legal gambling includes lotteries casino games, bingo, scratch tickets, sports lotteries and internet gambling.
Many people, besides the gambler, are affected by problem gambling. It is important that family members affected get help as well. LAP will help make the connections required to provide assistance - such as providing information about self-help groups such as Gamblers Anonymous. continued...