How can you tell?
How can you tell when your gambling is an issue?
Do you or someone you know do any of these?
- Gamble to avoid dealing with problems or disappointments
- Skip work or study to gamble
- Spend more time gambling than with family and friends
- Think about gambling every day
- Gamble to win money, not just for fun
- Gamble to win back money lost by gambling
- Feel depressed because of gambling
- Lie or keep secrets about gambling
- Borrow money to gamble
- Argue with family and friends about gambling
- Gamble for longer periods of time than originally planned
- Gamble until every dollar is gone
- Lose sleep due to thinking about gambling
- Don't pay bills and use the money for gambling instead
- Try to stop gambling, but can't.
- Become moody when trying to stop or cut down on gambling
- Try to increase the excitement of gambling by placing bigger bets
- Break the law to get money to gamble
Any one of these things might be a sign that you have an issue with gambling. Even if you're just a bit worried about your gambling or someone else's, it's a good idea to get help sooner rather than later.
For free, confidential, professional help contact Gambler's Help on 1800 858 858, or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au.
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i haven't been going to the pokies for long, but just tonight i realised i might have a gambling problem. tonight i'd lost $250+ the most i've ever lost. at 19yrs of age im hanging at the pokies instead of with friends. Whats worse? I'm pretty sure my mother has a gambling problem as well. On my pay day i'd normally shout her, we'd probably go through $300, then on her pay day she does the same. Tonight i'd only realised, because I was there with mum, dad and my uncle.I had a $50 limit but blew that in 20 mins, i wanted to go home but they werent ready. So my dad gave me another $50. I was winning which gave me a little relief, then my uncle gave me another $20. I thought i'd go to the dollar machines. I'd lost all that and i was fuming, i thought no i have to go home now. My uncle and dad left but mum asked me to stay and gave me another $20. I won $80 but blew that. By now i felt like bursting into tears, i thought how could I. so much lost and better things for the money to go on. Then mum had won $800 and gave me more money. I had enough i told mum that if she didn't Come with me now i was leaving. so we left, I felt so angry and going to the pokies was so not fun. so i deCided i am no longer going to the pokies, i've got better things to do with my time and money then feeding it into a pokie maChine.
I rang up the gamblers help line last nite and I was talking to some lady about my problem as I love going two the pokies and wasting a lot of money well I did the 1st step and I rang up another gamblers eastern suburns help line and told again about my problem and ill be starting my couselling on the 20th april and after getting off the phone today i felt a lot better I had to call my bf and tell him that he was happy to hear this so was my best friend im scared to tell my family so ill keep that away till im ready to tell them i got some help.
Anyhoo tonite my best friend caled me up and asked what I was doing tonite and she said lets go to the pokies i was ok and when I walked in i felt like I wasn't meant to be in a gaming room I felt like walking out I put in 25 dollors as I left 25 in my car i normally would put the whole 50 dollars in and more money but this time i said NO THATS ENOUGH so i finished up the game and walked out after I walked out I felt so much relief so maybe as im getting help its starting 2 say inside me no more pokies or gambling
See I was also thinking to get my gaming and liquor licence as I would like to work in that kind of part of hospitality but thats going to be a maybe would u think its a good idea ? or not?
i kept gambling till i lost it all. It started two weeks ago in a tab venue and now i am 22k under..daily atm limits were not enough and i waited till midnight so i can pull more out. On one occasion i spent more than 8 hrs in a tab on a saturday and lost control. I went interstate on holidays twice to beat the problem and i still managed to blow money there aswell. Not a happy a place.
i think my boyfriend has a gambling problem but im not sure. he goes every chance he gets and he spends 5 hours or more there every time. the thing is he is rather lucky...he wins quite often...but then there are times when he looses quite a bit too. i know he has a $500 credit limit thru his bank and ive seen him at the casino go to the atm 3 or 4 times pulling out around $200 every time. so before the weeks over hes negative the full $500 every week and he gets paid a good amount of money every week. i dont know what to do about it. i tried to talk to him once about it but his response was its not a gambling problem if you win more than you loose...which i disagree with 100%. what should i do?
i'm only 21, have been in and out of gambling venues since i was 15 and just started like most problem gamblers by winning at first and paying for a few things here and there and not really bothered me as i had no responsibilities. since turning about 18 i started playing internet poker going to the casino and just about blown every pay i've had as an adult on gambling, ive put strain on good relationships with girlfriends, friends, family, ruined my study and aspirations of further education and a promising sporting career all with the thought of winning or the thought whats 4 0r $500 ill win it back tomorrow. theres no doubt gambling destroys life and i honestly believe gambling drugs and alcohol are going run riot with minds of this and probably the next generation if something isnt done.It is ridiculously accessable, i mean its 12midnight yet if i wanted to i could punch in my credit card number now on a poker site and in seconds bang!im back into it or i could just jump into my car and head to the casino. luckily for me im going to take a punt on me going to sleep and waking up feeling better about myself tomorrow, but i only wish i had of done that for the last 3 years every night and i might be lying in a comfier bed or even my own apartment.lets hope this is the first of many sleeps i have in this headspace.
I think my mother has a gambling problem. What’s more I assume she is also financing her friend who's been out of work for the last 7 years. I am filled with emotions of anger, disappointment and sadness. I am not sure of the extent, however the mood swings, lies, running out of cash, late nights is more evident each day. I don't know how to approach her, I don't want to scare her and I also know that you can't force anyone to heal. I feel stuck.
I started gambling to keep my mind off all the pain I have due to both soft tissue and nerve problems following a car accident, and to avoid coming home to a husband that always seemed to be yelling at me for years. I as so many, started off by winning a large amount and got hooked. Needless to say, I quit winning and tried time and time again to re-coup my losses and even took out a credit card with a 15,000 limit in my own name and used the full amount (plus more) on gambling. I was the one controlling the finances and quit paying bills thinking I would be able to put the money back in once I won again. It never happened and I ended up having to tell my husband and mother in law as I'm in this country from USA and have no family here to help me besides them. I even took all the money out of my children's savings account and Christmas club account. Luckily, my family is being understanding and is trying to help me get out of the mess I've put myself in. I've given my mother in law (as my husband is hospitalised now with a serious life-threatening condition) complete control of all our bank accounts now so am hopefully going to stop gambling as I've got no access to money anyhow. I will be attending gamblers anon. as a condition put on me. I still have the urge, even though I don't even have enough money to buy groceries, or even to put 10 dollars worth of petrol in my car. I've hit rock bottom... and would definately still be gambling had I not needed to come clean to get financial help. It is going to be hard, but hopefully I will be able to stop thinking about it. I never even heard of a "pokie" venue before I came here from the US in 2001. Now it's got control of my every thought, even before my husband and 3 young children. I used to be so level headed and responsible, now I'm just pathetic and have often thought of running away back to the states and leaving my family behind-- and have even had fleeting thoughts of suicide. Gambling needs to be banned or something.
My son is 20 years of age, he tried to gamble once and he won, He taught he will win as always, when he won the 6000.00 up to 11000.00 and he bet a big amount of money to win more, unfortunately lost it all. Now he is couldn't concentrate his study and feeling depress. The 11000.00 is always on his mind. I don't want my son to get hook up and cannot get out in this gambling. Please give me the best advise before it is too late.
I think a family member may have a gambling problem, borrowing money and lying to us. We have decided it's time to approach him about it, how should we best move forward without making it worse!
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