How does gambling become a problem? You’ve heard the expression
“It’s only a game”. When you start spending more time and money gambling
than you should, a game stops being just a game. It starts to become a
problem.
Gambling can be identified under different forms such as:
bingo, cards for money, lotteries (lotto 6/49, Atlantic Choice, etc),
scratch and win or pull-tab tickets, video lottery terminals (VLTs), slot
machines and other games at the casino, sports betting, race track betting
and high-risk stocks.
Questions |
yes |
no |
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Do you often spend more time gambling than you
intended to?
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Do you often find yourself thinking about gambling
when you are doing something else? |
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Do you often find yourself thinking about gambling
when you are doing something else? |
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Have you dropped hobbies or activities that
you used to enjoy because you now spend that time gambling? |
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Do you sometimes have trouble sticking to a
spending limit when you are gambling?
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Do you ever gamble with money intented for other
things?
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Do you sometimes borrow money so that you can
keep gambling?
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Have you ever asked family or friends to help
you out with gambling debts?
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Has your gambling ever put a strain on your
home life? |
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Have you ever missed an important family occasion
because you were gambling? |
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Have you ever missed school or work because
you were gambling? |
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Do your friends or family complain about your
gambling? |
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Do you ever feel guilty about your gambling? |
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Do you feel anxious, restless, or irritable
when you can’t gamble? |
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Does your gambling produce mood swings - high
when winning, depressed when losing? |
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Do you find it difficult to walk away from the
game, even when you know you should? |
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Do you sometimes keep gambling in an effort
to win back money you’ve lost? |
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Do you become absorbed and lose track of yourself
and everything around you while playing? |
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Have you ever lied about your gambling? |
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Have you ever written a bad cheque, stolen money,
or broken the law in other ways because you were desperate to keep
gambling or pay your debts? |
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Results |
Total |
What is your score? |
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How many times did you answer yes to the questions
above? ______ |
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If your score is zero, you probably don’t have a
gambling problem. But stay on the alert. Re-assess the situation if you
see any of these tendencies starting to appear in your gambling behaviour.
If you answered yes to even one question you could
have a problem, or at least a potential problem. It may be time to do
something about it - before you can answer yes more often.
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