Gambling your life away?

Are you in debt because of a gambling problem? Find out what to do here

More and more of us are getting hooked on gambling, and people are falling prey to the lure of big money. If you feel you or someone you love is heading for ruin, get advice here.

Gamblers Anonymous say that most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions:

1. Do you lose time from work due to gambling?
2. Is gambling making your home life unhappy?
3. Is gambling affecting your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Do you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or to otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Does gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing, do you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses.
8. After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Do you often gamble until your last pound is gone?
10. Do you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Are you reluctant to use gambling money for normal expenditures?
13. Does gambling make you careless of the welfare of your family?
14. Do you gamble longer than you planned?
15. Do you ever gamble to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Does gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments, or frustrations create an urge within you to gamble?
19. Do you have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self-destruction as a result of your gambling?

Once you've realised you have a problem, GamCare have this advice for people dealing with it : 

• If you are currently gambling online or want to in the future, and are wary of the need to keep control of your gambling, the tips below should help.
• Keep track of the time that you are playing for.
• Only spend what you can afford to lose, keep track of your spend whilst playing and remember that the numbers on the screen are real money. Avoid chasing your losses
• If you're a parent keep your password safe, and if you wish, use software to block access to gambling sites from minors
• Look for sites with options where you can set your own spend and session limits, which should help you to control your gambling
• If you are having a problem then you can request to be self-excluded from the site.

But if it's not you, but your partner, child or friend  you may need to know how to support them : 

• Remember you are not the only family facing this problem
• You may be able to help by talking the problem through, but it is probably better if you involve a skilled person outside the family
• Keep in mind that it is a serious matter and gamblers cannot 'just give up'
• Take a firm stand. Whilst it might feel easier to give in to demands and to believe everything he or she says, this only allows them to avoid facing the problem.
• Leave the responsibility for the gambling and its consequences with them. Help them admit to it and to work at overcoming the dependency
• Do not condemn them, as this is unhelpful and may drive them back to gambling. However, setting firm and fair boundaries to their behaviour is constructive.
• Do not trust them with money until the dependency is broken. If they agree, it is helpful to manage their money for a short period

For help with Gambling problems call these numbers, or click on the links below :

GamCare Helpline : 0845 6000 133
Gamblers Anonymous (national) : 0207 384 3040