How to spot the signs of problem gambling.
Playing the lottery can be a lot of fun. But playing the lottery when it is not fun anymore or causes your frustration could be a sign of a gambling problem.
Lottery addiction, or problem gambling, can be caused by many issues, from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, to a mental impulse control deficit, to plain having an addictive personality. Becoming addicted to the lottery is behaviour that reallty disrupts your life. If you think more about playing the lottery than anything else, you may a problem gambling issue. This can lead to both physical and psychological issues that could affect your health, sometimes culminating into theft, embezzlement, and even attempting suicide.
Help with lottery addiction
But there are some issues that need to be looked at in regards to problem gambling. Frequency of playing the lottery is not any indicator of a problem. The problem occurs when the playing of the lottery creates problems. Stature of life is not an indicator either, as level of intelligence, financial resources, homeless or filthy rich, can all become victims of lottery addiction.
So how do you know if you or someone in your family or friends circles have a lottery problem gambling issue? Look at the following indicators of a potential problem gambling issue and see if the one you are concerned about exhibits any:
• Gambling in secret or lying about how much you gamble.
• Difficulty in walking away once you start buying tickets. You may end up spending your last dollar trying to win back money already spent.
• Gambling all your money away to the point that bills and other debts or obligations go unpaid.
• Denying you have a problem that keeps the problem ongoing.
• Restlessness or irritability when trying to stop gambling.
• Repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop, control, or reduce gambling.
• Thinking often about gambling and making plans to gamble.
• Gambling when feeling distressed.
• Experiencing relationship or work problems due to gambling.
• Depending on others for money to spend on gambling by borrowing .
• Stop doing things you previously enjoyed.
• Ignoring self-care, work, school or family tasks.
• Having conflicts over money with other people.
• Using alcohol or other drugs more often.
• Leaving your children alone and being less concerned about who looks after them, or neglecting their basic care.
• Are depressed or suicidal.
• Frequently borrowing money or asking for salary advances.
• Taking a second job without a change in finances.
• Cashing in savings accounts, RRSP's or insurance plans.
• Alternate between being broke and flashing money.
• Your family members complaining that valuables and appliances are disappearing, or money is missing from a bank account or wallet.
If you or the person you are concerned about exhibits more than a few of the above indicators, you should get in touch with agencies that can help, such as Gambler’s Anonymous or your local state or provincial gambling help line. The sooner lottery addiction is treated, the sooner lottery addiction problems can be dealt with.