This is how it went south for me, before I took charge and made amends

I was a regular at online casinos and bricks and mortar casinos with my name as familiar to pit bosses and dealers as the cards they were dealing. But that didn’t help me when I was out of luck and running dangerously low on cash. One night I was at the baccarat tables dropping thousands of dollars on banker bets. It wasn’t going my way – and if I’m honest it hadn’t been for 3 weeks at that time. An elderly gentleman who was watching me lose wads of cash took me by shoulder and offered to buy me a drink. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I obliged. It turned out that Walt Green was a retired army general and had seen his fair share of action in his day. He looked me square in the eyes and told me, ‘Son, take charge before you lose it all.’ We spoke for hours. At the conclusion of our meeting Walt handed me a business card. He worked for GA (Gamblers Anonymous) and his words that day saved my family from certain ruin.

Some of the warning signs that my family noticed about my odd habits (I was oblivious to my own wrongdoing) were the following:

• Substantial time spent on gambling activity and less on family, work, social and sporting activities
• My personal disposable income was increasingly being used to fund gambling habits and I actually liquidated fixed assets in order to perpetrate my gambling habits.
• My stress levels were reaching into the stratosphere and my tolerance levels were at an all-time low
• I found myself thinking about gambling day and night.

If you’ve experienced these symptoms or even combinations of them, then you may want to take charge of the situation before you slide closer towards the edge. It’s certainly possible to reel yourself back in, just give it a tryJ.

What are the signs to look out for with gambling addiction?

Foremost among the gambling addiction tells, is the need to be gambling over and above all else. This usually becomes apparent when you’re prepared to risk more and more to simply spend time at the casinos. If you’re finding that your work performance is suffering or that your personal relationships are taking strain – then you should seek help. Remember folks, it’s not only about money problems, it’s about fixation, obsession and compulsion. Of course money is a big part of gambling because problem gambling is more about money and its rapid depletion than anything else.

So how do you know if you’re gambling too much or if you’re okay? It’s really simple: if you cannot afford to lose what you’re seemingly prepared to wager, then don’t gamble. If you’re using your rent money to play with, then don’t do it. If you’re already in over your head and you’re trying to recover your losses, then step away.

The golden rules are the following:

• Only wager what you’re prepared to lose
• Don’t tempt yourself by bringing large credit lines into a casino
• Don’t play casino games under the influence of drugs, alcohol or stimulants
• Don’t be lured in by big jackpots if you don’t know how to play the games
• Don’t be foolish and sacrifice your family, friends and job for any game of chance
• Don’t play until the money runs out – set limits and stick to them

Sure you can hit it big every once in a while, but when your gambling compulsions become so severe and so critical, do you want to risk your last assets on a game of chance? My advice is this – check yourself before you wreck yourself.

What red flags should you look out for?

Before we panic about the severity of a person’s gambling problems, it’s advisable to learn first hand if there is indeed a problem to begin with. These checks and balances are necessary to understand if there is an issue and how it should be dealt with. The first sign of an imbalance is an unchecked habit that is taking you away from your daily duties. If you’re not sleeping well, not eating well and not managing your personal relationships well – owing to gambling problems, then you do need to seek assistance. There are many fantastic organizations such as GA – Gamblers Anonymous – that help players to fight the urge to splurge. But don’t think that addiction or even problem gaming are always so blatantly evident.

I have personally been witness to the behaviour of friends and acquaintances who have hidden their addictions so well that no-one was the wiser. If you find yourself gaming online late at night when the family is asleep, you need to go for some help. Remember that gaming should be a fun-filled activity that is affordable. It should not be taking funds away from necessary daily or monthly requisites. This is to say that you should only gamble because you can afford to, not because you are looking for ways to pay the bills. This is the clincher that many gamblers fail to comprehend. After all, it’s only a game and it should not become so overpowering that it is the center of your universe. Like everything in life, too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily healthy.