Dictionary of Psychotherapy

Gambling - Living with a problem gambler 

Being married to or a partner of a problem gambler – or being their parent or child - is hard and can be distressing. 

Your loved one will probably have tried to hide the size of the problem from you, while they have at the same time borrowed or stolen to pay off debts. 

Question someone in your family (answers “yes” or “no” to each of these 10 questions): 

Do I spend a lot of time thinking about gambling? 

Am I spending larger amounts of money on my gambling? 

Have I tried to cut down or stop gambling - but not been able to? 

Do I get restless or irritable if I try to cut down my gambling? 

Do I gamble to escape from life’s difficulties or to cheer myself up? 

Do I carry on playing after losing money - to try and win it back? 

Have I lied to other people about how much time or money I spend gambling? 

Have I ever stolen money to fund my gambling? 

Has my gambling affected my relationships or my job? 

Do I get other people to lend me money when I have lost? 

If you have answered “yes” 

Just once - May be a problem - this one thing may be enough of a problem to need help. 

Three times - Problem gambling - your gambling probably feels out of control - think about getting help. 

Five or more times - Pathological gambling - your gambling is probably affecting every part of your life - get help. 

If, with the help of the 10 questions above, you can see that gambling is a problem for someone in your family, it's best to be honest with him or her about it. 

They need to know about the pain and trouble they are causing other people and that help is there for them (134). 

If your gambling relative doesn't take any notice, you can get support for yourself. 

If you require help and advice Counselling and Psychotherapy may be provided via Skype and FaceTime in the comfort of your home, office or any place of your choice. 

 Related Topics 

Gambling