How do you know when you’re Obsessed with Gambling?

No, this isn’t going to be one of those blogs that tell you how to identify if you or someone you know has a gambling problem.  I have a lot of respect for those guys who actually can own up to the fact that they’re problem gamblers, as well as for those gambling aid groups that offer great advice and assistance.  On the other hand, I’m tired of all those doomsayers who go around telling me that if I spend a couple of quarters on the slot machines, my wife and kids are going to find themselves with no roof over their heads.  You just have to take a look at the real statistics to see how much of a minuscule percentage of people who gamble actually turn out to become problem gamblers in the long run.  I am all for reminders that gambling has the potential to become addictive, but I’m certainly not for those who continue to think that anybody who plays the lottery or enjoys online gambling now and then will become an addict.

So to lighten things up, let’s take a tongue-in-cheek look at a number of ‘signs’ to look out for to know that you are truly obsessed with gambling.

• When you attend a hockey game, you start to wonder what happened to the boxman and dealers.
• When you ask your son how his math lesson at school went today, and he replies that it “came easy”, you ask him if it was a 4, 6, 8 or 10.
• You walk into a home-ware store, see a salad shooter and wonder if it is some sort of gambling device.
• You walk into a bar and when the barman asks if you want a ‘double’, you reply: ‘Not against an ace!”
• You walk into a 7-11 and ask to play the ‘don’t.
• You walk into a shoe store and ask if they have a 4,6 or 8 deck.
• You go to the bakery particularly early in the morning just to take advantage of their ‘hot rolls’.