Staying in Control

Gamblers Anonymous Self-Assessment Questionnaire

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

Most compulsive gamblers answer yes to at least seven questions.

Managing Your Playing

For players who enjoy gambling frequently, it is not uncommon to overspend their budget some of the time. We advise that specific budget plans be made to ensure your gambling expenditure is affordable.

For those needing some basic guidance, try these tips from the Responsible Gambling Council (at http://www.responsiblegambling.org/gambling_tips.cfm)

For many people gambling is exciting and entertaining. They make careful decisions about spending time and money, where to go and how to have fun.

Here is how most people gamble responsibly:

• 1. Decide on a loss limit ahead of time and stick to it
• 2. Never borrow money to gamble
• 3. Set a time limit
• 4. Take frequent breaks
• 5. Balance gambling with other activities
• 6. Don't gamble when highly stressed, depressed or troubled in some other way
• 7. Only gamble with money set aside for entertainment, never with money for everyday expenses

click here to return to the Responsible Gaming Page.