I was looking for the next article to post in the blog and I came across Gamblers Anonymous site. On the site I found the twenty questions that would determine if one's a compulsive gambler. I might as well find out if my playing poker is a problem.
Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling? No - Whew! I'm off to a good start.
Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy? No
Did gambling affect your reputation? Hmmm... I'm not sure what's being asked. If it's asking if my playing poker has affected my reputation negatively, then I would have to say No.
Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? At one point or another, everyone has felt remorse after calling for the sake of knowing the opponents hand when they knew they were beat. So, Yes.
Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties? There was a time when I was out with friends and we didn't have enough money to drink. So we gambled until we had enough. Yes again.
Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency? On the contrary, it made me more ambitious.
After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses? Maybe when I was starting. But part of my poker maturity is to know when to stand-up. Unless I'm drunk, but I'll save that for the Alcoholics Anonymous.
After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more? Same answer as the previous question. No.
Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone? This is a hard question. I know I do which is why I leave non-gambling money and ATM cards and credit cards at home when playing. So my answer is No because I don't bring it with me.
Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling? I never borrow for gambling unless I know that I can pay it back immediately. I won't borrow if I can't pay it back.
Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling? There's nothing of value to sell.
Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures? Never.
Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family? I can't see how this could happen.
Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned? Yes.
Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom or loneliness? Yes. Especially boredom.
Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling? No.
Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? Yes. There are some bad calls, bad folds, bad beats, or bad players who can really keep me up all night.
Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble? No.
Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling? Poker players should stop being superstitious. Luck has a hand in poker but it's not what should determine the results of the whole game.
Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling? No.
That's a total of 5 Yes answers. The site said compulsive gamblers score at least a 7. I'm not a Compulsive Gambler! Cool. Just in case you found out you are, you can email isomain@gamblersanonymous.org. They have weekly meetings all around the world. Including the Philippines.
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