At one point in time our society believed that gambling addiction only affected the gambler. However new information now available and those directly affected realized that gambling detrimental to the economic, political, social and physical well being of individuals, the community and the nation.
Gambling addiction negatively affects everyone. The following situations are from real situations that have occurred.
* A compulsive gambler borrows money from friends and family not having the ability to pay back these loans. In one case I remember the family who loaned the money had to cut back their spending once they realized the loan was not going to be repaid.
* A compulsive gambler uses their credit cards to get cash in order to gamble not having the ability to pay back these loans. The credit card company receives notice that one of their card holders is now filing bankruptcy.
* A compulsive gambler no longer has the ability to spend money on local businesses and or charitable organizations. In turn the local businesses revenues decrease.
* A compulsive gambler no longer spends the quality time with their family members.
* A compulsive gambler’s work production decreases while co-workers pick up the slack.
* A compulsive gambler resorts to embezzlement as a means to continue feeding their habit.
* A compulsive gambler was sentenced to jail time for illegal acts. This situation is a no win for everyone involved. The gambler can not pay back their debt while in jail.
* A compulsive gambler commits suicide.
* A compulsive gambler spouse files for divorce.
* A Compulsive gambler finally stops gambling, but still loses his wife and family since they can no longer trust him.
* A compulsive gambler who’s an employee of a local store steels scratch off tickets in hopes to pay off debts.
* A compulsive gambler tries cocaine in order to stop gambling. Now they have two addictions to deal with.
* A compulsive gambler cheats on husband.
* A compulsive gambler finds peace and tranquility now that they have stopped gambling but still can not survive financially so they now work multiple jobs.
* A compulsive gambler was gambling while he was supposed to be getting married. Wedding was called off and the bride was emotionally destroyed.
* A compulsive gambler admits to family members how much money she owes and pleads for help. Family members walked away from her. She had no other choice but to file bankruptcy.
All of the above examples demonstrate that gambling addiction is detrimental to the economic, political, social and physical well being of individuals, the community and the nation.
Now that there is a problem, it’s time to find a solution and at the same time help those with a gambling addiction to move forward. There are websites that can help the compulsive gambler but there are no websites that can put the cash back into our society so we can move forward.
By howard keith
For more information on gambling addiction and stop gambling you can check out
Stop Gambling Addiction website has the useful resources and links on how to stop gambling.
http://www.istoppedgambling.com/