20 Questions
"It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself." - Thomas Paine
For those of us who have admitted that we are no longer able to control our gambling the 20 questions serve as a reminder of how out of control our lives were. For those of you who are unsure of where you stand when it comes to gambling the 20 questions are a benchmark that you can judge yourself by. The first time I heard these questions and I heard myself answer them, I couldn't believe the impact that gambling was having on my life. Denial was the route that I chose and because of that my misery continued for quite some time.
Most compulsive gamblers answer YES to at least Seven of these questions. My answers are in brackets.
1) Did you ever lose time from work due to gambling? (yes)
2) Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy? (yes)
3) Did gambling affect your reputation? (yes)
4) Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? (yes)
5) Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties? (yes)
6) Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency? (yes)
7) After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses? (yes)
8) After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more? (yes)
9) Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone? (yes)
10) Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling? (yes)
11) Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling? (yes)
12) Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures? (yes)
13) Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself and your family? (yes)
14) Did you ever gamble longer than you planned? (yes)
15) Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble? (yes)
16) Have you ever committed, or considered committing an illegal act to finance gambling? (yes)
17) Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? (yes)
18) Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble? (yes)
19) Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling? (yes)
20) Have you ever considered self destruction as a result of your gambling? (yes)
As a footnote you could easily substitute drugs or alcohol in any of these questions. As the remainder of my story unfolds you will continue to see and more than likely find an increase in the usage of words such as - responsibility, choice, adjustment, forgiveness, realization, accountability, peace, love and hope. My life today is not about my past, it is about my future, however I will continue to use my past as my motivation for a better life. You can do the same. You are where you are at this very moment because you choose to be.
For those of us who have admitted that we are no longer able to control our gambling the 20 questions serve as a reminder of how out of control our lives were. For those of you who are unsure of where you stand when it comes to gambling the 20 questions are a benchmark that you can judge yourself by. The first time I heard these questions and I heard myself answer them, I couldn't believe the impact that gambling was having on my life. Denial was the route that I chose and because of that my misery continued for quite some time.
Most compulsive gamblers answer YES to at least Seven of these questions. My answers are in brackets.
1) Did you ever lose time from work due to gambling? (yes)
2) Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy? (yes)
3) Did gambling affect your reputation? (yes)
4) Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? (yes)
5) Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties? (yes)
6) Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency? (yes)
7) After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses? (yes)
8) After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more? (yes)
9) Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone? (yes)
10) Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling? (yes)
11) Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling? (yes)
12) Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures? (yes)
13) Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself and your family? (yes)
14) Did you ever gamble longer than you planned? (yes)
15) Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble? (yes)
16) Have you ever committed, or considered committing an illegal act to finance gambling? (yes)
17) Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? (yes)
18) Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble? (yes)
19) Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling? (yes)
20) Have you ever considered self destruction as a result of your gambling? (yes)
As a footnote you could easily substitute drugs or alcohol in any of these questions. As the remainder of my story unfolds you will continue to see and more than likely find an increase in the usage of words such as - responsibility, choice, adjustment, forgiveness, realization, accountability, peace, love and hope. My life today is not about my past, it is about my future, however I will continue to use my past as my motivation for a better life. You can do the same. You are where you are at this very moment because you choose to be.
posted by Taximan at 11:51 AM
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