This quesiton came in from a reader who was out of control with gambling. Whether you’re a shopaholic, a gambler or prone to excessiveness, it’s important to nip the problem in the bud before it gets out of control. It’s just not worth ruining your credit and going deep into debt over…

Q: When the casinos first opened in my city I would occasionally drop in and spend $20 or $40 in the slot machines. My visits became more and more frequent and the dollar amount per trip larger and larger. At first I justified it by saying that it was how I chose to spend my entertainment money. But I’m spending more than I should, put off paying bills and started carrying a credit card balance for the first time in years. The other day I caught myself considering a credit card cash advance to get gambling money until my next payday. I make an above average salary but I’m frittering it all away on the slots. Help!

A: First of all, you’ve taken the first important step – you’ve recognized that you have a problem. We need to nip this in the bud before it gets too far out of control. And control is really the issue here. What part of your life is out of control? Justifying your gambling as entertainment is really a way to take control of a situation, however destructive the outcome. Here’s what I recommend: You now need to stay away from the casino altogether. Call a trusted family member or friend and use this person as your support. It’s important to recognize that you need help here. When you’re feeling the urge to return to the casino your support person will need to talk you through it, stop by for a visit, or make other plans for the two of you. Then, add up what you’ve been spending every month at the casino and identify something that you would really like to do with that money. Make it something that you’re absolutely thrilled with – a getaway weekend, a new outfit or investing the money for your future. Gambling and compulsive shopping are usually the result of the underlying issue of a need for control. So think about what is spiraling out of control in your life and try and make a change there. And if your gambling urge is too strong, please get professional help.

Dee Dee Sung
Founder, Debt Free Divas
From Self Worth to Net Worth
coach@debtfreediva.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 15th, 2005 at 9:09 am by Debt Free Diva and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.