For many gamblers this check feels like, "free money," and an opportunity to win more.  Many individuals with addiction to gambling have a hard time not gambling their tax return checks. 

Some suggestions that might prevent this from happening:
1) Develop accountability with your check.
    Find someone else to tell when you get it and tell what you plan to do with it.  Ask them to go with you when you take it to the bank and have them sit with you while you write out the checks to those you owe money or for your bills.
2) Most businesses will take your payment in advance.  
    If you decide you want to put the money toward your rent or mortgage or toward another debt, don't wait.  Pay it now.  They don't mind taking your payment early.
3) Have someone else hold the check for you, or deposit it into their account.
    If you don't have access to the money it is not likely to be gambled. Make sure you trust the perosn who will hold your money, make sure that the person is also not going to make you beg for the money when you need it.

If you need additional help to prevent money you don't want to gamble from being gambled please give Peace and Power Counseling a call, we can help.

Free CEU presentation for LMHP and LCSW
“Basic Information About Gambling Addiction.”

April 7, 11:30 to 12:30 at Peace and Power Counseling 6901 Dodge St., Suite 101.

Program Content: Participants will learn about compulsive gambling/pathological gambling.  They will learn about resources in the community for low to no cost gambling evaluations and treatment.

Objectives:
1. Participants will learn the difference between problem gambling and pathological gambling.

2. Participants will learn the two different types of pathological gamblers.

3. Participants will learn the similarities and differences between pathological gambling and drug dependence.

4. Participants will learn about the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the Lie/Bet Screening.

5. Participants will learn how to score these screening tools.

6. Participants will learn a harm reduction/way to address clients in the precontemplation stage of the change process.

7. Participants will learn where to refer clients for low to no cost gambling treatment services in Omaha.


Please contact Gina Fricke for more information and/or to register at 402-515-7412

Please join us on March 22, 6:00pm at the Swanson Library at 90th and Dodge Street for a free event that will help acknowledge March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
 
Speak with a counselor who specializes in treating those suffering with gambling problems and their family members.  Find the answer to your      questions.

· How to help someone you care about who has a problem.
· Youth Gambling: How to protect your children.
· Financial Problems: How to protect your money.
· Gambling in the workplace: How to protect your business.

Did you know that 4-6% of adolescents have experienced problem gambling? That is double the number of adults. Yikes!

Gambling has recently been pushed into the spotlight with Michael Jordan’s son tweeting about losing $35,000 in one night. With the stress of being an athlete he is already more likely than his peers to struggle with gambling addiction. Michael Jordan’s son (and you!) are part of a generation growing up in a world where gambling is socially acceptable. Gambling is so intertwined in pop culture, it even made an appearance in the hit movie Toy Story 3 and the short film preceding the blockbuster! Luckily there are shows like A&E’s Intervention and MTV’s True Life to depict the some of the awful realities of the compulsive gambler.  Hitting it big and living easy seems to be a widespread goal, but pursuing this fantasy is not worth the risk. Those addicted to gambling are up to 20x more likely to commit suicide so, especially as a teen, you’re betting on more than your money.

If you or someone you know has an addiction (don’t count anyone out- everyone is at risk!) he or she may lie to cover up how much money or time is spent gambling, miss important events to gamble, use gambling jargon frequently, try to win back money from previous losses or perhaps express a desire to quit or cut back on gambling.

With National Problem Gambling Awareness Week upon us, remember to play for fun, not for money. It’s just a game. Don’t let it become more.

For more information or confidential help call 1-800-522-4700.
Information shared by the National Council on Problem Gambling for Problem Gambling Awareness Week.

You would not open up your local newspaper and expect a price list of illegal drugs for sale. Yet you open up your paper to the sports pages, you see lines and point spreads on sporting events. The only legal place to place a bet in the US is Las Vegas. These same papers carry ads for 800 and 900 numbers that sell information to gamblers - “Get game of the month free”, “We pick 75% winners”.

Illegal sports betting is a huge industry in this country. CNBC estimates that 80-100 billion dollars is bet on NFL football, 6-10 billion dollars on the Super bowl, 60-70 billion on college football, 50 billion on college basketball and 6-12 billion on March Madness.

Sports betting is a big problem for compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gambling is deemed an impulse control disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Something as simple as reading the lines can often trigger a gambling binge. Some recovering gamblers cannot even buy a newspaper because of the anxiety it causes. Recovery from a gambling problem entails not testing or tempting oneself, for many gamblers the published betting lines become such a temptation.

March 6-12, 2011 is National Problem Gambling Awareness week, a grassroots program designed to create public awareness about the dangers and ramifications of compulsive gambling. Our focus this year is on sports gambling. Wouldn’t it be appropriate for newspapers to do something to different during the week? Something that newspapers and other publications can do to help problem gamblers is share an important message alongside point spreads and other sports betting-related information: “Need help for a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 800-522-4700”. The media, in some way, entices people to gamble, how about some responsible gambling messages from the media during awareness week?
Information provided by the National Council on Problem Gambling for Gambling Awareness week.