FROM: Welcome to COPING - Children Of Problem/In-debt/Neglectful Gamblers

How Can You Recognize a Gambling Addict?

How can you recognize a compulsive gambler?
That's the frightening part. You can't, especially if you don't know the person well.
There aren't any chemicals going into their systems to eat away at their livers or kill their brain cells.
Casinos and races don't leave track marks in arms.

Gambling is the easiest addiction to hide.

That said, chances are if gambling is becoming a problem in your family, there will be a marked personality change in the addict. You may not notice it right away, but if you look back over a period of time, it will probably become apparent to you.
Consider what your parent was like a few years ago and the changes will probably be easier to see.

Depression will probably accompany the addiction. Addicts suffer from a great deal of guilt. They may take on very odd eating/sleeping patterns. They'll become secretive and keep to themselves. They will also lie.

This may be the hardest to accept, because we learn to trust our parents from the day we are born.

But remember that addicts don't lie to be mean or to hurt.

In fact, they don't continue with their addiction to hurt.

They simply can't help it and they will do anything to keep the addiction in their lives.

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