Am I gambling too much? Two questions that answer it.

There is a two question screen that researchers published in 1997 and clinicians still use because it works. It is called the Lie/Bet questionnaire.

1. Have you ever had to lie to people important to you about how much you gamble?
2. Have you ever felt the need to bet more and more money?

A yes to either one is the signal. Not a diagnosis, a signal that it is worth a closer look. If you answered yes to both, you already knew before you read this page.

What a yes means

It means the gambling has started making decisions for you: what you tell people, and how much goes on the next one. Those are the two things that get worse quietly and expensive fast.

The next ten minutes

• Say the yes out loud to one person. The lie in question one is most of the weight.
• Look at the real number: what a bet a night costs you in ten years.
• Put something between you and the next open:

  Free. No account. Takes two questions.

  Open your card

If you want a longer screen

Gamblers Anonymous publishes a twenty question list and most national helplines offer a free assessment by phone. Both are linked below.