The following questions may help you identify with others who grew up with compulsive gambling in their homes.
- Were you often missing money?
- Did you hide your money?
- Were you ever asked to lend money to a parent to pay a bill or debt?
- Did you know that if you loaned money to a parent or paid a bill that the money would not be repaid?
- Were you told that there was a bank account for you and when you were older discovered that the money was removed?
- Were you promised gifts or necessities that were never given?
- Did your family activities revolve around playing cards, watching sports on TV, participating in the lottery or other gambling activities?
- Did your family vacations center around gambling activities?
- Was a parent away from home for unexplained periods of time?
- Do you remember many family activities where both parents were not involved?
- Did your parents fight about money? Did you feel responsible?
- Do you become entangled in your parent’s money or financial issues?
- Did you stay alone a lot so you didn’t have to explain your home life to anyone else? Did you avoid bringing friends home?
- When you were growing up, did you ever feel that everyone depended on you to hold the family together?
- Did your parents use you as a sounding board for their marriage?
- Do you feel more like the parent than the child?
- Do you feel your relationship with your family is a lie?
- Are you attracted to people who gamble, or have other compulsions, or are needy?
- Is it difficult to trust people? Do you feel that you can never trust anyone totally?
- Do you obsess about money? Do you feel that you can never have enough money?