Parents are taking an interest in understanding
gambling addiction.
Due to new local
school gambling
events, multiple
television programs
on poker, local news
and casinos parents
have decided to
educate themselves.
Parents now realize if their teenager develops a
compulsive gambling
addiction their
future course of
action and time
involvement is
unknown. This isn’t
something that is
here today and gone
tomorrow.
Compulsive teenagers with a gambling addiction have
one or more of the
following in common:
1.
School grades drop
2.
Social development
decreases
3.
Low
self esteem
4.
Self
destructive behavior
5.
Asking you why this
happened to them?
6.
Thinking suicide is
the only way out.
7.
Stealing
8.
Pawning personal
possessions
9.
Negative Attitude
10.
Cutting School
11.
Disappearing for
long periods of time
12.
Blaming the parent
because they gamble
too.
13.
Working a part time
job to pay off debts
14.
Stopped after school
activities
15.
Watched poker
tournaments on cable
and television
16.
I
tried to stop but I
couldn’t
Parents have been forced to educate themselves on the
above when
confronted with
their teenager’s
gambling addiction.
From there they try
to find answers
instead they have
more questions.
They are not looking
to point the finger
but really to get
help for their
child. They also
would like to help
prevent another
parent from having
to deal with this
addiction.
The following questions were raised by parents
regarding the local
school gambling
event:
1. Has the school systems educated themselves to
guarantee that
gambling is equal to
arts and crafts?
2. If one student develops a gambling addiction will the
school system
compensate the
family for the
negative affects on
their teenager?
3. Will the school system cover all medical expenses if
needed?
4. Should the post prom committee be legally responsible
if just one student
becomes addicted to
gambling?
5. What does the law state?
6. What’s happening to our children’s future?
7. How I can tell my kid he can’t go when all his
friends are going?
8. Is there something wrong with me, because I disagree
with the school
system?
9. How can I write a letter to the school board when my
son may find out it
was me objecting to
the gambling
event?
As a parent when you find out it’s your child who has
the gambling
addiction, what are
you going to do?
From a majority of
the emails I
receive, parents
question and ask.
“How did this happen
to my teenager? I
am a good parent.” Just as you have to take the time to talk to your
children about,
protective sex,
drugs and alcohol
you now have to
explain the effects
of gambling.
Teenagers who grow up in a house where their parents
are active gamblers
are more likely to
gamble too. A
school event puts a
stamp of approval on
gambling.
Parents have asked for statistical proof that the
upcoming post prom
gambling party will
have a negative
effect on their
teenagers. I gave
the parent specific
examples of real
situations. This
was not sufficient
for the prom
committee. They
wanted to know what
percentage? And
how many students
will be negatively
affected by this
event?
I
haven’t been in high
school for twenty
years. I am amazed
by the current
events in our school
systems.
The
following was never
heard of when I was
in high school:
1.
Teenage gambling addiction
2.
Gambling at the post prom party
3.
Teachers sleeping with students
4.
Students shooting students on school grounds
5.
Gambling on school grounds before and after class
6.
Teenagers addicted to the Computer
7.
Teenagers addicted to video games
8.
Protective Sex
9.
911
Before I wrote this
article I had fewer
questions. The more
you look into this
subject matter more
questions come up.
Should gambling in
schools be
eliminated if the
local law states no
one under eighteen
can gamble?
Gambling
is the wagering or
betting of money on
games of chance.
Even though most
people believe it’s
a form of
recreation, it can
become a
psychologically
addictive and
harmful behavior in
some people.
It’s very hard to track a teenager who has a gambling
addiction. Once
they graduate high
school they are on
their own start
their life
If a teenager develops a gambling problem, in a
majority of these
situations parents
are not going to
openly admit their
child has a gambling
addiction. Once
again we have
limited statistics.
