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March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and one day in the month especially sticks out as an opportunity for all gamblers to assess their habits. The Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is holding its ninth annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day on Tuesday, March 8.
While it’s an opportunity for healthcare professionals to educate themselves and others on responsible gambling, the CHA’s Division on Addiction also has a stellar self-assessment available for free online. It’s a great tool for evaluating your gambling habits.
Gambling Disorder Screening Day 2022
According to the CHA website, Gambling Disorder Screening Day began in 2014. It helps individuals who might have a gambling disorder seek further assessment. The day was “designed to support providers in the identification of Gambling Disorder.”
The website offers healthcare providers free online resources like flyers and educational presentations. The Division also offers customized assistance in hosting a screening event. At the heart of that is the Division’s Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen.
Although the Division makes hard copies of the screen available for providers to use, there is also an online version as well. It’s free to access and can give anyone who uses it great insights into their gambling habits.
The Division emphasizes that the screen alone is not sufficient to diagnose Gambling Disorder. However, it can help tell players when their habits are potentially harmful and suggest healthier alternatives.
Taking the responsible gambling online assessment
The assessment was simple and took less than two minutes to complete. After completion, the screen delivers a personalized set of recommendations based on your answers. Again, it stops far short of making any diagnosis.
Rather, it provides more information that is available for you, depending on how you responded. That includes resources in your jurisdiction you can seek out if you want to explore whether you are experiencing Gambling Disorder.
Estimates state that between 1 and 5% of gambling-aged adults deal with Gambling Disorder on some level. Additionally, the Division stresses that anyone can develop issues with compulsive gambling.
Among general strategies recommended to avoid developing those issues are some tried-and-true tips:
- Communicate regularly with a trusted person in your life about your gambling activity
- Never gamble with any money you actually need for other purposes
- Set a budget for not only how much money but also the time you’re going to spend, then stick to your plan
- Take a break if you find yourself getting emotional about your gambling losses or preoccupied with the desire to play
One of the best ways to avoid a gambling problem before it starts is education. Gambling Disorder Screening Day is a tremendous effort toward providing that. With the online assessment, you can take part in that event from anywhere.
