• Am I addicted to gambling?

• Can I gamble a little bit?

• How do I know when I’ve gone too far?

• The ‘Bisher Addiction Brief Scale’ (BABS) offers a quantitative way to answer these questions.

If you gamble to feel better or experience relief… that’s mood regulation. One for one.

If you’re experiencing negative consequences (loss of sleep, money, friends, joy) from chasing this mood regulation, that’s two for two.

When we experience negative consequences, we generally set boundaries for ourselves. If you are NOT able to maintain these self-established boundaries you’ve entered into powerlessness territory and are three for three.

Answering yes to all three questions is clearly indicative of a problematic behavior.