
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 15, 1993                   TAG: 9312150149
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

A GAMBLING PROBLEM? HERE ARE THE SIGNS

Think you or someone near and dear might have a problem with gambling? Dr. Valerie C. Lorenz, executive director of the Baltimore-based Compulsive Gambling Center Inc., suggests you look for these telltale signs:

You spend progressively more money and time on gambling.

You lie to family and/or boss and co-workers about where you spend time. (Example: Your normal half-hour lunch break turns into a two-hour trip to stand in line buying $100 in lottery tickets. Embarrassed to let others know what you're doing or how much you're spending, you may go to several lottery retailers and buy $20 worth of tickets at each, using time and money in the process. You return to work and lie about where you've been and what took you so long.)

You make up long lists of numbers to play.

You undergo a change in personality. You get angry and irritable.

Instead of giving Christmas gifts, you buy lottery tickets. Or instead of paying rent, you spend it on lottery tickets.

If you lose big in one drawing, you go out and spend even more on the next drawing, believing you will recoup your losses when you win big.

For those who suspect they have a gambling addiction, Lorenz suggests calling Gamblers Anonymous or the center's 24-hour hot line, (800) 332-0402.

by CNB