Pro­gram Spot­light: Nation­al Prob­lem Gam­bling Aware­ness Month

March 01, 2022

March is Nation­al Prob­lem Gam­bling Aware­ness Month. Accord­ing to the Nation­al Coun­cil on Prob­lem Gam­bling, there are as many as 6 – 8 million Amer­i­cans expe­ri­enc­ing prob­lem gam­bling, which impacts their rela­tion­ships, work lives, or finances. While many adults who gam­ble are able to do so respon­si­bly, it’s impor­tant to rec­og­nize the warn­ing signs of prob­lem gam­bling, includ­ing the feel­ing of los­ing con­trol of gam­bling behav­iors, feel­ing a need to gam­ble more often or to wager more mon­ey, and even thoughts of sui­cide. If you or some­one you know are expe­ri­enc­ing these symp­toms, there is help available.

KYC pro­vides free screen­ings to help iden­ti­fy prob­lem gam­bling and can pro­vide con­nec­tions to per­son­al­ized sup­ports that address the spe­cif­ic con­cerns an indi­vid­ual is expe­ri­enc­ing. To be con­nect­ed with this free ser­vice, call our team at 847−524−8800. We also offer both non-clin­i­cal and clin­i­cal sup­ports for peo­ple fac­ing a myr­i­ad of addic­tive behav­iors or sub­stance use con­cerns. Addi­tion­al­ly, any­one in the state of Illi­nois can access sup­port ²⁴⁄₇ by call­ing 1 – 800-GAM­BLER, tex­ting ILGAMB to 53342, or vis­it­ing WeKnowThe​Feel​ing​.org, where you can com­plete an online screen­ing to help you bet­ter under­stand if you should seek sup­port. These resources are offered by the Illi­nois Depart­ment of Human Ser­vices, and con­nect folks with trained spe­cial­ists who can help them find local resources. 

Just as with any health con­cern, prob­lem gam­bling con­cerns can have bet­ter out­comes when addressed ear­ly, and can affect peo­ple of all ages, socioe­co­nom­ic sta­tus­es, and iden­ti­ties. In the spir­it of Prob­lem Gam­bling Aware­ness Month, please watch out for your­self and for one anoth­er. Share resources, help spread aware­ness about prob­lem gam­bling, and care for each oth­er. If you or some­one you know could use some help in car­ing for a prob­lem gam­bling con­cern, we’re here for you.

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