Gambling can be a very fun, bonding experience for friends and family to enjoy together. So how does one know if they’re still enjoying one a famous American pastime or if they’ve ventured into dangerous territory?

The NODS-SA is self-assessment version of the NODS (the NORC Diagnostic Screen for Gambling Disorders). It was designed to assist individuals in evaluating whether to modify or seek help for their gambling behavior. The NODS is based on the APA’s DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling. For more information, visit the National Council on Problem Gambling.

This screening questionnaire is answered using a simple binary: Yes or No.

1. Have there ever been periods lasting two weeks or longer when you spent a lot of time thinking about your gambling experiences, planning out future gambling ventures or bets, or thinking about ways of getting money to gamble with?

2. Have there ever been periods when you needed to gamble with increasing amounts of money or with larger bets than before in order to get the same feeling of excitement?

3. Have you ever felt restless or irritable when trying to stop, cut down, or control your gambling?

4. Have you tried and not succeeded in stopping, cutting down, or controlling your gambling three or more times in your life?

5. Have you ever gambled to escape from personal problems, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, anxiety, helplessness, or depression?

6. Has there ever been a period when, if you lost money gambling one day, you would often return another day to get even?

7. Have you lied to family members, friends, or others about how much you gamble, and/or about how much money you lost on gambling, on at least three occasions?

8. Have you ever written a bad cheque or taken money that didn’t belong to you from family members, friends, or anyone else in order to pay for your gambling?

9. Has your gambling ever caused serious or repeated problems in your relationships with any of your family members or friends? Or, has your gambling ever caused you problems at work or your studies?

10. Have you ever needed to ask family members, friends, a lending institution, or anyone else to loan you money or otherwise bail you out of a desperate money situation that was largely caused by your gambling?

So how can we use this scale? Is there a specific score that we should be aiming for? NORC was not able to give us a ‘clinical cutoff’ score per se. However, we can use the scale to help have meaningful conversations with our friends and family.

My suggestion? Scroll back up, re-read the items and ask:

1. How true is each item/sentence for yourself (or your partner)?

2. How would you want to change this item/sentence for yourself (or your partner)?

If you or someone you know might need help with this, have them give me a call! If I am not a good fit, I will help them find someone who is.

DrZepeda@FinancialTherapyTexas.com

Phone: 713-291-9553