Addiction – When Gambling Becomes a Problem
While most people enjoy casino gambling, sports betting, lottery and bingo playing for the fun and excitement it provides, others may experience gambling as an addictive and distractive habit. Statistics show that while 85 percent of the adult population in the US enjoys some type of gambling every year, between 2 and 3 percent of will develop a gambling problem and 1 percent of them are diagnosed as pathological gamblers.Where can you draw the line between harmless gambling to problem gambling? How can you tell if you or your friend are compulsive gamblers? Here you can find answers to these questions and other questions regarding problem gambling and gambling addiction.What is the Meaning of Problem Gambling?Problem gambling or compulsive gambling is defined as an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the destructive effect of gambling on the gamblers life and despite feelings of guilt and remorse. Problem gambling tends to have a negative effect on the gamblers financial state, relationships and daily life. Severe cases of problem gambling can be defined as pathological gambling.Am I a Compulsive Gambler?1) Do you gamble until your last penny runs out?2) Do you gamble to win back your former losses or debts?3) Did you ever had to borrow money to continue gamble?4) Did your gambling habit ever made you lie to your friends or family?5) Did you ever skip work or other obligation to gamble?6) Do you tend to gamble to forget about your personal problems or to celebrate happy occasions?7) Does gambling have a negative affect on your daily life or relationships?If you have answered yes on at least one of the questions listed above, then you have a problem.Can Anyone Become a Compulsive Gambler?Theoretically, yes. Any gambler can develop gambling problem regardless to the type of gambling he is occupied with, the amount of money and time he is spending on gambling. Researches show that slot machines that can be found in bars and convenient stores are the most addictive type of gambling activity, while lottery draws and bingo games are located on the other end of the scale. Gambling addiction is an emotional problem; its symptoms, causes and treatments are similar to any other form of addiction.How Can I treat Gambling Addiction?1) Group Therapy:Gamblers Anonymous offers a 12 step self help program similar to the one offered to alcohol addicts in Alcoholics Anonymous. Group therapy also offers gambling addicts advice and support from professional counselors and other gambling addicts in different phases of their recovery process. Gambler Anonymous centers are available in more than 1,200 locations statewide.2) Individual Therapy:Cognitive or behavior therapy can help gambling addicts to identify their unaware thinking and acting patterns, which led them to gamble compulsively, and to replace them with controllable and healthier ways of thinking.3) Psychiatric Medication:It has recently been proven that antidepressant medications from the family of SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be affective in treatment of gambling addicts.
What You Need To Have Before Graduating College
A Professional Online Presence
Many college graduates do not have a good online presence. They assume that when they graduate, all they need to do is send out resumes and cover letters. Imagine being lumped into a resume pool of hundreds, if not thousands of college graduates with no way of distinguishing yourself from the rest. How are you going to stick out? Many employers do an online search to see whether or not they want to hire potential candidates. Wouldn’t it be nice if they knew a little more about your professional identity?
LinkedIn:
If you don’t have an online LinkedIn profile, what are you doing? Almost every reputable company is represented by a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is also one of the main sources for recruiting new professionals and offers not only networking opportunities, but skill-based training. Be sure to utilize the post section for professionally based photos, articles and websites.
WordPress/Weebly/Blogger
If an employer ever has any questions about your competency level and writing skills, blogs are a good way to show that you’re the right candidate for the job. Write about your career journey and what you’ve learned during your education at your college or university.
Twitter is a good way to interact with other professionals worldwide. Almost every networking event that I have attended has used Twitter for communication of new facts, contests, or recognition of key individuals.
Always have a professionally based Instagram feed. The world is very visual—you can write about your experience, but photos help people visualize who you are.
YouTube
A good way to show future employers and potential clients that you understand the field that you are in or are pursuing is to teach other people about your desired field. Remember: Never brand yourself as an expert for legal reasons.
A Good Resume
A good resume speaks volumes to your professionalism and experience. A resume should include a short summary of what you are looking for, your work experience, education, community service and organizational involvement. Be sure to include links to your LinkedIn.
A Portfolio Of Work
A portfolio can consist of various elements, depending on the field you are looking to join. If you’re going into a field that requires a lot of writing, be sure to include writing samples. If you’re going into an engineering field, document your experience and measurable results.
A List Of Desired Niches
Within every field there are niches that surround it. For example, there are different types of engineers and for each type of engineering field, there are various types of companies that specialize in different products, services, or valuations. Learn the types of companies and organizations surrounding the career field you are wanting to pursue.
A Good Understanding Of Hierarchy Levels
Understanding corporate tiers will help you know what types of career positions to apply for and who to contact for potential opportunities. Hint: Don’t contact anyone above a director level unless you are designated to do so.
What are the general corporate tiers?
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)/Chief Technology Officer (CTO)/Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
President
Executive President
Senior Vice President
Vice President
Associate Vice President
Senior Director
Associate Director
Middle Manager
Other Employees
Business Cards
If you attend networking events, business cards are an absolute must when seeking potential employment or expanding your client base. If you don’t want to buy premade business cards because of cost efficiency, try making your own business cards with blank cards and sticky labels.
A Ethical Base
Having a good ethical base helps in so many ways that you could never imagine. Always think along the lines of professionalism and humanity. Know what you are entitled to and this is a means of career advancement free of legal woes and unfair treatment.
Why do we Crave Certain Flavours?
A healthier you is a happier you and a healthy body always begins with a healthy diet. With the media bringing awareness of health concerns that arise from poor diet, we try our best to abstain from processed, fatty, and greasy foods, or foods with harmful chemicals or additives and opt instead for smoothies and salads as this is implicitly and explicitly acknowledged as the universal definition of a healthy diet that works for everyone. In reality, each body is different and we all have different nutritional needs according to our body’s constitution. Therefore, eating according to your constitution is as important (if not more!) in contributing to a healthier you.
One important aspect of eating is the taste of food and it can be categorized into five flavours: sweet, bitter, sour, spicy and salty. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the intake of certain flavours can help the function of the five organs in your body to balance your health, treat different diseases as well as recover from some acute illnesses.
Functions of the different flavours
Each flavour has a distinct job within the body and is linked with one of five important organs to help the organ function when there are disorders:
Sour flavour (liver) calms the body
Salty flavour (kidney) moves stagnation
Spicy/pungent flavour (metal) expels wind/cold
Sweet flavour (spleen) tonifies the body
Bitter flavour (heart) clears heat
Therefore in TCM, when we crave certain foods especially during special situations involving stress, anxiety, insomnia, and menstrual cycles for females, it is more than just a craving: it is your body giving signs that there are imbalances in your body that needs to be addressed immediately.
Craving Salt? Kidney (Water Energy)
A block in energy flow or lack of energy to the kidneys can result in salt cravings. In TCM, some of the problems related to the kidneys are lower back/knee pain, early grey hair/hair loss, menstruation problem, sexual dysfunction, developmental problems, fatigue etc. Some people believe that we crave foods that are necessary to our bodies, but this is not always not true. If you crave salty foods and indulge in large amounts, your symptoms can actually worsen especially for those who are overweight or have high blood pressure.
What type of food is helpful?: Seafood such as prawns, kelp and seaweed, along with walnuts and goji berries in healthy amounts are all great to incorporate into your diet.
Craving Bitter? Heart (Fire Energy)
Even though bitter cravings are not as common, craving them can actually be a link to your heart health as well as signs of excess heat in the body. Excess heat is related to anger, emotional instability, anxiety, and even insomnia. Ingesting bitter foods can help to relieve fevers, drain dampness, induce bowel movement, improve digestion and fight infections to improve the overall flow of energy in your body. However, people with weak, thin, dry and cold constitutions should take caution and limit their intake of bitter foods.
What type of food is helpful?: Bitter melons or other bitter leafy greens, chard, dandelions, chamomile, alfafa, romaine lettuce and rye all help with this condition.
Craving Sour? Liver (Wood Energy)
In TCM, Our liver is strongly related to our emotions and an imbalance can cause anger/stress/anxiety, resulting in a craving for sour foods. A liver imbalance could also be causing you to crave fried, greasy, fatty foods. Some symptoms of an imbalanced liver energy can be irregular menstrual cycles, depression/anxiety, migraines/headaches, tinnitus , tight muscles etc.
What type of food is helpful?: Tomatoes, oranges, kiwifruits, vinegar can open up the liver qi and help circulation.
Craving Spicy? Lung (Metal Energy)
In TCM, the lungs help to defend against foreign pathogens/invaders/evil which can cause sicknesses in the body. These pathogens can come in physical forms such as bacteria and viruses, or in psychological forms such as grief and anxiety. Individuals who crave spicy food may be at the onset of catching a cold or may hold onto negative thoughts and brood over them, which is why eating spicy and pungent foods during the winter is especially helpful. Spicy food can help get rid of such pathogens and can also help our immune system against sickness.
What type of food is helpful?: Go for spearmint, rosemary, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, anise, pepper, cloves, fennel, spring onions, curry, chilli, and onions.
Craving Sweet? Spleen (Earth Energy)
In TCM, the spleen is one of the most important organs because it helps to filter your blood and plays a key role in the immune system. If you’re craving for sweet things, that means the spleen Qi(energy) is weak or there is some imbalance which may lead to dampness. This can also cause lack of energy, digestion problems like stomach or abdominal bloating especially after eating, irregular bowel movement, low appetite, sinus congestion, heavy and puffy extremities, poor quality sleep, brain fog etc. Since children are at the stage of developing their spleens, they have stronger cravings for sweets. Eating small amounts of healthy sweet foods can help children’s growth and development.
What type of food is helpful?: Cherries, carrots, figs, winter squash, sweet potatoes, nutmeg, yam, brown rice, dates, whole grains, cinnamon etc. (If you have spleen Qi deficiency or dampness, eat hot cooked food instead of cold raw food/salad).
In the same way that each organ has a function in our body’s systems, each flavour also functions in different ways. By having healthy amounts of each flavour, your body can maintain a balance which also helps to prevent future illnesses. So the next time you start craving specific foods, try to see which organ is demanding your attention!