More Top Picks Adhd In Girls Signs That Get Missed For Years
player ready...Dear Ann Landers: My sister has a gambling problem. “Bessie” is a strong-willed person, so it amazes me that she could have become addicted. It happened so fast and so secretly that I knew nothing of it until she was way in over her head and unable to control it.
Bessie started three years ago, by playing the small poker machines in a little convenience store near her home in Nova Scotia. From there, she progressed to playing daily in the large new casino that opened in Halifax. At last calculation, she has lost well over $100,000. She has taken out a second mortgage, borrowed from family and friends, and even taken the savings of her youngest son.
Her husband has tried everything to get her to stop, as has her whole family. We have prayed, pleaded, begged and threatened. Nothing seems to work. We contacted Gamblers Anonymous and were told Bessie could only be helped if she is willing to admit she has a problem. GA can’t help anyone who is not willing to accept the fact that help is needed.
What is the attraction that keeps her away from her home, her husband and her children, with her eyes glued to a machine for up to 14 hours at a time? Meanwhile, the government keeps opening more casinos. As far as I’m concerned, our elected officials are no better than the pushers who supply drugs to addicts.
We are afraid of what the future holds for Bessie if she doesn’t stop gambling. She is destroying herself. What can we do?
— Her Family in Quebec, Canada
Dear Quebec Family: Gambling is an addiction — and it is every bit as insidious as alcohol or cocaine. You cannot help Bessie until Bessie admits that she is powerless to help herself and is willing to turn herself over to some higher power.
When she is ready, tell her there is help available through Gamblers Anonymous. All Bessie has to do is make a call and find out where the next meeting is. I hope for her sake, she makes the call soon.
Dear Ann Landers: You’ve gone to bat for people in many professions. I guarantee millions of my co-workers will thank you if you give us equal time.
I deliver pizzas, and my salary is only minimum wage, plus tips. If business is slow, I may work only a couple of hours a day. Decent tips are vital.
Last night, I delivered an order for $15.69, and the customer told me to “keep the change” after handing me $16. Of course, tipping is not mandatory, and there are some people who want every cent of their change back and don’t tip at all. But most of us would rather be stiffed completely than get a 31-cent tip. We consider that a major insult.
So, to our valued customers, if you tip your pizza deliverer, please give us at least a dollar. It’s humiliating to smile and say, “Thank you,” for a few pennies.
— Stiffed in Dallas
Dear Stiffed: Here is your letter, and I sincerely hope my readers will take seriously what you have written.
What some folks don’t understand is that delivery people are paid a very modest salary. It is expected that they will receive tips and whatever they get belongs to them. Please, dear readers, if you can afford a $16 pizza, you can surely pay the delivery person $2.50 for bringing it to your door.