Negative Effects of Problem Gambling Essay Example for Free

Negative Effects of Problem Gambling Essay Gambling is an ever-increasing problem which presently affects around 5% of the population, over one per cent of whom will suffer a lifetime of extreme problem gambling1. Despite the profound and detrimental way in which gambling affects society and individuals, it fails to be recognised as a severe psychological illness. It is constantly devalued by the government who are captivated by the capital generated by forms of gambling such as the lottery and, since 1962, have lessened regulations which insured gambling, and therefore the difficulties it incurs, escalate. Gambling as an addiction can be as destructive and have as many adverse effects as excessive drug use or alcohol intake. However, the telltale signs of a gambling addiction are comparatively non-existent, unlike the noticeable physical changes which occur when someone has consumed immoderate amounts of alcohol or drugs. Thus, gambling is often referred to as the hidden addiction. As well as outlining the characteristics of someone who may be labeled a problem gambler, the following essay will detail the often catastrophic effects this behaviour can have on the individual and the entire community. A problem gambler is characterised as someone whose incessant gambling has resulted in psychological, financial, emotional, marital, legal or other difficulties for themselves and those around them. The impact of this addiction is unquestionably greater than the obvious financial losses that can result from repeated gambling and as the addiction progresses, the consequences can be devastating. Unlike alcoholism or substance abuse, problem gambling is not easily detected, yet for the victim, is just as uncontrollable. For these people, gambling is no longer a recreational activity, or even an attempt to rationally balance risk and reward, but a serious problem. There are several warning signs illustrated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders2 which are indicative of a gambling problem. Secretive behaviour such as hiding lottery tickets and betting slips, lying to family members and therapists as a means of hiding the extent of gambling involvement. Evidently, damage, dependence and loss of control, all of which are to be expected as gambling involvement prevails, dominate the life of a problem gambler. For centuries, the impacts of problem gambling have been known and none have described the negative effects as aptly as Jean Barbeyrac in his 1737 works Traite du Jeu: I do not know if there is any other passion which allows less of repose and which one has so much difficulty in reducing the passion of gambling gives no time for breathing The more one plays the more one wishes to play; it seems that gambling had acquired the right to occupy all [the gamblers] thoughts The most famous of all problem gamblers was Russian novelist Dostoevsky who was described as being, Powerless in the clutches of his terrific gambling mania, which blunted his sense of moral responsibility as effectively as extreme alcohol addiction could,3 effectively illustrating how gambling can override every aspect of the victims existence. For the individual, the negative impacts of gambling far outweigh the few advantages; the pleasure evoked by the infrequent win, for example, is eradicated by the more significant loss which often follows. A gambling fixation can affect every area of the victims life. If the addiction goes unnoticed, it is common for the isolated gambler to avoid external resources, choosing to deal with problems alone or denying their existence, thus provoking feelings of guilt, anxiety, fear and ultimately, severe depression, withdrawing from society completely and severely lacking in self-esteem. Gambling often goes hand-in-hand with other addictions; a gambler may turn to drugs or alcohol for solace, unaware these will contribute to and aggravate existing problems4. Unsurprisingly, problem gamblers frequently suffer from gastro-intestinal disturbances and insomnia, problems which are likely to intensify as the victim spirals further into debt. Excessive gambling has drastic effects on employment and finances as participants gamble their lives away. Those at the height of their addiction repeatedly borrow and steal, often from family and friends, in an attempt reverse their losses. Convincing themselves that theft will allow them to win back their money and thus, their livelihood, they are ignorant to the fact this can never be achieved and is more likely to cause further problems in their work and familial relationships. A Canadian survey carried out in 19945 confirmed how destructive the effects of excessive gambling could be. Over half of the 400 participants admitted to spending over $100 monthly on gambling, with around 23% spending from 80 to 200% of their annual salary on their obsession. An astonishing 55% had obtained money through illegal means while 62% admitted to acquiring money from relatives. A great number of gamblers were found to let their habit interfere with their work. Absence was a regular occurrence, while most problem gamblers behaviour and concentration at work was gravely affected by their preoccupation, leading a third of those surveyed to lose their jobs, whether through theft, lack of productivity or continued absence due to entire days spent at casinos. While those surrounding the problem gambler are susceptible to the effects of gambling, the victim himself is most vulnerable and in extreme cases, will attempt suicide. With the success rate alarmingly high, there is no doubt that in serious cases, problem gambling can prove fatal.

Equality: Equal Treatment or Equal Opportunity? :: essays research papers

Is it fair or just to create equality by allowing special rights or accommodations to certain groups or individuals? I think it is. The foundation for my position is simple: How can we have the same rights for everyone, when no one is the same? This past November, I watched a video in Social Studies class. The video was about equal rights, and focused on several situations where rules could be challenged, and how the people got their way. One example was about a man in a wheelchair who wanted to go watch a movie at a local movie theatre. However, when he went to choose a seat, he quickly realized that he had no choice about where he could view the film. He was stuck with watching from in front of the first row, which is usually not a preferred spot for watching a movie. This man took the theatre to court for not giving him equal opportunity to choose where to view the movie. The theatre lost the court battle, and from then on set a precedent for all movie theatres to reserve sections in their facilities for the disabled. There are now wheelchair-accessible views from the front, middle, and back of many theatres around the world. The underlined issue in the above case was not about being treated equally, but rather being given equal opportunity. No one was being treated more superior than another, no one was denied the opportunity to watch the movie, but when it came to choice of seating, there was an inequality. Now, thanks to this man, that’s all changed. The case was much the same in an example of two female high school students that wanted to go for a lead part in the school production, but couldn’t because all the lead parts were for males. The two girls were given the equal right to participate in the production, but they were not given an equal opportunity to the part that they wanted. As a result, the rules were changed. The school’s first play featured males in the lead parts, and the second featured females. We watched a third example, this time about a young, female hockey player, who, again, had to be given special rights to achieve equality. In this case, all youngsters were given the equal right to play ice hockey. Males played in a males league, females played in a females league. Equality: Equal Treatment or Equal Opportunity? :: essays research papers Is it fair or just to create equality by allowing special rights or accommodations to certain groups or individuals? I think it is. The foundation for my position is simple: How can we have the same rights for everyone, when no one is the same? This past November, I watched a video in Social Studies class. The video was about equal rights, and focused on several situations where rules could be challenged, and how the people got their way. One example was about a man in a wheelchair who wanted to go watch a movie at a local movie theatre. However, when he went to choose a seat, he quickly realized that he had no choice about where he could view the film. He was stuck with watching from in front of the first row, which is usually not a preferred spot for watching a movie. This man took the theatre to court for not giving him equal opportunity to choose where to view the movie. The theatre lost the court battle, and from then on set a precedent for all movie theatres to reserve sections in their facilities for the disabled. There are now wheelchair-accessible views from the front, middle, and back of many theatres around the world. The underlined issue in the above case was not about being treated equally, but rather being given equal opportunity. No one was being treated more superior than another, no one was denied the opportunity to watch the movie, but when it came to choice of seating, there was an inequality. Now, thanks to this man, that’s all changed. The case was much the same in an example of two female high school students that wanted to go for a lead part in the school production, but couldn’t because all the lead parts were for males. The two girls were given the equal right to participate in the production, but they were not given an equal opportunity to the part that they wanted. As a result, the rules were changed. The school’s first play featured males in the lead parts, and the second featured females. We watched a third example, this time about a young, female hockey player, who, again, had to be given special rights to achieve equality. In this case, all youngsters were given the equal right to play ice hockey. Males played in a males league, females played in a females league.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Sarah Winter Silver 1 World Literature 4/27/09 Angela Vicario is responsible for the murder of Santiago Nasar. Although it was her twin brothers that committed the actual crime, the reasons behind their murder come directly from their beautiful sister Angela. While it wasn’t Angela who directly murdered Santiago, she is just as guilty as the rest. Angela is complacent and also participated in the solicitation of the murder of Santiago Nasar. The marriage between Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario set a strong foundation for the murder. If the marriage between Bayardo and Angela had never occurred, Santiago Nasar would still be alive. Ever since Angela was a child, she faced a strong pressure to get married. â€Å"The girls had been reared to get married. † (Page 31) It is notable that Angela was the prettiest of her three sisters and several men desired her. Many men were interested in marrying her, especially Bayardo San Roman, but Angela was not interested in marrying unless she was in love. â€Å"Angela Vicario never forgot the horror of the night on which her parents and her older sisters with their husbands gathered together in the parlor, imposed on her the obligation to marry a man whom she had barely seen. (Page 24) Bayardo, on the other hand, was determined to marry her and in a hurry to do so. Their engagement lasted only six months, and their marriage lasted not even one night. â€Å"No one would have thought, nor did anyone say, that Angela Vicario wasn’t a virgin. † (Page 37) Her family was incredibly protective of her and â€Å"She’d grown up along with her sisters unde r the rigor of a mother of iron. † (Page 37) Angela Vicario was terribly naive for going into this marriage without her virginity. She had been distressed but eventually listened to her two confidantes. They assured her that almost all women lost their virginity in childhood accidents and that even the most difficult of husbands resigned themselves to anything as long as nobody knew about it. † (Page 38) Apparently Bayardo San Roman was an exception. Only four hours after the extravagant wedding and dancing festivities, Pura Vicario (Angela’s mother) was woken by three very slow knocks. â€Å"Her [Angela Vicario] satin dress was in shreds and she was wrapped in a towel up to the waist. † (Page 46) Bayardo San Roman was there to return his wife because she was not a virgin. Pura Vicario beat her daughter mercilessly and urgently ummoned her twin sons home. â€Å"They found Angela Vicario lying face down on the dining room couch, her face all bruised†¦P edro Vicario, the more forceful of the brothers picked her up by the waist and sat her on the dining room table. ‘All right, girls,’ he said to her, trembling with rage, ‘tell us who it was. ’ She only took the time necessary to say the name. She looked for it in the shadows, she found it at first sight among the many, many easily confused names from this world and the other, and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence had always been written. Santiago Nasar. ’ she said. † (Page 47) Angela Vicario named Santiago Nasar as the perpetrator and whether he did it or not, Angela gave him a death sentence the moment his name escaped her lips. When Angela’s brothers asked who took her virginity, she could have named any man in town. It is never confirmed nor denied whether Santiago Nasar had sex with Angela Vicario or not. However, if he was not the man to take her virginity, then why woul d Angela Vicario give his name? This raises many new questions, for instance, did they have consensual sex? Did Santiago rape her? Were they in love but never had sex, and was Angela only trying to protect Santiago? Or was the entire sexual encounter made up? Marquez never answers these questions, and the reader has to make several inferences. The image of a butterfly pinned to a wall is symbolic of both Angela Vicario and Santiago Nasar’s situation. Once she had stated that Santiago is the one who took her virginity, both of their fates became pinned. If Angela did not give her brothers a name, they would have become furious at her for protecting the man who had dishonored her. She â€Å"pins† Santiago with her words, but she is also pinning herself by the sexism of the culture. The description of Angela’s thought process when she spoke Santiago’s name suggests that Angela is not only thinking of people who are alive but also those who are dead (â€Å"many easily confused names from this world and the other. †) This is not a proven fact, but this strongly implies that Angela chose his name at random, which would mean Angela Vicario sanctioned the murder of an innocent man. Like almost all of the townspeople, Angela Vicario is complacent. â€Å"There had never been a death more foretold. † (Page 50) Everybody knew of the Vicario twin’s intentions, â€Å"The Vicario brothers had told their plans to more than a dozen people who had gone to buy milk, and these had spread the news everywhere before six o’clock. † (Page 58) Yet the only person out of the whole town to attempt stopping the Vicario twins was Colonel Aponte. The murder of Santiago Nasar never would have happened if Angela had done several things differently. If Angela had kept her virginity, the disaster never would have surfaced. Angela could have simply given a different name, and Santiago would still be alive. It also would have been fairly easy for her to stop her brothers from murdering Santiago. Not only is she complacent in the murder, but she also gave the solicitation of murder. Pablo and Pedro Vicario are innocent; they were murdering simply to protect their sister, something any brother would have done without a question. Angela Vicario is clearly responsible for the gruesome murder of Santiago Nasar. Chronicle of a Death Foretold Chronicle of a Death Foretold

The United States Constittution Essay examples - 1114 Words

The United States Constitution AMERICAN HISTORY – Pre-Columbian through the Civil War After the War the 13 colonies first formed a very weak central government under the Articles of Confederation. This government lacked, for example, any power to impose taxes, as it had no method of enforcing payment. It had no authority to override tax laws and tariffs between states. The Articles required unanimous consent from all the states before any changes could take effect. States took the central government so lightly that their representatives were often absent. For lack of a quorum, the national legislature was frequently blocked from making even ineffectual changes. In September 1786 commissioners from five states met in the Annapolis†¦show more content†¦The U.S. Constitution styles itself the supreme law of the land. Courts have interpreted this phrase to mean that when laws that have been passed by state legislatures or by the Congress are found to conflict with the federal constitution, these laws are to have no effect. Decisions by the Supreme Court over the course of two centuries have repeatedly confirmed and strengthened the doctrine of Constitutional supremacy, or the supremacy clause. Although the U.S. Constitution was motivated in no small part by elite mercantilists and financiers desire to minimize the political impact of non-owning classes and smallholding classes on elites property and prerogatives, the Constitution guarantees the legitimacy of the American state by invoking the American electorate. The people exercise authority through state actors both elected and appointed; some of these positions are provided for in the Constitution. State actors can change the fundamental law, if they wish, by amending the Constitution or, in the extreme, by drafting a new one. Different kinds of public officials have varying levels of limitations on their power. Generally, middle and other working class officials have extremely limited powers in American government. Their powers are merely discretionary. However, elite actors in government and certain departments like the military have fewShow MoreRelatedU.s. Government And Privacy Issues1366 Words   |  6 PagesIssues The American government exploits privacy for the purpose of looking for clandestine terrorists. This affects all the citizens that log in, and post updates on a daily basis, when in actuality a piece of their privacy is being sent to the United States Government. The US government has a very powerful and watchful eye, within the borders of the nation and the rest of the world. Privacy issues are no obstacle for Big Brother (U.S. Govt.). Privacy affects many facets of our daily lives; lesser