Are you going overboard?

Drinking, eating, running and gambling all have one thing in common, that is you can get so hooked on them that they become obsessive negative endeavors instead of positively fun endeavors.

Obviously, a glass or two of wine at dinner, a cocktail or two at a party are enjoyable but if you become a stumbling drunk it isn't good for you — obviously. If you eat too much and become one of the hordes of heavies in this land of milk and lard, that too is not a good thing, as any doctor will tell you. Yes, there are even long-distance runners who have damaged their bodies so much that their doctors caution them to cut back or cut running out all together. I know one long-distance runner who damaged his kidneys with his crazy daily workouts.

Gambling, casino or otherwise, is now enjoyed by 54 million Americans, most of whom have it in complete control — they win some, they lose somewhat more. No big deal, it's the price of entertainment. Yet there are some gamblers who have taken their joy into the realm of the ridiculous.

Now, I am not speaking of the totally addicted gambler, one who ruins his/her life and relationships because of an insane urge to gamble his or her money away. These people are best handled by the clinical professions or the 12-step programs. Still, the clinically addicted gamblers make up only a small percentage of all gamblers.

No, the gamblers I am referring to are the ones who go a little too far, so that today they seriously regret what they did yesterday. No casino gambler likes to lose, and all casino gamblers feel bad when they do lose, agreed; but it goes with the territory. However, some gamblers have a tendency to allow the casino gambling experience to get the best of them. They play too long, bet too much and take losses that they really shouldn't take.

So how can you tell if you have a tendency to go overboard in the casinos? There are 10 telling signs that you have gone over the edge. Keep in mind: I am not talking about addicted gamblers here, just regular players who have taken a leap off the diving board that they shouldn't have.

1. You think to yourself, "The money I am betting could go to my heart operation!" In fact, if you think that the money you are wagering could be used for something else, then it should be used for something else. This thinking is a way for one part of your mind to tell the other part of your mind to reduce the amounts of your bets or to take a break.

2. You come back to your room (or you go back to your home) and your spouse or companion looks stunned and says, "You lost how much?" If you can shock someone who knows you so well, then you have obviously gone astray.

3. You go to the ATM or credit card machine to get more money to play with.

4. You ask for an increase in your casino credit because you used it all up.

5. You borrow money from a friend to play with.

6. You lie about how much you lost.

7. You claim you actually won money instead of lost money.

8. You start to bet more in order to win back everything you lost hoping to win a few big bets.

9. You start playing a game for which you have no idea of the strategy in order to hit one of that game's big payouts. Slot and video poker players will also do this by jumping to higher denomination machines hoping to hit a few big ones to come all the way back.

10. You want a comp and complain when you don't get the amount you want and you use as your reasoning, "But I lost this much!" Comps are not based on how much you lose but on how much you bet and how long you play. You can win and get a comp and you can lose and not get a comp.

If you fall into any one or more of these categories, you have to rein yourself in.

It's no fun playing casino games if doing so causes you to go on tilt.