Symptoms of teenage gambling addict are obvious
As a mature Mohawk College student, as well as a parent, I was not shocked to see this article. I feel that because of the media, newspaper articles, and frequent television commercials, we should be prepared to deal with this gambling phenomenon. Even within the bathroom stalls at the college, posters warn students to take notice of their peers' activities, with catchy slogans such as: "Are your friends cutting class to cut cards?" Gambling is both a physiological and psychological dependence. Family and friends should recognize the symptoms, which are similar to those of substance abuse. The lack of money and sleep go hand in hand with the addiction, along with moodiness, isolation, late nights and endless excuses. Finally, grades are affected. With one in every three teens 15 to 17 gambling, it is up to us as a society to acknowledge these statistics and deal with the problem. What do we do? We should organize assemblies to address the issue with students. Parents and council members should draw up a petition that would make online gambling illegal, at least to the age of 21. At this age, the student should have the maturity to avoid this unhealthy activity. These students are the leaders of our future. Let's eliminate teenage gambling addictions and concentrate on the students' education.

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