Friday, February 09, 2007

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.