Dear Abby: I can’t enable my aunt’s gambling habit anymore

Greetings, Abby

How should I deal with an older relative who is addicted to gambling? There are casinos in the town where I live. She lives four hours away in another state. She frequently calls to ask to stay with me, to use my house when I’m traveling, and so on.

She called me a year ago because she was out of control and needed help getting banned from gambling in her home state. She views me as her gambling retreat because she can no longer gamble where she lives, cannot afford a hotel, and travels to towns with casinos.

I’ve mentioned that my place is small and that I share a room with someone. Since I’m health conscious, I have no interest in having someone who spends hours at a craps table at my house, and I simply cannot host her. She refuses to give up! Is cutting off contact with her my only choice? I’m not wagering on her.

NOT BETTING, DEAR:

One way is to screen her phone calls. The alternative is to keep saying that you have a roommate and your space is too small to accommodate her. Then urge her to take up another pastime. She might quit asking you and find another enabler if you do.

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Abigail Van Buren, better known as Jeanne Phillips, is the author of Dear Abby. Her mother, Pauline Phillips, began the company. For more information, visit www.DearAbby.com or send an email to P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

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Abby’s Favorite Recipes and More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby are two books that contain over 100 of her favorite recipes. Please send a check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds) to Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447, along with your name and postal address. (The price includes shipping and handling.)

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