Knowing when to say, "when."

UNO is a wonderful game. At UNOtips.org, we believe that UNO can be enjoyed in moderation. But, like anything, too much is too much. If you suspect you're spending too much time playing UNO, trust your instincts or trust us. Answer these questions and then use the scoring system at the bottom of the page to find out if trouble is on the horizon.

UNO Abuse self-test

1. Do you spend more than five hours per day (or forty hours per week) playing UNO?

2. Do you hide UNO from any friends or family?

3. Do you find it difficult to stop after one or two games of UNO?

4. Have you done anything while playing UNO that you later regret?

5. Have you failed to keep a promise to yourself or a loved one because of UNO?

6. Do you take UNO to work?

7. Have you tried to play UNO while driving or operating heavy machinery?

8. In the last three months, have you spent more than 30% of your take-home pay on UNO training, coaching, or materials?

9. In the last six months, have you ever played UNO so late into the night that you had trouble focusing the next morning at work or at school?

10. Has a friend or loved one asked you to stop playing UNO?

Scoring your test

If you answered yes to three or fewer questions on this list, you're just crazy about UNO, and you've got nothing to worry about.

If you answered yes to between four and six questions, you're more than a little crazy about UNO, you're an UNO maniac. That's OK, but you need to do better self-monitoring. If you are an UNO professional, then you're just doing your job.

If you answered yes to seven to eight of the questions on this list, you really need to think about where your priorities are in life. Sure, UNO's great, but you can't ignore your family and friends, lose your job, and end up living in a van down by the river just because you love UNO so much. Here at UNOtips, we've seen this before and it isn't pretty. So tone it down.

If you answered yes nine or more questions, you're in trouble. There's no easy way to say this, so we'll give it to you straight. You need to take a break from UNO. Just don't play for a while. Stop coming to this site, put your forum membership on hold, and take some time to think about what you're doing. Get help if you can't stop on your own.

Remember, UNO is about balance. And if you've lost yours, you're not going to get any better and you're not going to have any fun. In fact, you might get yourself into trouble. So take it easy. Take a deep breath. You'll be OK.

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