Gamblingzzz

[binghampton]

I assume most of you can relate to an addiction of some sort. I have a drinking problem, a debatable drug problem at times but my worst addiction is gambling. I go to meetings every weeks and they sometimes help. But recently I played again and I lost the hatred. It is easy (for me atleast) to stay away from my vices when theres a reason like family or someone has asked you. But with gambling everyone thinks I am doing good again and has left me alone for a while. Needless to say I lapsed some three months ago and have been playing on and off again. I have 2 months before I am moving away and hopefully starting a new life. I was given a check to pay for school. The moment it was transferred into my account I said Im getting a gst check ill take a bit double and it and cash out. Well that double turned into me blowing my whole gst check plus some. Now I don't have rent and am in the self loathing period. I never feel like killing myself because of gambling strangely enough no matter how low I sink.

Anyways I fucked up once again and hopefully I won't spend any more of this school check trying to get out. Just felt like venting.... thanks guys

 

[ech0s85]

what do you play?

 

[binghampton]

I go in with a clear head and an idea to play omaha hu online. After I loose my first few buyins I am either going to go to the highest game possible with the money I have or start playing roullette or blackjack. I used to be alright but now I have way to much gamble and I play for money that matters. Oh well I'm sure everyone thinks there good from time to time

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hey mate, sorry to hear about your gambling problem. I don't have a gambling addiction but I am addicted to alcohol, so I'm familiar with the addiction process and associated emotions. It's not fun

So you go to the meetings every week, that's great. Are you getting any one-on-one counselling? What else have you tried? Perhaps it's time to let your loved ones know that you're struggling again, so they can provide the support you need to stay away from gambling.

 

[RedLeader]

I go in with a clear head and an idea to play omaha hu online. After I loose my first few buyins I am either going to go to the highest game possible with the money I have or start playing roullette or blackjack. I used to be alright but now I have way to much gamble and I play for money that matters. Oh well I'm sure everyone thinks there good from time to time

Gambling is something that it's possible to taper (well in theory...my theory ). Meaning that you can just work your way down to playing games with (1) require less money and (2) take more time. Sure, you can walk into a casino (IRL or online) and put a ton of money on roullette. BUT THE ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU. I'm sure you know this. "Vegas wasn't built on winners" and such. You're probably doing it for the thrill, and just associate the thrill with higher stakes. Fair enough.

Man, I love to gamble. I do, either playing cards with friends or playing games in a casino. But I've always managed to keep it under control by either playing low-stakes poker or playing nickel 'n dime machines at casinos. I can be entertained and have a lot of fun for $50 in a night easily (assuming I lose it all). But gambling for fun should be done with the established notion that like a drug, you're paying to have fun. You're not paying to become wealthy.

If you want to gamble and make money, you gotta pretty much suck it up and study a game exhaustively and ease your way in. The only real way to make money gambling (other than coincidence) is by playing smart, slow and methodical...and that really takes a lot of the addictive rush out of it. It then feels more like a job.

The other thing that alarms me here is that you speak of having problems with alcoholism and drug use. These things, when mixed with gambling, create DISASTEROUS SITUATIONS. Gambling when drunk is a horrible idea, both because you're willing to spend more money and your not on the top of your mental game.

That chance of winning big is just not worth the (greater) chance of slowly throwing your life away. It's not, man. Gambling should either be done for fun every now and then (not expecting to win) or professionally with the monetary responsibility of someone picking stocks or whatnot. The gray area between is very dangerous.

Surprising there aren't more gambling addicts on BL, but trust me you're not alone in this addiction. It's good that you're seeking help and it's good that you know it's problematic for you. I wish you the best at dealing with this. Keep us updated.

 

[Mr Blonde]

^ That's interesting your idea on tapering down with gambling, I've never heard of something like that before and I think it could help the OP.

 

[Draigan]

I'm having a really hard time understanding this one. Let me get this straight, you think you are going to make money at gambling? Nobody wins fuck all at gambling. House always wins in the end.

Why don't you just take your money and put it in a fire. I mean, this makes even less sense to man than drinking or drugs because it has no reward at all.

I dunno man. Maybe a good solution to your problem would be to smarten up!
Why burn money? Especially when u dont have it!!

 

[Bojangles69]

I thought tapering was just for physical withdrawals. I mean unless the mental rebound of not gambling is gonna make you kill yourself, it may be a bit overkill.

But I do agree with "vegas wasn't built on winners", and that the odds are against him. Thats the number 1 reason why I've never gambled in my life. Well I have, I've bought prob about 2 scratch offs my whole life. I don't even enjoy doing that.

My father most likely has a gambling disease. But hes controlled it his whole life. I've never seen him get out of control and hes done it everyday online for like that last however many years (when njbets.com opened up) and before that he just use to go to the track everyday. Hes never lost a piece of property, and he only spends a really small amount everyday. I'm prob the only one in my family who would call it an "addiction", it is under control so its more like an everyday hobby. All he does is not get out of control. However, he is addicted to food. I mean it may be possible to find an addiction in everbody. I'm not sure what my point is.

Just be easy on yourself and its not the end of the world. You CAN control yourself if you set your mind to it.

 

[RedLeader]

@ Draigan: Not to play Devil's Advocate, but if you took someone with an itching for dope and gave him X dollars...and he had a 55% chance of coming home with sugarpowder and a 45% chance of coming back with fire from a perfectly reliable and safe source, which should have been street-valued around 2X...you're telling me that he's going to smarten up and not take that risk? Assuming his contact can only supply X-quality dope on average and he's not a total (physical) addict...I think plenty would take the gamble.

"House wins in the end" just like more people come back with sugar, but a good percentange will come back with fire. Some people'd take a risk for fire at the chance of nothing at all. It's just a different kind of risk.

A different risk per se, but akin to being robbed in a drug-deal, being sold bunk product, etc. Yes, risk > reward in the gambling case, but then again playing in a casino isn't like going into the ghetto either...

Totally different type of addiction, sure, but just my best analogy.

 

[Wizzle]

I've never quite understood gambling, I think too rational for it. The only games that could earn you money are the ones that require skill, like poker. I also suck at that, because I probably have ADD.

I know guys who play roulette and look at the previous numbers, because they believe those numbers are less likely to fall again, it's so fucking stupid. Also, winnings are a lot more easily spend then 'earned' money. Seems like lot's of peeps blow it on coke or another doc.

I guess I can rationally understand the risk taking and the rush that gives, which is supposedly the mechanism behind gambling addiction. Looks like RedLeader gave some solid advice on it.

 

[Draigan]

RL - I see it more like someone has some dope, some good dope, but if they are willing to gamble that dope on a 50-50 bet they might get some extremely amazing dope. However, the junky is extremely sick so if he loses he gonna be hurting.

I don't think any junkies would take that risk. Its just not worth the possibility that you lose.

I like the idea of seeing gambling as a thing you do to have fun, not win money. Cuz you aint gonna win any money.

 

[DMFNR]

I took me a long time to understand things like gambling, sex, food, and other not drug related addictions too. I always figured why would I go risk some money on a slight chance that I can make more when I can just got spend that money for some instant gratification? Then I started working to kick my heroin addiction and at the same time I met someone who was a gambling addict. It all started to kind of make sense after comparing my struggles to his own. Every drug that feels good is activating the reward circuit in your brain, the same circuit that lights up when you bust a huge load after sex/masturbating. When a gambler wins a game, it lights up that same circuit. So no, a gambling addict isn't physically dependent, but they are very much psychologically addicted in the exact same way a heroin addict is. After experiencing physical withdrawal, it's a lot harder for a person to see how powerful a psychological addiction is due to the suffering that is gone through during physical withdrawal; the psychological aspect (the thing that made us come back to opiates again and again in the first place, before we were dependent) seems so insignificant. Once we finally make it through the sickness, we realize that the head game is really the hardest one to play. That puts gambling addiction pretty much on par with anything else you can get addicted to, in fact psychological cravings can manifest themselves as very real physical symptoms. A gambler may seek a game in the same way a junkie craves a shot. Heroin withdrawal would be no worse than some wicked cold/flu/food poisoning combo without the psychological effects. Sure we might talk about that wicked bad flu we had that put us on our ass for two weeks, but it wouldn't be the absolutely horrid searing despair that is opiod detox.

That's just a simplistic breakdown of it. Who knows all of the brains systems that are activated in gambling or sex or whatever else that our flawed human brains will throw a shit fit without.