Personally I think they are the same thing. Not all compulsive gamblers bet all the time. Some will binge, some will be a consistent amount day after day and others will chase and chase.
If there is a difference between CG's it's the level you go to. I crossed a line from a very early age and I've continued to cross more and more lines ever since but others will stop at their wages or their own level. Some take it further than I have and commit suicide. There's an old saying, "drink and drugs will kill you but with gambling you'll kill yourself".
The more you do it the less it becomes about the money. It becomes about feelings, about an inability to stop despite the ramifications of what you are doing, financially, legally and morally. It becomes an escape from the world or a jail from a good life.
As an illness it's progressive in its nature, meaning it gets worse, so if you feel you are not a problem gambler but can't control it, just think that it's waiting. You have a chance to stop now, which you are doing, without having to go through some of the things others have. You've made a great start, but if you start to doubt your illness it will never end well.
If you need to check your CG level, if there is such a thing, go to the GA website and look at the twenty questions in the orange book in the literature section.
There is nothing in this life that you can't get by not gambling, so why chase dreams which only end in nightmares for us anyway.
Chris.
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Chris as you say my friend they are both the same even if the bets 5yrs apart it's the point off where you'll allow it to take you
Chris you make some good points like you say they are definitely linked/the same.Â
I undertook the 20 questions quiz and answered 9 out of 20 as yes. Anything above 7 is considered a compulsive gambler so it's definitely confirmed that.Â
 I just hope I've started early enough to nip this in the bud before there is a more serious problem.Â
I would hate for this to take over my life completely and let it be what defines me.Â
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