I have come to the conclusion that I am a compulsive gambler. I don't know what it is about it, but whenever i have money on a sporting event there is a kind of rush that I get...if I win I feel good after words, however that soon passes and I need to gamble again. If I lose, I immediately want to get my money back and become angry at myself for betting. I bet only on Sports such as baseball/nfl/football. I must have lost over £5000 in the last year. The funny thing is I hear about people being "responsible" gamblers. i don't believe that exists. All gambling is evil and ruins you I believe...and even if you can some how limit what you gamble you WILL at one point increase the wagers. I started off small, but the wagers increased as i made money/lost money. I tried limiting myself and betting "units" bet the rush was just not there. If I bet small amounts I would win small amounts...that just did not satisfy my urge.
I end up hating myself because of it.
So today is a new day. I have decided I am never going to gamble again. I am going to defeat this evil inside me.
Well.... those are strong opinions which I agree with somewhat, but I think that your point about responsible gamblers needs clarification.
Whilst most of the posters on here, myself included, ARE compulsive gamblers, there is a massive section of society classed as 'social gamblers'. These people CAN gamble in moderation and will probably always gamble in moderation.
Just like there are people who can drink one glass of wine a night and stop at that, there are also alcoholics who cannot. Simply because these people start by drinking one glass, we can't automatically assume that they will eventually become irresponsible drinkers. It's just not true in most cases.
The same is of course true of gamblers.
You are right in what you say about yourself though, I'm sure. You and I cannot EVER gamble responsibly - it's just not an option for us any more. We've gone beyond that point and can never go back to being 'normal people' when it comes to gambling.
Hope you're doing ok and have managed to stick your your promise to yourself about not gambling. Good luck.
Personally I’ve lossed thousands on different occasions in one sitting I came out 4K down and the chase is what made the amount spiral mixed at points where the chase actually somehow brings you back the money your loosing Sometimes is the catch you never know when it will or won’t it’s not luck it’s called trickery part of the cycle you end up back feeling you can fight if your down and what do you know it took it all . Well I hounestly can’t deal with the sleepless nights loss of appetite feeling like a failure wasted pay checks and unpaid bills got to see it for what it is a complete shambles. we are the reason why they are open for business . we gotta find our self values worth this distroys Jobs relationships your future but most of all yourself . what a mess
We all need to get together when we are feeling low or to have a flutter have a selected activity we do to escape this and we need to understand this is a recovery basis for our alterior motives .. what more is it gonna take . Solution time ,
Bagpuss wrote: Well.... those are strong opinions which I agree with somewhat, but I think that your point about responsible gamblers needs clarification.
I dont agree with this. Alcohol and gambling are two opposites. The first one is that when you buy alcohol you actually buy something with your money. Second one is that gambling is indefinitely more expensive than alcohol. Chemicals released in the brain is massive when gambling. Its taboo to talk about money, so the amounts of people having gambling problems is way bigger than statistics show. We feel less embarassment confessing to have an alcohol problem than a gambling one. Gambling is the most devastating addiction of them all. I would like to have any other addiction than gambling addiction.
Have you never thought about why the ones who gamble for their first time always comes out on top? Its because they can actually walk away with winnings. Thats why we always hear stories telling that their first time playing and winning got them into it. This is a factor in why gambling hooks EVERYONE who plays. Its inevitable.Whilst most of the posters on here, myself included, ARE compulsive gamblers, there is a massive section of society classed as 'social gamblers'. These people CAN gamble in moderation and will probably always gamble in moderation.
Just like there are people who can drink one glass of wine a night and stop at that, there are also alcoholics who cannot. Simply because these people start by drinking one glass, we can't automatically assume that they will eventually become irresponsible drinkers. It's just not true in most cases.
The same is of course true of gamblers.
You are right in what you say about yourself though, I'm sure. You and I cannot EVER gamble responsibly - it's just not an option for us any more. We've gone beyond that point and can never go back to being 'normal people' when it comes to gambling.
Hope you're doing ok and have managed to stick your your promise to yourself about not gambling. Good luck.
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