Hi guys
Thought I would start a new topic as this is big! I was googling ways to stop gambling and came across a thread about someone living in the USA who gave up gambling because of health reasons.
He goes on to say that when you have a loss at gambling apart from the mental scars it leaves a lot of people also suffer physical ones too. This next bit is really scary. Your blood pressure can increases, your heart rate can increases, your chest could tighten up, you could have heart palpitations, your chances of a stroke, heart attack can increase as well as a load of other issues such as panic attacks etc.
Really woke me up as the person goes on to say that these can occur all of a sudden, so even if we haven't experienced them before after a loss, these above symptoms can just come on.
Still fancy a gamble anyone?
Shaun
As always we are trying to ration our mind when getting urges. Look at it this way, do we really want to participate in an activity that will give others a lifestyle we can only dream off, for instance private schooling, private health care, nice house, expensive holidays - the list just goes on.
Shaun
Hi Shaun,
I think that, whilst your posts make a lot of sense, they miss the mark when it comes to addiction.
Addiction cannot be rationalised, I think we ALL know that losses are inevitable but the fact that we are addicts mean we cannot stop despite our best knowledge (ironically, CG's probably know more about the gambling industry than most).
How many times have we all heard "There's only one winner", "You never see a broke bookmaker", "It's a mugs game" etc. We all know how dangerous, damaging and futile this addiction is but, sadly, it can't be beaten with common sense alone. We have to look at real, watertight measures which stop us feeding the addiction and slowly allow our brains to reprogramme. To say "gambling is bad and you shouldn't do it" is as futile as a "Drink Aware" advert or putting cigarettes behind a screen in the corner shop.
Information is useful but it's real, affirmative action that is required to start recovering from this addiction.
Phil
Hi Phil
Sometimes it's hard to put into words what one is thinking, but what I was getting at is if we think of our health and putting money into others pockets, then we may get distracted from that 'urge'.
Yes, you are quite right, addiction is the elephant in the room, just a bit of different thinking.
Shaun
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