Quote from: The Pharmacist on March 27, 2018, 04:37:28 PM

Quote from: sirenmoon on March 26, 2018, 04:57:01 PM

lying, manipulation, selfishness, egocentricity, immaturity, insensibility, irresponsibility, negative attitude towards authorities.

These stuck out to me, because I see these ugly traits daily in my job with substance abusers--and gambling can go hand in hand with that, though not a lot of the people I see are problem gamblers. But I think the basic disorder is much the same and produces a lot of the same effects. When you've got an addiction, your brain adapts and does everything it can to protect the addiction, and part of that is isolating emotionally from people who are going to try to *force* you to get help. That's usually your loved ones. So problem gamblers have to do a lot of lying, manipulating, cheating, stealing, and everything else that substance abusers do. Plus for whatever reason they feel like they're gods in their own heads.

Decent thread, OP. There are probably at least 200 people who are already members here who should read this. But just like with the alcoholic, it likely won't help anyway. When you've had enough, you (and only you) have had enough. There aren't enough words or love in the world that'll be enough to get you to stop until you're ready.

Quote from: Rinsend on March 27, 2018, 04:29:11 PM

They think that gambling can give fun and quick income.

I would argue that gambling is fun at first, and it can give you "quick income" but that it morphs into something else entirely after you cross the line into problem gambling. Even drugs and alcohol start off fun. If they weren't, there wouldn't be problems with addiction.

it can happen to anyone from any walk of life: Your gambling goes from a fun, harmless diversion to an unhealthy obsession with serious consequences. Whether you bet on sports, scratch cards, roulette, poker, or slots in a casino, at the track, or online a gambling problem can strain your relationships, interfere with work, and lead to financial disaster. You may even do things you never thought you would, like running up huge debts or even stealing money to gamble. Although it can feel like youre unable to stop, there are plenty of things you can do to overcome a gambling problem, repair your relationships and finances, and finally regain control of your life.