poker has not brought me problems, it has been like an extra part-time job for many years.
Poker is the rare exception in gambling (for some of the players):
A small percentage of people who play poker can honestly say they make a large profit.
Around 5-10% make sizable profits after the rake, while up to 30% can say they are somewhat profitable. The rest are either struggling to get a hold of the psychological side of the game or are constant losers by default.
That's also the tricky part: the professional poker players get all the attention, and anyone who joins thinks they'll make it there. In reality, most of them will lose, and if they lose to other players that means that loss for them comes on top of the house edge.