It's true that we can learn from other people's experiences without having to go through their own painful experiences. But the problem is that sometimes people find it difficult to realize this until they experience it themselves, and perhaps that's what makes it difficult for them to receive advice and suggestions.
I've also been in a terrible situation due to gambling before, which could be described as a chronic addiction. What's worse, I often used loans to finance my gambling, including selling some of my belongings. Yes, you can probably guess that ultimately, I experienced a lot of financial problems, especially being in debt to the point of mortgaging my house. It was only then that I realized it and fixed everything.