Gambling is never a life or death situation, where you'll feel like making reckless decisions on your games is the only option you have. Every individual that is into gambling aims at winning; for me, that's enough to guide me against taking unnecessary risk.
Also, I don't play casino games, but I don't see anything wrong with them either. Time is a very important factor that decides what I do, and for how long I can keep doing it -- that's also another way to avoid getting into the game at the wrong time. Someone said "learning lessons from other people's previous experiences" is also a way to avoid making silly mistakes, I agree with him.
I have become an addict in the past and that alone is a big lesson for me because I learned by experience. After coming out from addiction, I don't gamble for profits anymore, but for fun. Those gamblers that are gambling for profit will end up regretting their actions in the long run because they might get addicted and lose almost all what they've to gamble.