I think we all have some experience where we gamble more frequently at some point in our lives. I guess it's safe to say, that is the point where we can consider we got addicted to gambling. Luckily, we were able to overcome it as we are able to minimize our gambling urges now as we grow old having a lot of financial responsibilities.
That is the kind of gambling addiction that are within our control.
Gambling becomes a problem when we lose control of ourselves. Although I have not been addicted before, I can't feel the real situation of being addicted. But I believe we still can overcome that situation if we are committed to change. I understand it was not too easy, but we can still do it. Perhaps we don't need an instant change.
We need to put in our minds the consequences of gambling. That is why we should not focus on gambling to avoid getting hooked on addiction. Gambling is full of temptation, and if we let this happen, that will surely bring us to disaster.
You are right, when self control starts to slip gambling can be a big problem. We cannot really compare what it feels like to be stuck in it, but this does not imply that we should wait until we find ourselves at the bottom, to experience that. This is where we come in trying to prevent it before it is too late. As long as we are able to instill the fear of the adverse consequences, the likelihood of not being caught up becomes bigger.
There are cases when temptation is more powerful than logic at least when we feel lucky. However, when we simply leave it on this way, pleasure borders with annihilation. I think that all people can be transformed just provided that they have the guts to say that they are bad and they need to change. We cannot suddenly change our lives to a better one but we need to have the strength to say enough and be counted on before it is too late.