Is it better to avoid addiction in the first place by completely devoiding yourself of doing that activity instead of playing and getting addicted only to try and recover afterwards?
It makes sense when one wants to avoid being a gambling addict, they tend to avoid gambling. I agree that prevention is better than cure, but I think it is not applicable in all cases. Like, if one doesn't want to get fat do they have to avoid eating? If one doesn't want to get into a road accident, do they have to avoid streets? I think the best action for this is to deal with all things with caution. Have awareness and knowledge about anything we do, and be responsible enough to know the limit.
For me, gambling is neither bad nor good; it is up to the user on how they will make use of it. It can be both beneficial and harmful, so avoiding gambling at all may make someone miss some good experiences while obviously avoiding the possible self-inflicted harm.