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GAMBLING: Not your ordinary definition "Who's a gambler anyway?"
"Somebody has to win!" "Well, somebody has to win!" You've said that to yourself hundreds of times. You're right, somebody has to win. And, no doubt, you get bored stiff when some self-righteous person quotes you the odds of your being the one to win the really big jackpot. One in one hundred forty-two million. This is how that looks, 1 in 142,000,000. Those are about the odds of most of the state run lottery games. Yeah but! That's right, yeah but somebody has to win, one somebody out of every one hundred forty two million tickets sold. And when you buy the ticket, you know for sure this is the one. You are hot! You are on a roll! You just won on a scratch ticket last week. This is your time, no doubt about it. And it's only a buck. One lousy dollar. How can that hurt anyone? Well sometimes you buy a lot more than one ticket, but only when the jackpot is really big. Just to increase your chances, you tell yourself. The idea that you might have to share the BIG prize with several other people is not at all appealing to you. "Please God, if I'm going to win today, let me be the only one!" Of course there are those of you who join in all of the pools at work: baseball, football, basketball, even the pool on what the first number of the daily lottery draw will be. You are thinking that the odds of winning are a lot better in the pools, right? You've probably even won some. So how can anyone complain about your doing that? After all, a person has to have some fun in life! "How much is it costing?" You don't keep track of how much you spend on gambling. In fact, you probably don't think of it as gambling at all, just a little entertainment, a little harmless fun. But your spouse or significant other seems to always be complaining about it. Or maybe you are a little short at the end of every month, don't have enough to cover all of the expenses of living. Well, there's always the credit cards, for the "just in case" times like those. Do you know what the rate of interest is on those credit cards? No, of course you don't, why would you be bothered by such a detail. You don't even balance your checkbook, it's kind of a game to you. Who cares about details? The Casinos For those of you who do make the regular excursions to the casinos, and claim that you never lose more than you can afford to, let's have a little reality check here. The odds are not in your favor. But you insist that you have won more than you've lost. That it's a harmless form of entertainment. That everyone does it. And that today it's going to be different. The Market We'd better make mention of the stock market, too, for those of you who are waiting to make a "killing". The allure of a fortune just waiting to be collected is better than sex! Day trading on the internet is just the ticket. You don't even have to deal with people. Buy cheap. Hold for only a few hours. As soon as there is any movement, SELL!!! Just thinking about it gives you a rush. You're convinced that only the really smart ones like you can beat the odds here. You know the stories of the folks who've made a million in a couple of weeks. You've gotta spend money to make money. This is not for everyone. Sissies should keep out of this. Even if everyone at home is warning you to "be careful" that feeling in your gut is the one you want to pay attention to. You're Drunk That feeling, my friend, is the intoxication that comes with being involved with risky behavior. Like it or not you are intoxicated. Yup, drunk on your own brain chemicals. Your thinking is impaired. You are not even aware of it, but it's true. Your brain has poured a flood of neurotransmitters into you system as a result of your habitual state of excitement. You're hooked and there is no easy way to get unhooked. You have to stop. Give it up. Let go, before you lose it completely. If you are ready for help, or just want to find out how to get ready for help, email us at RecoveryCentral@aol.com or call us at 1.800.754.1452 for free initial consultation. It's absolutely confidential, and you'll be speaking with the best therapists who can help you in the Spirit of Recovery. Call today.
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So many of us think of the gambling addict at the track or at the casino, spending days on end chasing the elusive big win. And of course that is part of the picture. But the addict we are talking about here today, probably looks a lot like the person next door, or just like you. Buying the scratch tickets at the corner store, filling up your pockets with lottery tickets that promise instant mega wealth. You know just how you will spend the winnings. You've already seen dozens of folks on the television after they've won twenty, thirty, one hundred million dollars! Makes your heart pound just thinking about it.
