GAMBLING ADDICTION

Alvez11

Hi so i'm very aware Sky promote safe gambling so they will be in full support of this chat. Who wants to begin the conversation?

stokefc

have you spoke to your family ?
hope every things alright mate
im probably being an idiot here apols if i am

NoseyBonk

Alvez11 said:

Hi so i'm very aware Sky promote safe gambling so they will be in full support of this chat. Who wants to begin the conversation?

Aren't you beginning the conversation?

kapowblamz

You're starting a conversation without saying anything. Who's got a gambling problem? Or are we just talking about people in general?

stokefc

kapowblamz said:

You're starting a conversation without saying anything. Who's got a gambling problem? Or are we just talking about people in general?

thats what i should,ve said

kapowblamz

Fwiw, I think I probably do have a gambling addiction but at the same time I think I bet sharp and within my bankroll i.e. it's not a problem and as luck would have it I'm definitely in profit regarding sports betting and horse racing. I had an epic World Cup on the exchanges.

If I lose a good sum and then bet again, chasing, I always time out for a week. It's a super slippery slope and I imagine lives are ruined by the minute in the UK alone.

AKAscotty

I will start ...I have an addiction to gambling , but its not a problem the bills get paid first , I use to bet on almost everything until I stared playing poker, poker for me is a slow release drug and on a good night I get many hours out of it unlike dog racing that is over in 30 secs, did cost me a wife though......... so there is always positives to be taken from gambling as well!

Alvez11

Heres my view since becoming a professional player. I don't loose long term playing poker so the more I gamble, the more money I make. Did I turn my problem into a career or am I hiding an addiction?

stokefc

a controlled addiction maybe is that possible

tomgoodun

stokefc said:

a controlled addiction maybe is that possible

Hi Sean.

By the very nature of addiction it’s out of your control, it can lead to a downward spiral and anyone who admits to having a problem has taken the first step and needs professional help.

Gambling addiction can ruin relationships, lives, and lead on to other addictions, be it substance or alcohol, sometimes overlapping., the fact that an initial monetary gain seems somehow worth it is not facing the underlying issue which needs to be dealt with.

There are a lot of online help tools, I would highly recommend a visit to the gp in the first instance who should be able to point anyone with a problem in the right direction.

kapowblamz

Alvez11 said:

Heres my view since becoming a professional player. I don't loose long term playing poker so the more I gamble, the more money I make. Did I turn my problem into a career or am I hiding an addiction?

You play in games that you know are +ev for you and therefore in the long run you will make money there. You are sharp to do so and for most people in that situation they would do exactly the same thing if they were offered it, whether they had ever gambled or not.

Whether you're addicted to gambling or not is an entirely different story.

Alvez11

How do I know if I’m addicted to gambling or not ?

kapowblamz

Alvez11 said:

How do I know if I’m addicted to gambling or not ?

If you spend more than you can afford on a regular basis placing bets on events that are likely not +ev for you.

Alvez11

I am a winning poker player and I don’t gamble much outside of poker

tomgoodun

Alvez11 said:

How do I know if I’m addicted to gambling or not ?

I guess the easy questions are....
Can you stop?
Do you want to stop?
Is gambling affecting anything in your life?

UweRosler2

Subtle Brag?

If you're a professional player and only playing in games you know you are beating then you are a workaholic not a gambling addict.

kapowblamz

UweRosler2 said:

Subtle Brag?

If you're a professional player and only playing in games you know you are beating then you are a workaholic not a gambling addict.

Ye this is entirely obvious so does make you wonder what inspired alvez to make this thread or if there was any point being made specifically.

Alvez makes money playing poker. Alvez doesn't gamble much outside of that. Alvez starts thread alluding to possible gambling addiction. I'm guessing he must be asking on someone else's behalf.

benc

Often wondered whether some of the guys who are utterly obsessed with the game but became huge winners as a result of that are essentially degenerate gamblers who found a way to make money from the obsessive tendencies that arise as a result of being an addict. I will get an urge of 'needing' to play poker if i don't play for a little while, but i can control it and recognise it and step away from the game to do other things without any issues, so wouldn't define myself as an addict. Feels like a decent amount of poker players would generally fall closer to the addict end on a spectrum than non addict as it's a game that does tap into all the emotional and physiological reactions that lead people to becoming gambling addicts or could quite easily tap into an underlying problem that was already there from other forms of gambling. It's a hard one to answer generally i think.

fwiw i actually disagree with the notion of it being a non addiction just because you're +ev in games. If two guys play like 18 hours a day neglect doing other things, can't step away from the tables, struggle to do other things without thinking they need to be playing etc then essentially whether they are winning or losing they quite possibly both have an addiction. It's just easier to justify the unhealthy behaviours related to addiction when someone is winning but that doesn't mean all the tendencies of addiction suddenly can be defined as being a workaholic, otherwise you can essentially call the guy losing in the games playing 18 hours a day a workaholic rather than an addict as well, they're both exhibiting the same addictive behaviour.

I think it's entirely possible to be a winning player and a gambling addict, if you prioritise poker over everything else in life, if you feel like you can't enjoy other parts of life without feeling like you have to be at the tables etc etc. I'd imagine the only way you'd know for sure is if you could avoid playing poker and it not be a huge issue/ lead to relapse type of behaviour like having a week off but needing a quick fix " will just play a couple games" just see whose at the tables etc. As a winning player it's easy to justify alot of unhealthy behaviours to yourself purely because you're making money by doing it.

Alvez11

I think addiction is one of those words that means something personal to everyone. Not that everyone struggles with it but that the actual word has a different meaning to me than it will you. However, there will be a correlation between our definitions.

I came to this post not knowing if i'm addicted to gambling and I expect to leave it in the same way, its just an interesting topic to explore!

I think if you have a strong view that you are or aren't an addict you should question that thought. To be able to not delude yourself is such a good skill. No-one will read this and think, 'oh I'm deluded' and if you did your likely to be incredibly intelligent.

kapowblamz

I think that holds true for more than gambling. Sometimes I feel like everybody is deluded about everything mainly because of modern media.

nickd49931

kapowblamz said:

Alvez11 said:

Heres my view since becoming a professional player. I don't loose long term playing poker so the more I gamble, the more money I make. Did I turn my problem into a career or am I hiding an addiction?

You play in games that you know are +ev for you and therefore in the long run you will make money there. You are sharp to do so and for most people in that situation they would do exactly the same thing if they were offered it, whether they had ever gambled or not.

Whether you're addicted to gambling or not is an entirely different story.

lol