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GAMBLING ADDICTION
Alvez11
Member Posts: 23
in Poker Chat
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?
Comments
hope every things alright mate
im probably being an idiot here apols if i am
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.
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.
Whether you're addicted to gambling or not is an entirely different story.
Can you stop?
Do you want to stop?
Is gambling affecting anything in your life?
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.
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.
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.
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.
lol