caboblanco

yeah but if he was a real card counter he should of been making money and a lot. Is it still an addiction if you make a yourself a millionaire out of gambling like professional poker players and blackjack card counters?

jaynie04

He did make a lot....I don't want to go into too much detail because it was his story, but it created a lot of drama and havoc, and he was one of the smart guys who was able to realize he had a problem, and get out while he was ahead. But his story wasn't a lot different than a lot of ours, it involved family, friends, shame, regret, highs, lows, that "just one more time" feeling, or "how will I live without it feeling".

I don't know much about gambling (well, I was a trader on Wall St. for over a decade so maybe I do..), but I related a lot to his story because the feelings were the same...

FreddyBear

This is powerful and true. I was talking about the same, it's loss that creates the rush, or a tough win when your team scores a decising ball in a last second. When you are a beginner, you get the rush from the wins. But as a "seasoned" gambler I must say that I'm not happy about the wins, but big loss creates powerful negative emotions. This is really sick. For a long time there was nothing more pleasant than placing bets on a few matches and watch them while sipping a beer.

Btw, there is a fresh film in a movie theater today: Runner-Runner (2013)

Whiterhino24

I have been betting football for about 7 years now and I learned early that its all about bank roll management. Now I couldn't manage my drinking but I am able to manage my bank roll very well. I don't know what the difference is for me but I love the thrill of the game.

kadidee

I went to a lot of G.A. meetings when I first got out, and the oldtimers used to talk about the addiction to 'being in the action'. But I don't think I necessarily felt a rush when I lost big--my initial reaction was fear and sick to my stomach that I might not make bills. But I'd get a rush from making a plan to win it back, and would start with small bets and then bet higher as I got more desperate. Lose even more, start small again, repeat. I couldn't see at the time how crazy it was making me.

Nuudawn

My dad is a compulsive gambler. He was an accountant who managed to put away a half a million for retirement. He gambled all my life. I thought it was normal for a man to drive over an hour into the city 3 or 4 times a week after work to "play the ponies". In all honestly, I was delighted when he went because he wasn't at home miserable raging at me if I made a noise or looked at him funny. He kinda kept somewhat control of it whilst still working but once he retired...he blew all the money and his marriage to my mother (a classic codependent who kept all the family ducks in a row).

I grew up with a man either short tempered from jonesing for a fix or hating himself for being a slave to something he didn't have control over.

Behavioral or substance addictions all come from the same place. I highly recommend a book called "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" where the author (and doctor) compares his classical music addiction to the skid row addicts he treats. When in his addiction, he was as absent from his life as any substance induced high.

My dad is a gambler and I am an alcoholic. I am the apple that fell from his tree and did my best to survive in his bushel.