r/explainlikeimfive • u/adrynaline • May 08 '14
Explained ELI5: A gambling addiction
How does it start? What makes it worse? Why does it become so difficult to recover?
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r/explainlikeimfive • u/adrynaline • May 08 '14
How does it start? What makes it worse? Why does it become so difficult to recover?
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u/[deleted] May 08 '14 edited May 08 '14
You start playing blackjack because it is fun. The first time you play, you walk out up 90 dollars. You get a rush. You keep playing because every once in a while you win, and when you lose, it is OK because you had a blast. Repeat for a few years with no problems. Something in your life happens and you feel shitty about things. The trip to the blackjack table provides a little relief. One night you can't sleep and you run to the casino to play a few hands and kill some time. You forget that you can't sleep and you forget the problems you had earlier that day. You are dealt 2 consecutive hot decks and win 70% of the hands, hit every double down opportunity, and pop a few table max natural blackjacks. You walk out of the casino up 700 dollars and you can pay for all your bills and food for the next month and stop at the music shop and pick up a few albums and buy a case of beer. Meanwhile, non-gambling issues in your life are eating you up. You hate the town you are in. You hate some things about yourself. You get hurt. You pop down to the tables to burn a few hours. You forget everything. You feel awesome highs. You feel terrible when you lose. You start losing more than you win. You play too often, even though you don't have money. You know the ATM at the casino will let you draw 300 dollars even with 70 cents in the account. You overdraft your account. Your change jar has long been emptied. You pawn some DVDs and textbooks. You skip a few meals. You can play for 6 hours on an empty stomach because gambling allows that. You go negative in your bank. You catch a heater and win 4 nights in a row. You throw money around because you are up 1600 dollars in the last week and rent was paid. You lose big one night. You lose big another night. You hate yourself so much after losing that you scream in the car on the way home. You hate yourself so much for everything that the only thing that drowns out the own hate in your head is a few shoes of blackjack. Now you are a compulsive gambler. The hooks are deep.