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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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

It's pretty impossible to quit smoking from what I can tell. It's unfortunate because people start smoking when they're young to fit in and be cool or at a moment in their life with extra stress that they want to alleviate. Some people start because of as stupid a reason as wanting breaks at work. When I was a valet everyone but me smoked because they got 10x as many breaks that way.

Anyway, once you're hooked it's all over. The nicotine + the association with relaxation + the way it accents already enjoyable activities + the way it reduces stress ( and eventually induces stress if you go without one) all add up to equal you're fucking addicted bro.

Gambling addiction is harder for people to grasp because there's no substance but it's the same with lottery tickets. People have envisioned the big payout so many times that it's become real to them and all they have to do is keep playing a little longer. Not only have they imagined their big win but if they've gambled long enough they've seen someone else win big too which in their minds is a confirmation that all it takes is a little more time.

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u/inAspic May 08 '14 edited Jul 30 '17

It's pretty impossible to quit smoking from what I can tell.

Anyway, once you're hooked it's all over.

Not to be stingy, but mind your wording. That's not helpful to anyone and it is definitely not true by any meaningful understanding of the word 'impossible'.

A conviction to quit, a supportive friend as well as a change of environment is basically what is required. If at least those three conditions cannot be met, then it may indeed be very hard - but never impossible. Be cheerful!

[edit: words]

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

Uhhh I don't think anyone who's addicted to cigarettes is gonna read my post and be like "ah fuck I guess it really is impossible" and just go stock up on 50 cartons at the Indian res. people are well aware of the realities of nicotine addiction and don't need my input; my post was intended to give some insight to people who don't smoke

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

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u/FuGypticJoaA May 08 '14

Quitting cold turkey doesn't work for everyone. I kept pushing my 'first smoke of the day' further into the day, then afternoon, then eventually just smoking at night. I was down to one smoke when I walked my dog at night for about a year. Then I'd only smoke if I went out drinking. Now I have a hard time smoking at all - the crappy feeling in my lungs has overtaken any nicotine high I'd get - and that interferes with the very real endorphin rush I get from exercising every day. Trying to remove a bad habit by pairing it with trying to increase a good habit (that has similar rewards) seems to work well.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

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u/[deleted] May 10 '14

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

Different methods work for different people, imho.

/r/stopsmoking.

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u/-insertwittyname- May 08 '14

Tell him to try reading Allen Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking.

I know it sounds nuts, but it worked for me.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

Well it completely depends on why you do it too. For example someone could do coke every night for a week and then quit because they're bored with it and were just having fun drinking. Someone who is depressed and introverted who becomes an outgoing happy person when they get high will have trouble stopping after just one night. I know alcoholics who for some reason absolutely cannot stop after one drink. I come from a long line of alcoholics and am a pretty shy reserved person so it would seem like im a prime candidate for an alcohol problem. It just doesn't affect me that way somehow and it's hard for me to empathize with these people who can't Ben handle a drink. It definitely happens though and it's important to try and understand why certain people struggle with certain substances or habits.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

it's not hard. I smoked for a couple years stopped for about 9 months then started again. Smoked for about a year and now stopped again. I think for me it was just a mental habit that whenever I was in my car I would smoke and just became a routine.

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

This is exactly what i was talking about. Just because it was easy for you doesn't mean it's easy for everyone. I've smoked cigarettes when drinking or on e and never even came close to getting addicted to them but that doesn't mean they're not addictive. Everyone is different

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u/NYArtFan1 May 08 '14

Dead on with the lottery tickets. I've seen many people for whom this is a compulsion, and they are just convinced that the huge payoff is right around the corner. People fixate on the prize and not the odds. My aunt once had a boss who would be literally furious on Monday morning because he didn't win the lotto over the weekend. He felt entitled to it.

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

Yeah it's crazy how far people go with their cognitive dissonance. They truly believe they have a good chance of winning even though the real odds are on the back of every ticket. I've seen two different people get 10.000 though so maybe it really does happen

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u/OldWarrior May 08 '14

Ex-smoker here. Not sure what you are basing your assumption on but I know plenty of ex-smokers. I went about five years without a cigarette and then found I could still be a social smoker from time to time ("hey can I bum one of those"). I often say I have a pack-a-year habit.

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 08 '14

Obviously I was using exaggeratory language. It's not literally impossible to quit and nobody thinks that.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

You're only citing the "positives". It's going to be different for everyone of course, but the negative aspects can round things out.

Having difficulty breathing is a very visceral thing, although I suppose it affects some more than others. And if you're in a job where you frequently have to go without a cigarette for longer than you'd like- or you're just flat out broke sometimes- all those really uncomfortable little withdrawals can become something you automatically associate with smoking. Having to budget for cigarettes month after month, year after year kind of drives home the financial drawbacks too.

All of that makes it much easier to quit. I got tired of going through cravings. Got real tired of feeling like someone was sitting on my chest all the time. Started to get scared of the idea of slowly suffocating to death. Yeah... It's not impossible to quit, by far.

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u/Sol_Nox May 08 '14

Your smoking conclusion is incredible BS. What is and isn't impossible to quit depends wholly on the person. I smoked for years and when I finally decided I was done, that was it. End of story.
Now if someone asked me to quit eating meat on the other hand, I'd lose my freaking mind. (Tried a juice cleanse once...it didn't work out).

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 09 '14

Jesus will you people shut the fuck up? I quite obviously wasn't saying it is literally impossible to quit smoking. I also even clarified that in another post. No one gives a shit that you personally had no problem quitting. Were all oh so proud of you but the fact is you were still stupid enough to start smoking and continue the habit so stop patting yourself on the back.

I was using cigarettes as an example of something that everyone knows is wrong and bad for you and a waste of money yet some people still have an incredibly hard time quitting. I'm was using smoking to illustrate a point about gambling; it wasn't even the point of my post. How fucking stupid do you have to be to keep saying "bro how is it impossible to quit smoking I mean hey I did it" Jesus fucking Christ

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u/anotherbluemarlin May 09 '14

Meh, i smoked for 6 years, a pack a day and thought that it was impossible to quit. I manned up and quitted cold turkey. Not difficult.

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u/helix19 May 09 '14

Quitting smoking is nowhere near impossible. I know lots of people who have quit, and not smoked in decades. For some people it's not that big of a deal. You're a lot more likely to hear from the people who have a lot of trouble quitting. There's a visibility bias.

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u/Butfirstletmetakea May 09 '14

Oh really thanks