Just read the whole thread, really interesting stuff, gambling really is a drug after all ... Keep it up man!!Originally Posted by Regul8er
22 Days Gentlemen! Every day gets a little bit easier.
Pabst.....your not lying pal. I think you could live a much healthier life being addicted to 90% of drugs then being addicted to gambling. Thankfully I don't do drugs and rarely drink....or things would be brutal.
Ive made it to 29 days. One more day, I've hit a month. Not too shabby!
I just clicked on this thread to see if you were still posting, Reg. Good job! Once a guy gets away from this shit, it's hard to believe how much more time you've got in a day. Keep up the good work, you aren't missing anything except questionable calls and bad beats.
As a huge Hockey Fan and Raptors fan...Ive been able to watch the playoffs, and not really feel big urges to bet. I've been able to spend a lot more time studying.....and just killed a Corporate Finance exam, which is not easy. 2 months I'll have my MBA complete, and I'll be spending my free time marketing myself......should be fun.
You gotta like those odds, Bro! Keep up the good work, and fight the urge if it ever comes back.
I like those odds
Happy for your Regs
One day at a time pal
Ok, I am going to throw this out there.
I am a physician, and also an addict. This site is 99% promotion of gambling, so let's have the decency to respect 1% of the truth that gets posted here regarding gambling. It's a fun past time for many. But if you're doing it every day, then you're in a different category of player. Many people here like to believe or pretend that they have through superior line reading or years of watching sports an inferred advantage over the sports book. Such things are of legendary rarity. The odds are infinitesimal that a player will beat the house when playing regularly, habitually.
When you gamble, much like opioids, alcohol, cocaine, compulsive eating, impulsive sex... you are chasing a dopamine rush. In order to sustain this reward over time, you must "increase the dose". In drug dependence this is called tolerance, then addiction, then dependence on the substance. In gambling, the mind needs the thrill of the play, regardless of the outcome. Low bets are replaced by higher and higher units until the inevitable advantage of the house/book over time destroy the player's life. Many players steal,nearly all lie to family, borrow money from friends/ relative , hawk all belongings of value, and their mind justifies the behavior to keep the dopamine coming at any and all costs. The rock bottom moment comes when the players life is perhaps destroyed, or at least at a financial collapse and impasse. Unlike a drug addict dependent on oxycodone, gambling behavior can be worse in dependence, because a gambler can actually win the next bet and feel relief/ hope/ joy that it can "all be made back" - a drug dependent cannot feel joy at this late stage as use of the drug only allows them to feel normal for a short time and exit horrible withdrawal- the high for the drug addict is long gone, making acceptance of the dependence much easier than the gambling addict perhaps. Usually I see gamblers after all is truly lost.
Gambling addiction and dependence is a disease like heart failure and cancer, depression, diabetes. There is no difference. You can thank your parents for the genes and your upbringing for making them turn on. But it is a disease. It cannot yet be cured. So 100% avoidance and abstinence is mandatory. There is no more playing for 1 unit again for REGULATOR, or any other addict. I would also warn that a gambling addict is at HIGH RISK FOR SUICIDE. Also, high risk for relapse without intense counseling/ therapy/ 12 step groups. He/she MUST cut all previous ties, and learn to identify and avoid all gambling triggers. Finally, there is a HUGE co-addiction rate between gambling and drugs and alcohol. Now is NOT the time to drink or hit the Hydrocodone- consider giving up all three categories- as your mind will be searching for a NEW EASY WAY TO DEAL WITH STRESS. You MUST replace the gambling with a healthy behavior. Golf, chess, time with your wife, kids is huge and must be re-valued and scheduled weekly. They have waited for you to come to this point, and you need their support, and forgiveness for the neglect and perhaps dishonesty you have showered on them.
Know this: you have a disease. Your only solution is to avoid gambling forever. If you build enough of a new support system around you, you can and will succeed. Make my post the last you ever read on this site. Then find a GA meeting near you and get to at least 5 in the next month.
Get your life back. You owe it to yourself. The house always wins. Always. Always. Don't die trying to prove this wrong. Many do.
Last edited by Hangoverblack; 05-04-14 at 01:45 AM.
The first and most, most important thing in gambling is to keep it in "harmony" with your life.
If you feel it may pose any threat to your relationships with people, to your personal finances, to they way you feel in general, you should quit. If it has already done some damage, you just quit straightaway. Life is full of nice and interesting (and profitable) stuff you can do and gambling is only one of them.
"The house always wins" is simply not true. However, beating it is very, very tough and requires a lot of time, attention and intelligence. Being "smart" and able to find value spots is important, of course but there are much tougher things to do - your general approach towards gambling and the way it fits into your life. If this is bad, then it doesn't matter whether you are sharp or square.
Stay smart, stay calm and if you can't, just quit.
The only way to win with habitual play is to have insider information at sports gambling, or to count cards at blackjack. Both methods will get you limited or banned. If you have found a third way, more power to you.
43 days down boys.....hanging strong!
nice turnaround i just strated betting sports now in 3rd year but have good friend helping me
A while ago, when I was gambling and losing more than I wanted to, and I felt I might be losing control of my gambling, I started playing World of Warcraft online. I think I got addicted to the game a bit, but it kept me away from gambling, and thus saved me a lot of money.
I gambled for a while and won a few big parlays, which kept me going. But overall, I lost money. I finally realized that it was a losing effort, but I enjoyed the thrill of having something on a game to make it more enjoyable. So I turned to playing free contests. There are many to be found and now that's all I do as far as wagering. I stand no chance of losing anything but still have the thrill of having "something" riding on the game. If you want a list of free contests that I play, send me a PM and I'll be more than glad to share them with you.
Good luck.
