[Ratzz]

Originally posted on 10/26/2013:

I've been betting on games basically every day of my life for the last four-plus years. This came after 15 full seasons devoted to fantasy sports. Pretty much the only two hobbies I have, other than golf and outdoor stuff. I don't work on things, fix things, build things, etc. No patience or attention span for it. I love sports and numbers. That's why I was addicted to fantasy sports, and why I'm now addicted to gambling.

Some days I find it really pathetic that I can't even go a day or two without making a wager anymore. Is this how I'm going to be at 40? 50? 60? Will I be placing bets in the bathroom during my grandkids' birthday parties? I never thought the day would come when I'd quit fantasy sports, and I was really all-in with that for a while, but I did -- only to start doing this. Gambling is like fantasy sports on steroids. So much instant gratification and driven by immediate results. Not sure if I'll ever kick the habit or drop the obsession.

Will you?

hey, NC

Great post.

I have been researching and writing about this a great deal. It all ties into the*Neuroscience of our brains, and then knotted up and tied to many aspects of Psychology.*

The question of wether a person will be gambling when they are much older is determined by how it ends, or what other captivating and fulfilling activity is introduced in a person's life.*


All of us, need to be careful about what activities we expose our brains to... especially on a daily basis. Wether it is a pleasant idea or not: Evolution is a fact. Humanity evolved from animals; our bodies.. our brains.. our emotions.. We 'are' animals still.*

Gambling is a serious disease, if the gambler is not aware of the machinations of his own mind. The nature of compulsive gambling lies in the misinterpretation of the event itself. Our experience in life,* what we 'feel' at any given moment, is the result to what we are doing. It is the counterpart of thought and action. Feelings are the natural and automatic result of our own thoughts, actions, or circumstances that we find ourselves in.*


…but gambling is different– *


gambling creates a 'false' sense of progress, thus the gambler (animal) is compelled to pursue it. It triggers the 'easy meal' reflex that animals cannot resist.. much in the same way that the most effective fishing lures are the ones that move randomly.. the lures that mimic the irregular and staggered movement of a wounded fish.*


In the wild, animals instinctively seek to conserve their resources. A careless waste of energy can be the difference between life and death the following day. While animals do not have the option to re-up as gamblers do– …gamblers do find themselves in a similar quandary when deliberating what and how much to bet.


How a gambler manages his natural impulses and what success he manages to create elsewhere in his life will determine wether or not he quits gambling altogether. The pleasure center of the brain will direct him to pursue whichever yields the greatest satisfaction.*