[jjgold]

I can’t stop

[JIBBBY]

I won't stop!

[pologq]

WR Music that was an awesome post. I give you credit for fighting thru and making a change.

What do you do today now? Do you have other compulsions and or addictive behavior? Like are you able to bet sports reasonably.

[Fred The Hammer]

I hit 11 out of 12 Same game parlays in baseball about a month ago. I'm on a crazy heater now. Sports betting and poker is what I do best. I've never been that good at anything else, but I wish I had a steady woman and a normal life. I could settle, but I'd rather do what I like to do.

[Fred The Hammer]

WR Music that was an awesome post. I give you credit for fighting thru and making a change.

What do you do today now? Do you have other compulsions and or addictive behavior? Like are you able to bet sports reasonably.

It was a good post! Rooting for the poor guy, although I heard Stephen Tyler from Aerosmith say that it wasn't his fault because he's an addict. The guy is 70 and still going to rehab? He's a fkn rock star with everything anyone would want. Its 100% his choice or it was in the beginning atleast

Still miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Used to want to be an actor and he was one of the best, but died from heroin OD at 47 leaving 2 small kids

[JIBBBY]

I hit 11 out of 12 Same game parlays in baseball about a month ago. I'm on a crazy heater now. Sports betting and poker is what I do best. I've never been that good at anything else, but I wish I had a steady woman and a normal life. I could settle, but I'd rather do what I like to do.

I like when that happens, keep it going Freddy! Heating up and getting hot for a while is fun with gambling!

[Roscoe_Word]

Hammer....know the guy your talkin about now.

Saw the Mahoney movie last night.

Was this guy "Brandt" in The Big Lebowski?

[WinDove]

Some people have addictive personalities, as in, they more easily get addicted to gambling.
Add to that all the lock-downs and 2.5 year of near constant anxiety globally, with people needing some escapism, and the situations does not get any better.

[JIBBBY]

Gambling addiction be like -

[pologq]

Some people have addictive personalities, as in, they more easily get addicted to gambling.
Add to that all the lock-downs and 2.5 year of near constant anxiety globally, with people needing some escapism, and the situations does not get any better.

and the ease of gambling where people can stay home and play casino and sports betting right on their phone. i see people now being tempted by the casino access on their phone when in NJ and it is sad. i tell my friends to all block that access.

[Optional]

and the ease of gambling where people can stay home and play casino and sports betting right on their phone. i see people now being tempted by the casino access on their phone when in NJ and it is sad. i tell my friends to all block that access.

Online casino games are a much bigger issue for problem gambling than sports betting.

Did you know online casinos are not allowed at all in Australia?

[KVB]

How would you compare an addiction to heroin to what people call a gambling addiction?

(I think it's a bad habit, a crutch, or a compulsion as opposed to an addiction is why I ask)

MRI studies show the brain, in many cases, treats the two the same.

From my knowledge, and this is something I've studied for years, the part of your quote in parentheses is not how professionals view it.

Granted, the last decade has probably brought more research the previous few combined, but the paradigm really is that addiction is addiction and the brain treats gambling, risk taking, and substances nearly the same.

This includes withdrawal symptoms and addiction seeking behaviors.

Treatments for gambling have not quite caught up to substance abuse though, but it's getting there.

[Optional]

MRI studies show the brain, in many cases, treats the two the same.

From my knowledge, and this is something I've studied for years, the part of your quote in parentheses is not how professionals view it.

Granted, the last decade has probably brought more research the previous few combined, but the paradigm really is that addiction is addiction and the brain treats gambling, risk taking, and substances nearly the same.

This includes withdrawal symptoms and addiction seeking behaviors.

Treatments for gambling have not quite caught up to substance abuse though, but it's getting there.

Maybe if I put it more like this it would make more sense how I think.

I think the vast majority of people that call themselves addicted are not, and the concept of it being a lifelong medical condition that cannot be beat is used as a crutch or excuse by most to not even try to exercise self control.

I'd bet that there are many people on SBR who had gambling badly affect their life who have got past it and now gamble happily and within their means.


Australia has the most mature and studied gambling market in the world where more than 80% of adults gamble in any year. Govt studies show that about 1.5% of people can be classified as problem gamblers, and 90% of those get past it. Does that suggest a major medical addiction problem to you?

I can't be bothered searching for the online report I am thinking of right now but if anyone wants to question those numbers I can find it later.

[gauchojake]

Most addictions are not isolated and most people who would identify as addicts use multiple substances or activities to get high. Food, booze, pills, gambling, video games, etc... It's all the same.

[KVB]

...Australia has the most mature and studied gambling market in the world where more than 80% of adults gamble in any year. Govt studies show that about 1.5% of people can be classified as problem gamblers, and 90% of those get past it. That does suggest a major medical addiction problem to you?...

Plenty of people casually use cocaine, one of the more addictive substances, on weekly basis and don't have a problem. We're not talking about them.

We're talking about actual addiction here...that small percentage with a legitimate problem. Brain scans may not be able to tell the difference between that 10% of the 1.5% and an addicted substance abuse user.

Some of the brain scan studies have tried to look into the question of why some people are different than others, why some will have a problem and others not.

There are more similarities with substances and gambling addiction than differences.

Certain drugs, like for Parkinson's, have been shown to increase risk taking behavior, in some cases causing problem gambling.

Neurotrasmitters and specific areas of the brain are the same for gambling and substance abuse. The research in this field is growing.

Problem gambling, gambling addiction, etc, must also be defined, but no matter the percentage of the population, for those people, the brain is seeing substance abus and "problem gambling" the same.

[KVB]

Most addictions are not isolated and most people who would identify as addicts use multiple substances or activities to get high. Food, booze, pills, gambling, video games, etc... It's all the same.

Yeah this is true.

I started to post that it isn't black and white and so clear cut but didn't really want to march down that rabbit hole, lol.

They have tried to classify problem gambling as a compusive behavior but now see that the brain treats it the same as substance abuse addiction.

The fact is both addiction and compulsive behavior can be at play at the same time and they can't rule one out.

[Optional]

Most addictions are not isolated and most people who would identify as addicts use multiple substances or activities to get high. Food, booze, pills, gambling, video games, etc... It's all the same.

I'd think there is a correlation between problem gamblers and those with other addictions.

But I think jumping too fast to assume a problem gambler has a medical addiction makes it harder for those that don't to take meaningful action.


I think the first step at GA should be to identify non medical conditions and offer other treatment pathways than their traditional 12 steps.

[jjgold]

Yeah this is true.

I started to post that it isn't black and white and so clear cut but didn't really want to march down that rabbit hole, lol.

They have tried to classify problem gambling as a compusive behavior but now see that the brain treats it the same as substance abuse addiction.

The fact is both addiction and compulsive behavior can be at play at the same time and they can't rule one out.

KVB your a Grade B compuslive gambler never forget this

[JIBBBY]

I love sports gambling! Couldn't live without it. Don't hate!

[KVB]

KVB your a Grade B compuslive gambler never forget this

What does that even mean?

Remember, you said it yourself, I'm teh gambler that doesn't gamble.

Discipline and patience trump compulsion and addiction.

[TheMoneyShot]

Just learned about a week ago... a female friend of mine confessed she lost 17k of her Stimulus/Unemployment money to all the online gambling apps on her phone. Incredible. She lives 12 minutes from the Detroit Casino.... but rather play on her phone??? Wow.

[Yeshua]

Depends on your brain chemistry.

[KVB]

Just learned about a week ago... a female friend of mine confessed she lost 17k of her Stimulus/Unemployment money to all the online gambling apps on her phone. Incredible. She lives 12 minutes from the Detroit Casino.... but rather play on her phone??? Wow.

Yeah, this is going to be a problem with all this mobile gambling.

But then there's this extreme...Indian casinos in California are already running ads warning people that big corporations will turn every electronic device, including video game consoles, into gambling devices exposing millions of children to online gambling everywhere.

A bit of fear mongering there.

[pologq]

Online casino games are a much bigger issue for problem gambling than sports betting.

Did you know online casinos are not allowed at all in Australia?

because the government does not want people falling into the pitfalls of easy money lost? i believe it

i think that is why NY has not legalized online casinos yet

[pologq]

Just learned about a week ago... a female friend of mine confessed she lost 17k of her Stimulus/Unemployment money to all the online gambling apps on her phone. Incredible. She lives 12 minutes from the Detroit Casino.... but rather play on her phone??? Wow.

the ease of playing. not having to dress up, or look good, etc. it is a quick fix.

is she hot?

[Optional]

because the government does not want people falling into the pitfalls of easy money lost? i believe it

i think that is why NY has not legalized online casinos yet

I didn't know that about New York.

Their slow and steady approach is probably good. I've been most surprised how the US has gone from no gambling to allowing almost anything goes in some states. Quite a few things like the welcome bonuses and betting kiosks in sports stadiums would not be allowed in a lot of places.

[KVB]

Yeah, the kiosks kinda of shocked me.

At least as early in the game as they were.

But the leagues are embracing it in what I thought was quite a turnaround as well.