Thank you everyone for all the support over the past week. I haven't deposited since my first post in this thread, although I'm not sure yet if it's only because I am broke. But I have learned that I wasn't actually addicted to gambling itself, I was just unable to stop after I was down. The reason for this is because, as other people have mentioned, I won early. I played only online poker for 2 years before I even tried gambling, then tried video poker and hit a $200 royal flush, then tried slots and was up $1000 (my first post in the winner screenshot's thread actually). Whether or not my brain agreed, my body truly believed I could win by gambling, so I think I gambled to avoid worrying about my future. When I ended up only losing money, I just kept trying to win without thinking about it, which created a downward spiral.
Since I have stopped gambling I can finally remember how long a day really is when 2 or more hours of it aren't spent on the computer. It's fun having enough time to have to think of things to do instead of barely having time to talk to your friends/family. Also, since I stopped I decided that I
am going to switch to a math major and move to a school in either Florida or California (any reccomendations?). Right now I'm leaning towards San Jose State Univesity. I could probably get into Berkeley, but I'd rather be in the top half of the class than the bottom. I feel like before this week I hadn't really thought about my life for over a year or two, I just went along with whatever I started and did nothing more. Now I feel great and actually want to succeed in something besides posting the best screenshot
And about brick and mortar casinos... I have only been to a b&m casino twice, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and had a good time, but I cannot see myself ever becoming addicted to b&m gambling because you are really there, in the flesh. You can see your body and you actually have to walk around. Online gambling removes your body and makes it very difficult to remember that you actually exist outside the computer. It hits you a lot harder and all at once when you lose online. Losing at the real casino is at least gradual and easier to cut off before it's too late, not to mention ATMs don't let you overdraw your bank account with a debit card like online wallets.