This sick hobby (warning--quitting gambling rant)

[Simmo!]

Not sure about the delivery bpb, but I agree with the sentiment in so much by definition you cannot come out positive on a negative expectation game over an indefinate period except by luck, although a "system" may help to ensure strategy is at least played properly to minimise the loss.

 

[silkprint]

I love the Winners screenshots .
I think they actually help me when I am on a break like I am now .
This whole thread has been an eye opener for myself and I am sure alot of others . I appreciate the fact that Meister left it here too .
When playing stops being fun then it is time to take a break or quit . Whatever will make the most positive change in your own life . Best of luck to everyone here .

 

[EasyRhino]

Heck, I won with FREE no deposit, and also free bonus money (max. deposit $30.00)...don't ask me how I managed to do that....three times...and when I gambled away the REAL CASH the free stuff turned into...I felt....angst!

They say that the worst thing that can happen to a gambler is to win early.

 

[Peaceful1]

You are SO right about this EasyRhino... esp. in B&Ms..because when you win big..and you just go there (or just started playing in the online scene)...you think..what? am I gonna leave/stop when I JUST got here?? Especially if it is a place you don't/can't frequent often (i.e. Vegas for me)

 

[ballysdb]

I was at Trump Marina a few months ago. There was a girl in the high limit room, she had just won $600 and then $1000. The waitress came over to me and said "Thats the worst thing that could have happened to her". I had to agree.

 

[Addisyn]

Well said! I am on my last hurrah sort of speaking. Decided I would lose X amount of dollars and stop altogether. Well I have lost the X amount of dollars and I am still gambling. I am still having fun, but I know it is time for me to stop. In 2001, I stopped until now. The reason I stopped in 2001 I lost all my money. There simply wasn't anymore to play. I don't wish to repeat that this time around. So I will either win with this last deposit or lose. Then I will live vicariously through your screenshots. Good luck to you all!

I love the Winners screenshots .
I think they actually help me when I am on a break like I am now .
This whole thread has been an eye opener for myself and I am sure alot of others . I appreciate the fact that Meister left it here too .
When playing stops being fun then it is time to take a break or quit . Whatever will make the most positive change in your own life . Best of luck to everyone here .
__________________
silkprint

 

[frufrugirl]

What a great thread. Good luck Addison and Mr Van.
My computer tanked 2 weeks ago. Missed the forum terribly.
Went to the local Casino - 5 times. Wow. Last time I went I started talking to myself on the way home. Why was I going? Why wasnt I staying home and cleaning up, fixing things or what ever? I came to the conclusion that I dont like my home anymore. I didnt "feel" anything but trapped there. I have been separated for a good number of years and for various reasons couldnt file. I was afraid. I was starting to die inside. Even having friends over wasnt helping anymore.What an A Ha Moment!
So, the day after my talk with myself I called my ex, said I was filing for divorce and he was paying for it. I start proceedings next week. Oh. And IM feeling again.Scared, but not afraid. Excited? Yeah.. Its a good thing. No more casinos, except LasVegas to celebrate my divorce!
Bravo to all of you !( and I love my new computer!)

 

[amatrine]

Re

WTG. Its hard to live with fear, but what a feeling to finaly over come it.
It lifts a huge weight off your shoulders

Ama

 

[babs7262]

Good for you Fru!!!

Im so happy for you! IT is scary, I got divorced once upon a time (about 20 yrs ago) yes, it was scary but Im glad I did it. I moved out of state and years later met my now wonderful loving husband that Ive been with for almost 10 years!!

Start Fresh and be happy!!!! Im jealous of the celebrating in Vegas part lol, I love that place, Vegas has been very good to me. I wish I could travel that far, maybe someday they will find a cure for my illness and Ill be able to travel again. Atleast I have Atlantic City, Im leaving Wed for 3 days and can't wait!!!

 

[frufrugirl]

Thankyou, both of you! Weird to think that gambling was the only thing that was giving me a thrill..that I was seeking the bright lights and bling bling just to be able to "feel" something! (damn , the coffee really was good there though!) Id like to get a thrill from something else for once, nod nod, wink wink, say no more ,say no more! ,

 

[MrVan]

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.

 

[frufrugirl]

Congrats on your decision to go back to school - Im headed back myself when my mess is taken care of, Im looking forward to starting a new career.
One thought - gambling isnt just putting money in to gamble. Its the whole experience. Getting the high from winning, then hoping you will win more by not withdrawing, losing, then trying to recoup- then when the stink of the loss is gone, thinking its ok to deposit one more time just for fun-then starting all over again. Its the whole experience - the feelings your body gets and its chemical reaction - the compulsion to do it again. Be careful!
I know I am addicted. When I said it to myself I felt better. Knowledge is power..keep using it ! At B and M's its easy to say, oh another 100 wont kill me....well..the next couple of days later that 100 that I could have used is glaringly important. Its importance gets muffled in the hubb bub of the noise and excitement in the casino.
I saw a television show a couple of months ago exposing the link between certain antidepression medications and compulsive behaviour. It featured b and m patrons who where addicted to slots and also on medication. One woman was being interviewed, she said she was so addicted she would be crying as she deposited money into the machine, knowing she was spending the last of her months salary...3 days into the month! I know that is extreme but it was important to me because I had felt that feeling of desperation way way back in the back of my mind when depositing....Hmmm really scary. Im glad Im on my way to financial freedom, you will be too! Anyway..I digress..good luck to you and keep on track..your train will come into the right station soon!

 

[Austin49]

Great post frufugirl! Describes my feelings to a tee. Thanks

 

[spearmaster]

MrVan -

If you are going to switch, and Berkeley is an option, I'd go there - you would have to work so hard to stay in the top half of the class that you wouldn't even have the time to think about playing online again

I was given that option too if I spent two years at Santa Cruz first - needless to say I chose USC instead (good move, bad move, take your pick). My sister went to Berkeley, and now she's a workaholic

 

[EasyRhino]

But I have learned that I wasn't actually addicted to gambling itself, I was just unable to stop after I was down.

hmm....

...Whether or not my brain agreed, my body truly believed I could win by gambling,

... You might actually be addicted to gambling.

 

[dominique]

I don't think so, but may be wrong.

Compared to alcohol addiction, a person may drink too much in a drinking environment, but not drink at all when not in that environment. That would not make an alcoholic, an alcoholic will search out booze.

If playing is not a compulsion and the problem only ecists IF a person happens to be in a gambling environment, it is easily avoided and doesn't make for a compulsory addiction, just a lack of self control in a certain situation.

Like you may eat way too much turkey at Thanksgiving, but you are not going too crave turkey every day and buy it daily at the supermarket.

Here the solution is to just not enter the environment where a loss of self control is likely. And there is no compulsion to do so.

It is the compulsion to engage in the activity that makes it an addiction.

Of course it could exist here and we just don't see it. Time will tell.

 

[Peaceful1]

I agree, Dominique. I don't believe that Mr. Van is actually addicted to gambling, particularly if he's been able to stay away from it since his last post. To someone who gambles online frequently..that is a long time.

Congrats to you Mr. Van on not only being able to stay away from it, but also your newfound (or shall I say revival (it was probably always there)) of your focus on your other and primary ambitions!!

 

[dominique]

Oops, somehow posted twice.

While I am here, congrats Mr. Van!

 

[Slotster!]

Great thread!

As a few people have mentioned, the difference between online gambling and real casino's is enormous in terms of money control/managing losses etc. Unless you have the self control of the Pope (or KasinoKing ) it's so easy to forget those little numbers in the corner are actually hard cash depleting at a frightening rate.

It hit home to me yesterday when I was playing one of those new 5 Reelers that are popping up in arcades here in the UK. I chucked three crisp twenty pound notes into the thing, and got really really annoyed at my 'loss' when nothing came in and I burned through forty in no time. The key though is what happened next. On my last twenty pound, I hit a nice reel win and a feature to take my balance to 160. I was so impressed with the win I cashed out immediately and wandered off, dead happy that I'd managed to turn my "big loss" into a profit and had cash in my pocket. Here's the thing - I REGULARLY burn through hundreds of pounds online, without giving it a second thought, or really appreciating what I've just spent. It's scary. Just the difference between actually feeding the notes into the machine, and typing the figure into some banking software makes all the difference.

Really made me think. That figure in the bottom left, it's real money. Pounds and pence. If I had to hand that over I'd be well pissed off - yet I'll gladly click away at the bet max button like a loon... Madness.

Anyhow... There we go. I'm gonna have to really try and imagine that balance piled up in bills in front of me from here on in - and how many LCD tele's, or mobile phones or laptops or watches I'm chucking away with the click of a button.

Best of luck with everything MrVan

 

[frufrugirl]

Great post Slotster and everyone else...I think what this thread is doing is just making everyone pause and think a bit. Reflection is always good!

 

[dominique]

Maybe keeping monoply money by the computer and shifting it to win and loss piles would be a good idea to keep visualizing things...

 

[KasinoKing]

Unless you have the self control of the Pope (or KasinoKing ) it's so easy to forget those little numbers in the corner are actually hard cash depleting at a frightening rate...

Hmmm.. Do you think the Pope gambles online....?

 

[GrandMaster]

As a few people have mentioned, the difference between online gambling and real casino's is enormous in terms of money control/managing losses etc. Unless you have the self control of the Pope (or KasinoKing ) it's so easy to forget those little numbers in the corner are actually hard cash depleting at a frightening rate.

"Real" casinos also try to convince players that chips are like fun money in order to get them bet more.

 

[cheekymonkey]

Great thread!
I REGULARLY burn through hundreds of pounds online, without giving it a second thought, or really appreciating what I've just spent. It's scary. Just the difference between actually feeding the notes into the machine, and typing the figure into some banking software makes all the difference.

Really made me think. That figure in the bottom left, it's real money. Pounds and pence. If I had to hand that over I'd be well pissed off - yet I'll gladly click away at the bet max button like a loon... Madness.

Only because deep into your thinking is the thought that you can win an infinite amount of money by playing slots online - by increasing the spin stake to ridiculously large amounts (e.g. 125.00 on Loaded - WTF!?!).

You cannot do this with an arcade or casino machine as it normally has a fixed stake or maximum stake of around 2 per spin - maybe more in certain UK casinos.

But yes, seeing your balance displayed as credits or coins on a screen is a bit deceiving as well.

 

[cheekymonkey]

Anyhow... There we go. I'm gonna have to really try and imagine that balance piled up in bills in front of me from here on in - and how many LCD tele's, or mobile phones or laptops or watches I'm chucking away with the click of a button.
:

Yuk! Waaaay too materialistic Slotster.

Sort it out!