It is hard to find the deterioration of a friend and his family as a result of an addiction. It is a joker123 dependent feeling. Hopefully, by sharing this story with you, you will be able to help a friend or loved one avoid this road to self deterioration.
This friend, let’s call him Gary, enjoyed interacting with his friends on a Monday night for an evening of playing pool. It seems innocent enough when he decided that we should all play for groups. We all thought that this would make the game more pleasurable and competitive, which it did.
Gary loved to win. The bigger the pot the bigger the celebration. Little did I know that this was the beginning of his gambling addiction.
You see, gambling addicts feel the same rush as a crack addict. That rush is manufactured when they win. They begin to crave that feeling to the point where it rules every awakening moment.
Next we learned that Gary was skipping the pool games so that he could go to the local Indian casino where he enjoyed playing poker. We stopped getting together on the weekends. I saw Gary less and less. I later learned that Gary had taken to playing poker online each night in front of his computer drinking and placing online bets.
Is it no surprise that soon Gary’s business was in trouble. He was disregarding his customers and his revenue was dropping. His creditors were calling. His wife couldn’t stand the tension. She left him.
These are the classic signs of a gambling addict. The gambling becomes a compulsion that defies logic and wise thought. The gambler wishes the gambling high whatever it takes. His or her life is ruined through the deterioration of personal relationships and the burden of increasing debt.
I hope that you share this article with any person you think may be suffering from a gambling addiction. It may help them avoid the road to self-destruction. There are many self-help groups available and qualified therapists are willing to help. In fact, many casinos will have a 24 hour gambling addiction hotline available if you ask.