To be called a Gambler

When the thought hits me, I try to post subjects on this forum that will help others to see how we get sucked into gambling, in the hopes that we can get out of what is a miserable, messy, and ultimately destructive trap.
I have told before of my past when I was a youngster, how gambling looked like great fun and amusement;
from the earliest times when I was a tyke watching people playing slot machines in Vegas when my parents took me there for "vacations." ...... How I longed to be "big" and adult then so I could play like the bigger folks.... all those bells and lights and coins clanging into the trays sure was exciting.
Later, I watched gambling being glamorized on TV and in the movies....the heroes were gamblers who never seemed to lose and had a great life....without working!
When I got into gambling, I remember when people started referring to me as a "gambler." ... and foolish as it seems now, I took it initially as a compliment....I thought it characterized an unusual person who was brave enough to take chances to be a successful gambler....I dreamed of being a professional gambler; just like I saw Maverick or Mr.Lucky on TV, or some other "hero" gambler in the movies....
It took me a long time to realize that being called a gambler should not be a source of pride...but rather a foolish pastime or something even shameful.....
Now if somebody refers to me as a gambler, I wince and feel ashamed inside because it is definitely not a compliment....It's a label very similar to calling a drug addict a "user".....I never want someone to call me a gambler again...

There is stigma when you are called a gambler.A bad label not something to be proud of.

I think it's both .

There are folks who associate the word "gambler" with "degenerate" but there are also people who still see it as describing a free-spirited , glamorous " outlaw " of sorts - a risk taker that most of us don't have the courage to be . That interpretation ( and the media portrayal ) often belies the sad truth though .

I wasn't known as a gambler when I was feeding my addiction . I think I would have been mortified if someone had referred to me as such . But I knew people who were proud of that title and despite the ruin it caused them , seemed to like being known as one . Maybe they clung to the romance of the word .

Wow...what a great post.The same thing happen to me couple of days ago when I went to my wife’s hairedresser salon and she present me a guy who after I left asked my wife if I’m a gambler.Couple of months ago she told me about a guy who won big in the 80´ at Loto Quebec about 800.000 $ ( this time around was pretty good amount) and after that he was sucked up in this gambling addiction and lose everything, family and go bankrupt...It was him of course.My wife asked him how he realize I m a gambler and he said I have that look and I m solitaire ( for people who knows french it is like « une persone ferme en soi) and he said also a gambler recognize a gambler.I felt the same sentiment of shame like you.I think couple of years ago I could feel a little proud about this.
And I think most of people see gamblers like degenerate people but here became interesting...I have a friend who knows that he could be degenerate if he start gamble.He told me he never start gambling even for fun because he knows he cannot stop after and it is not the only one who feel like this.Maybe the most majority of us could be « degenerate », the only difference it is the AUTOCONTROL OF YOURSELF.