Gambling addictions are hard to beat

Ever wonder why some people are addicted to gambling. It cant have anything to do with it hurting you physically like a drug might be able to, so it must be some form of mental addiction. I used to be addicted to poker machines and its got nothing to do with wanting money or easy money. I think even gamblers know that you are not going to win any money from gambling. I think I used to play until I was poor. I wasn’t happy till I had lost all my money it felt like at times. When I really needed money for something are the times I wouldn’t play as I knew to have money I needed to work and save and not to play poker machines.
So why would so many people be throwing there money away and causing themselves all kinds of issues from being broke that would be easy fixed by simply not playing these machines. Well the answer is really simple. Gambling is a distraction in life that allows a person who might have some problems or issues in life relief from dealing with them. it provides an instant forget to your everyday life problems and clears your head to enjoy other thoughts from your reality that you are not happy with on the inside.
You may not even be aware that you have any problems in your life but there will be something. In my case I was in a boring job that provided me with not enough mental stimulation nor was I working hard enough. I was a prison officer without any problems but I could never stop this addiction to gambling no matter how hard I tried. I tried many times to just stop and I just never could. I didn’t understand the problem and it didn’t feel like I was that addicted to it even.
I quit my job and started working for myself and got that mental and psychical stimulation and quit gambling with out even trying. What I done effectively was solve the real issue that was causing me to be addicted to gambling. My mind didn’t need the distraction from everyday life that was my life and I was now satisfied in my own skin and broke away from the need of this distraction that I had deep down inside of me.
Poker machine addiction works like this and probably a lot of addictions that don’t seem that bad on the surface. You don’t feel there is that much of a problem as you are not hanging out for a fix like a drug for example. But you are drawn to them and will promise yourself to maybe only put 20 bucks in them. But once you start your mind is distracted from your reality and your mind is now thinking about other things. Your thinking about all sorts of things at a rapid rate and its something your mind enjoys the feeling of. You have a brain that enjoys these quick thoughts that don’t cause it to worry about what ever the worries are in your life.
It may feel like on the surface that you don’t have to think much playing a poker machine and you don’t, but your brain or mind is enjoying this sensation you are providing it with. There is the constant calculation of each win and the calculation of what you nearly won against the calculation of what you just lost as well as the hope of the feature. The hope of winning money and the worry of losing it with your thoughts of how you going to make the money back and that you shouldn’t be doing it and will stop after say 50 more dollars and a whole heap of little things your mind goes through while your simply just pushing the button. Your brain enjoys all this thoughts it is having and in my case was distracted away from being left dormant in a life I had set up that required very little thought or effort and something deep down I was not happy with.
When your finished and your lost all your money is also part of the addiction. Now your mind or your brain has to click into action as you now do have a few problems and worry’s in your life caused by the fact that your have blown all your money. And even this is a better feeling for your mind that having it feeling like it is not being used enough or your thoughts being a bit dormant and not even aware of what your real problems are in life.
It works the same for a lot of addictions. The trick is to become addicted to things that cause a positive effect in your life. Become addicted to things that fulfil the needs of your brain and you will be happy. Fix the deep underlining problem or issues you have in life and you wont feel have the need for distractions that are nearly impossible to even know what they all mean and leave you dismayed as to why you are doing something that is causing you harm and a problem in life that you do not want. Fix the issue, understand what is the problem, take care of that problem completely and it will be the solution. Take shortcuts and not being aware of the real problem will mean your solution to trying to solve a problem doesn’t work and your pushing that button again and going no where in life.

I agree with the premise of what you said-that you must deal with all the issues in life properly. There are other issues besides boredom and/or lack of fulfillment in your job. There are relationship issues, children issues, health issues, and other.


It seems to me that you believe starting your own business means that you will never have urges to gamble again. When business slows or other issues creep up, you will have to confront that old thinking again, in my opinion.

For many, it is more than a mental addiction. It becomes physiological with endorphins and adrenaline that trigger the rush of anticipation, arousal, thrill and excitement of the act.
The sensation may begin in the brain, but it spreads like a wildfire. It overwhelms. Reasoning and (good) judgement fail to be a firewall and the addict does what addicts do. If it were purely mental, one might be able to better contain it.
Boredom and looking for distraction may have been a gateway, but even when I was busy and occupied, I day-dreamed of my next chance at my addiction. It may be different for everybody.
Mental conditioning is part of the therapy. I have to switch to 'Plan B' and shoot down the thought right away before it takes over. I know that gambling or drinking or (fill in the blank) no longer works for me. So far that has worked for 30 years, one day at a time.
I have to keep it in bite-sized manageable chunks for my consumption as the 'big-picture' is just too big to take in at once. I need to check in with my 12-step support group periodically. Keep it Simple.
Best of luck to you.

yeah, we may all have a different form of gambling addiction. Mine was always only just the poker machines. Horses or games at the casino, lotto, scatchies and virtually anything else I had no interest in. Generally I would just be at the pub and maybe just put in a couple of dollars and no real plan to play them. Then I put a little more in and then more and more at a higher bet until you often do the limit on your key card. But I was addicted quite a while and have zero addictions to them now. I think there will be a reason why everyone is addicted and knowing the reason will be the key to getting over the addiction. I think with poker machines though it works like the original post I wrote describes as I feel I was that classic case. Here is Australia the pokies and the horse racing are where most gamblers come un done.