Gambling Is More Than Just Gambling

My gambling addiction is going to be a tough one to break. I have OCD and BPD, and I find those issues easier to handle than my gambling addiction. Why? Gambling is more than just putting money in a machine or on a table and placing a bet. This is why I find gambling so attractive:

1. The casino is constantly offering me lavish penthouse suites. It's hard to say no when the casino offers me a luxurious suite with a comfortable California King bed, a hot tub for 8, and room service at a snap of a finger.

2. Being treated like royalty is priceless. The servers, hosts, and security at the casino all know me by name. They wait on me hand and foot. They have my drinks poured before I sit at the bar. They have a V.I.P. booth reserved for me at the nightclubs. They always have a special table reserved for me at their fancy restaurants.

3. The World-Class experience. The fanciest cruises around the world, and V.I.P. tickets to see the my favorite celebrities perform. It all seems nice and dandy when everything is handed to me (something I never had before I became a member at the casino).

I'm a gamer by nature, so I do love winning. But when my gambling goes hand-in-hand with being treated like a King at the casino, it's even more difficult to deal with.

I don’t think the casinos give the freebies out of the goodness of their heart so that we could all have a good time at their expense and admire their new shinning facilities, with all the latest stage of art slot machines, new carpets every day, week or month, they don’t really care if you drop your cigarettes on the floor or spill drinks or food as long as you keep feeding the machine.

I too was floored with all the offers, my husband and I had thousands of dollars in free play alone even thought we are not big time player but that was how we got suck in and was at the casinos 5 time a week instead of twice a year.

Finally I had enough after a few year of madness and start living the real life again and it is much better and happier too.

Hi rainbowcolor. You're so right. The casinos suck us in with their freebies and intriguing comps. I still think that casinos pump oxygen into their establishments, though they deny it.

Gambling is definitely more than just gambling.

I'm grateful for the success stories I see about recovering gambling addicts. But as with any addiction, I also see many relapses. The problem is we speak about our addiction, but we don't speak of the underlying issues.

For all the gambling addicts I've met in real life, (including myself) I see a pattern of loneliness and disconnect from the real world. It's hard to break an addiction when you are in love with it.

I am not shy nor introverted in any way. But I don't find the real world interesting, so I have created my own world filled with excitement, games, and gambling. Which is why I find casinos addicting.

I don't like the real world: A boring place filled with negative social media, news, and utterly disappointing facts. The real world is filled with people who look miserable or act robotic. Very sad.

I love the people I meet at the casino: A bunch of drunk people getting excited and having fun at the slots and tables. Add live music, bars, and nightclubs where I can dance the night away -- it makes for the perfect environment.

I agree with you RottenFish, sometimes the real world is full of stress and not so pretty that is why we want to escape to the casinos which is like the adult Disneyland for many people. The problem is that for addicted and compulsive gamblers, this can quickly turn into their worst nightmare.

Since I stop going to the casinos, I have more time to take care of myself and live life again instead of constantly thinking about the next trip to the casino and how much money I need to bring to make the bets more exciting. Like NSR said, this is a progressive disease, it will slowly creep up and before we know it, it just take over our life.

To all those who are struggling, do not give up, it is not easy but we are worth the effort.

Yes Rottenfish, I agree gambling is hard to kick for all the reasons that you stated. However, it is getting to be a very expensive hobby for me at this point and I am accepting the challenge to clean up my act. I did ban myself from one State, but found another close by and eventually gravitated back to controlled gambling then as always lost control and started chasing. Now the lows hurt a lot more than the highs felt good. I have been going to casinos and gambling all my life and know that life very well. For me, the only option is simply not to go there. It is getting tiresome giving these people my money. Win a little, lose a lot. You are so right gambling is more than just gambling. The adrenalin high of a big hit (win) is addictive. We all think we can play through the bad luck, but that is a fallacy.
The casinos have sucked us in and they know it and we know it. It sucks!!