@VikingsAF wrote: @WuDu it's one of the first times I will have to disagree. (Also with you @FreedoM) Gambling has exactly the same effect on some people as drugs have. Someone can't afford to gamble, but still does == someone can't afford drugs, but still does. About the D sucking you mention WuDu. You're completely wrong... People do that for money... and that money goes to gambling aswell (or to drugs, booze, etc...) But here I have to say that gambling can easily be divided in different parts. For example slots vs poker. Which is pure luck vs luck and a bit of skill and poker has less of these addictive traits. (Like the almost winning feeling you have in slots) You do get addicted to winning once you have it, and if you don't get the wins, you will keep chasing it untill you have it. That's why it's best to always lose, because in the end you will lose less, because you ain't gonna chase the win if you didn't taste it. And yes gambling can physically and mentally hurt you and ruin everything you have (maybe rather in the second degree than in the first like real drugs do, but that doesn't change anything)... It is as addictive. Maybe it seems easy to kick-off, but once you get a small taste again, you can easily fall in the same trap again. So conclusion: It doesn't really affect you in exactly the same way as drugs do, but it's as addictive and can be as bad... Some people can cope with it better as others and that's genetic. @VikingsAF I'm not saying that you're 100 % wrong, however the question still remains, what is an addiction? If you're getting addicted to "winning" isn't that on you? If I play and I lose for a while, I don't chase previous wins, I simply close the app and call it a day, because at that moment it's not fun to play anymore. If Poker and gambling is that addictive, why can I stop and you (hypothetically speaking, not putting you in hot water here) have issues to do so? Some people over-eat and become disgusting slobs, is food addictive as well? Why can I stop after 3 or 4 pieces of Marabou while others eat 3-4 bars? Have you heard the story of former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich heating up a whole jar of Nutella in the micro-wave and drinking it afterwards? Is Nutella addictive as well? I like to eat Nutella, however everytime I buy a jar, it's gone with a week or 10 days. That's not a healthy pace, so I limit my Nutella consumption to 1 or 2 jars a year. Like I said before, in contrast to hard drugs, it's not the product that makes you act a certain way, it's yourself. Maybe something is missing in your life, maybe you're greedy, maybe you want to numb other feelings, maybe your ego feels slighted by losing and you want to vindicate yourself. But in order to get the best results for you (again hypothetically speaking), you have to work on these issues that lead you to "over the top" gambling. The gambling itself is not the problem, but rather a vehicle. Of course people trade sexual favors for money to finance their addictions, for hard drugs though! Have you personally witnessed someone prostituting himself for poker buy-ins? Or tournament tikiets? I really, really have doubts about that one. Thus the pressure from the "gambling addiction" cannot be that high...
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