This
question
most
gamblers
ask
themselves
when
they
begin
to
realize
gambling
has
affected
their
lives.
Most
gamblers
intent
is
not
to
lose
all
their
money,
but
rather
to
win
big
and
buy
all
those
materialist
items
they
have
always
dreamed
of.
Gamblers
are
not
selfish
people;
in
fact
they
enjoy
buying
things
for
their
family
and
friends.
Compulsive
gamblers
live
their
lives
to
just
place
one
more
bet.
It
doesn’t
matter
if a
compulsive
gambler
is
up
five
thousand
dollars,
they
will
still
gamble
until
they
lost
all
the
money
they
came
with.
This
is
reality
for
a
compulsive
gambler.
At
the
time
they
finally
win,
their
ego’s
sore
like
a
bird
in
flight.
For
that
very
instant
they
feel
like
their
on
top
of
the
world.
For
them
there
is
no
other
way
they
can
get
that
euphoric
feeling.
This
is
what
keeps
a
compulsive
gambler
from
really
wanting
to
stop
gambling.
When
a
compulsive
gambler
realizes
that
they
are
always
losing
there
money
reality
sets
in.
They
then
question
themselves.
“Do
I
really
want
to
stop
gambling?
They
decide
yes
I
want
to
stop
gambling.
They
are
feeling
good
about
there
decision.
They
finally
made
the
decision
to
stop.
The
next
day
comes
and
goes.
The
compulsive
gambler
is
feeling
good
about
them
selves.
All
of
sudden
they
get
a
call
from
a
friend.
Next
thing
you
know
you’re
in
the
car
headed
to
meet
them
at
the
gambling
establishment.
You
now
realize
you
didn’t
stop
gambling.
You
then
play
games
with
your
mind,
telling
yourself
“just
one
more
time
and
I
will
stop.”
On
the
way
to
the
gambling
establishment
you
start
thinking
about
the
big
win
and
how
you
are
going
to
spend
the
money.
You
finally
arrive
and
place
your
first
bet.
As
the
night
goes
on
you
realize
you’re
ahead,
you’re
on
top
of
the
world
and
then
everything
begins
to
crumble.
You
only
have
twenty
dollars
left
in
your
wallet.
What
do
you
do
now?
You
reach
for
your
wallet
and
realized
you
have
a
credit
card
you
can
get
three
hundred
dollars
off
of.
You
head
directly
to
the
credit
card
cashing
area
and
look
for
the
shortest
line.
You
start
wondering
why
this
line
is
moving
so
slowly.
When
in
reality
it’s
only
been
a
few
minutes.
You
finally
get
the
money
and
you
begin
to
gamble
again.
Before
you
know
it
you
lost
that
money
too.
You
finally
decide
to
leave
and
head
home.
In
less
then
one
minute
after
leaving
you
begin
to
ask
yourself
“Why
didn’t
I
leave
when
I
was
up?
How
could
I go
and
take
three
hundred
dollars
off
my
credit
card.
How
could
I
lose
all
my
money
again?
What
am I
going
to
tell
my
wife?
How
could
I do
this
again?
They
finally
arrive
back
at
home
and
have
to
face
the
music.
Once
again
they
ask
them
selves:
How
could
I do
this
again?
They
then
decide
it’s
time
to
stop.
The
next
day
arrives
and
they
ask
themselves
“Do
I
really
want
to
stop
gambling?”
The
logical
answer
is
yes
but
the
reality
is
no.
Once
a
compulsive
gambler
no
longer
has
any
resources
to
gamble
with,
reality
sets
in
and
they
are
willing
to
admit
they
have
a
gambling
problem.
I
have
met
a
person
who
attended
a
gambler’s
anonymous
meeting
and
convinced
themselves
that
their
problems
were
minimal
compared
to
the
people
at
the
table.
A
year
passed
and
this
same
person
went
back
to
same
Gamblers
Anonymous
group
and
their
situation
is
worse
then
the
people
he
met
at
the
first
meeting.
He
now
wishes
he
stopped
a
year
ago.
Don’t
let
this
happen
to
you
or a
loved
one.
There
is a
site
called
I
Stopped
Gambling
So
Can
You
that
has
informational
resources
related
to
stop
gambling
addiction.
Knowing
you
have
a
problem
gambling
and
doing
something
about
it
can
have
an
everlasting
effect
on
your
life.
It’s
time
to
take
one
day
at a
time.
