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Gambling, is it good or bad?
- Thread starter Jumi
- Start date
Wirey
Fartist
Three to one, you don't get good responses.
Wirey
Fartist
Name an addiction that is good for anyone. He said 'gambling', not 'gambling addiction'. I go to casinos about once every two months, plus an annual trip to Vegas with the wife, and my life and family are just fine.
Scott C.
Just one guy
I agree that all addictions are bad. My point is that gambling is risky. Some can't control it. For those folks, gambling is bad.
Taylor Seraphim
Angel of Reason
I don't care if people do it, but I personally do not itself.
It should not be illegal though.
Taylor Seraphim
Angel of Reason
I distinctly recall posts from you, shortly after your brainectomy, suggesting differently.
To me, gambling is like junk food, masturbation, alcohol, motor sports, or religion.
It's a good thing for healthy people to use as a stressbuster or treat or something. It's a bad thing if it takes control of your life. And humans are notoriously unable to keep in control of such things.
Tom
I don't like it.
Therefore it's bad.
Therefore it's bad.
Wirey
Fartist
Now that's an argument. Doo-doo Head!
Unassailable logic, eh.
Deathbydefault
Apistevist Asexual Atheist
It should be presented at a young age so that the self control level required for gambling becomes apparent.
A good point of gambling is that it can show you how responsible you are.
A bad point is that if you aren't responsible enough, you lose.
In general, I have the same view on it as I do on drugs, sex, and fighting.
If it's consensual then it's none of my business.
Age restrictions and the like are overall pointless, so on and so forth.
That's more or less my view.
And I actually have a story about it.
When I was 13-14-ish, I went to a local amusement park (which I REFUSE to call by its new name, far as I'm concerned it will ALWAYS be called Ma...................) as part of a school field trip, and was given a bit of money for food, games, and trinkets. About... $25, if I recall correctly. At the arcade, there was one of those machines where you navigate a little piston to push prizes through holes. I was wanting a watch about this time, and it just so happened that a watch was one of the prizes. So, I spent about 20 of the 25 dollars trying to get it. Of course, I didn't. And this was early in the trip, so I spent the rest of the day with 5 bucks.
That's how I learned that I'm prone to gambling addiction. It only got reinforced by my behavior in gambling minigames in video games, where I tend to get... vindictive, and try to "get back" any money I lost. Rarely works out.
Plus, for whatever variety of reasons, money doesn't actually have any intrinsic value to me; all it means to me is STUFF!!! So I'm also prone to overspending and impulse buying. (I've had to deal with a lot of heavy stuff through my life, but having food, water, shelter, etc. be uncertainties were never among them, thank the Gods, and my heart goes to anyone who's ever had to deal with that, or is currently dealing with it.)
Therefore, I don't gamble. I have stepped foot into a casino before (because I was waiting a long time for friends to finish their games), and I can tell I would be absorbed in it. If I ever decide to gamble at least once, for the experience, I'm going to have a friend be with me, a particular friend whom I know can help make sure I use ONLY preset limits, and to whom I'll give permission to physically DRAG me if he has to.
Jumi
Well-Known Member
Why?
Jumi
Well-Known Member
I agree with you 100% here.
BSM1
What? Me worry?
We're even!
Wirey
Fartist
When I worked up north we had a mechanical coordinator who lived in camp. Most guys lived in town as we were provided with a monthly stipend of over $5300 for rent and food, and it was a great way to make extra cash (at the time my rent was $900 for one room and about $500 for food). I asked him once why he didn't, and he told me "If I was in town I'd be in the casino. I save up my travel allowance and once a year get drunk and blow it." A few months later he mentioned that it was his big 'gaming' night, so a coworker and I decided to go to the casino and see if he was some kind of salivating lunatic or what. After work I went home, showered, ate some leftovers and headed to the casino in Fort McMurray (The Boomtown Casino, where your wallet goes BOOM!). By the time I got there, he was already completely drunk and had lost about $5700 (at least that's what he admitted to). I couldn't imagine doing that. When I lose $60 my scrotum starts feeling tight.