Gambling with your Life
There are supposedly two things that we can categorically look back to when recorded time began; one is prostitution, the other is gambling. Now, for the fear of offending anyone’s tender feelings, we shall put aside the prostitution aspect and concentrate on gambling.
As far back as the human race can see, people have always had the urge to gamble. Although we are aware of the many risks involved when it comes to gambling, we continue to do so. For many gamblers, they know that this is a past time where all the odds are firmly stacked against them, yet they all live in hope.
So why is this the case? You could argue that in every person, there is a destructive element; there is a need to rebel against that which we know we should do. However, this is not the primary reason; the rebellion factor is merely a part of the whole. And that whole consists of many parts, the thrill of the win, the battle against the odds, the desire to win and being able to win money the easy way; these are all part of the whole. Then there is the addictive personality which is a very common human trait, we all have it in some form, for many individuals, it is gambling.
Now, there are those who say that gambling is a scam; a con of the biggest nature. But a con or scam is something you do not see coming. The odds of winning in a casino are quite clearly put forward, there is nothing hidden in this sense. If you are informed about the probability of you losing, then how can one complain that it actually happened? This is again where human nature comes into play, whenever we come across a situation where we have not achieved our goals; we tend to blame the fault on something other than ourselves.
There various individuals who suffer from addictions that are linked to gambling. The most common addiction is compulsive gambling. This is where the gambler does not have any control over the impulse to gamble, regardless of the effect that it has on themselves or on those around them. Whether they are on a winning streak or losing, it is very difficult for them to resist the urge to place a bet. If gambling was banned and not so much in the public eye, it would not have such a detrimental effect on people’s lives. Unfortunately, if this approach were advocated, nearly everything that can be classed as addictive or bad for us should also be banned. So, we might as well all sign up for the big bubble we are going to be living in.
It is very rare to find a person who does not have an addictive personality in some form. It is probably something they have lived with all their lives and it could be anything from food, shopping or gambling. We all have rights and we also all have responsibilities but our first responsibility has to be to ourselves. Although gambling is not a responsible past time it needs to addressed in a responsible way.
Tags: compulsive gambling, gambling