How much of a gambling problem do you have?
Quote: JerryLoganYou're still reeling over losing the debate. Let it go.
No Mr Logan, I will not let it go until you retract everything you said about me. You attacked me personally for no reason and I will not just let it go. It doesn't matter what you actually said to me, what matters is your intent to say the worse thing you could think of in order to hurt me.
Quote: NareedA habit is not an addiction. Someone who gambles what he can afford using time he can spare is no more addicted to gambling than a sports fan who spends time and money following his favorite team is addicted to sports.
Nor is an interest in gambling an addiction, either. Many of the people in this forum are as interested in placing bets as in learning about the mechanics and math of the games they play. I'm willing to bet more than a few are more itnerested in analyzing games than in gambling.
The problem is gambling is deemed undesirable and immoral by a large part of society, not just Republicans. Look up the Wizard's blog post about Andy Rooney's smear piece on gambling, or merely recall Obama's criticism of holding conventions in Vegas. Therefore eny interest in gambling is "wrong" and any gambling is an addiction.
For me it's a hobby. It's something I find interesting to learn about and fun to do. I even play VP and some table games online for no money at all, just for fun, which isn't gambling (it's not gambling unless there are stakes involved).
Hobbies, diversions, entertainment, amusement are all necessary parts of life. Some people like art, tohers like sport, others like gambling, others like videogames. So what? If you spent as mch time on, say, music as you don on gambling, if you spent thousands a year attedning concerts and buying instruments, you wouldn't say you ahve a music addiction.
When I put habit and addiction in the same sentence, it wasn't meant to say that habit = addiction, though a habit that takes you away from other necessary parts of your life probably is.
If you spend hours playing video games to the point where you are losing sleep, neglecting work or other aspects of your home life, or spending money you can't afford buying upgrades to the game, then that video game is probably an addiction. If you spend thousands of year attending concerts and buying instruments but that takes you away from other important activities in your life then you might be a music "addict".
There is indeed a fine line between a habit and an addiction. An addict, in my opinion, is someone who has an emotional, psychological or physical dependency who is willing to put meaningful harm in other facets of their life in order to support their habit.
I'm not in the Rooney camp. Millions gamble every year and they do not have gambling problems. I am pointing out that there is a fine line between a habit and addiction and I've been across that line a couple of times. I suspect that a few others on this forum have been as well.
Quote: matildaNo Mr Logan, I will not let it go until you retract everything you said about me. You attacked me personally for no reason and I will not just let it go. It doesn't matter what you actually said to me, what matters is your intent to say the worse thing you could think of in order to hurt me.
When I as a republican was personally attacked with your insinuations I made a few posts opining a thing or two about it and you, then stopped. Please be schooled by that.
If not, cry me a river.
I don't see how that is insulting. Is reporting it insulting? It just "is". It happened. If you don't like it, take it up with the Republicans who sent them the money. I, for one, don't care at all that the money was sent to them and used for this purpose.
And, 1) no one wins on the internet, and 2) you don't get to decide who comes out looking better.
Quote: MoscaI don't think there was any insinuation at all. It was a statement of a fact, without innuendo. The Republicans threw in with the fundamentalist Christians in order to win some congressional elections, and in return passed money their way to fund some of the fundamentalist Christian agenda.
I don't see how that is insulting. Is reporting it insulting? It just "is". It happened. If you don't like it, take it up with the Republicans who sent them the money. I, for one, don't care at all that the money was sent to them and used for this purpose.
And, 1) no one wins on the internet, and 2) you don't get to decide who comes out looking better.
The insinuation was that because it was a republican congress something nefarious occured. It would have been very easy to leave out the word "republican" and therefore, eliminate the weak and useless shot. All that mumble-jumble about Christians & fundamentalists is neither here nor there. I happen to like the other thing republicans did when they tried to regulate Internet gaming payments. I believe anyone who plays on-line at unregulated, totally unaccountable sites is stupid. Yet they are very good at justifying what is truly an incomprehensible action. I mean pathological gambling problem.
Quote: boymimboWhen I put habit and addiction in the same sentence, it wasn't meant to say that habit = addiction, though a habit that takes you away from other necessary parts of your life probably is.
When you say "It's a habit, an addiction," you are saying habit is addiction.
Quote:There is indeed a fine line between a habit and an addiction. An addict, in my opinion, is someone who has an emotional, psychological or physical dependency who is willing to put meaningful harm in other facets of their life in order to support their habit.
No. Addiction may develop from habit, yes, but it's not a straight-line progression you must constantly guard against. Usually addiction develops by itself. In gambling it can be as sudden as in drugs.
Nor would I define addiction as a dependence, of any kind, on a substance or an action. If I did, then we're all oxygen and food addicts, not to mention toilet addicts. No. Addiction requires an obsession and dependence on something that isn't absolutely necessary.
Quote:I'm not in the Rooney camp. Millions gamble every year and they do not have gambling problems. I am pointing out that there is a fine line between a habit and addiction and I've been across that line a couple of times. I suspect that a few others on this forum have been as well.
I dont' think so.
I play videogames on my PC. When Rollercoaster Tycoon first came out, I'd play it for hours on end. Some weekends I'd lose track of time and play until 4 am. This seems addictive, but it's not. It's a temporary distraction with a pastime that is both immersive and entertaining. In time I exhausted the entertainment possibilities of the game and stopped playing it. But even while I played it, I had no trouble putting it aside to do other things.
I've had the same thing happen with some books. It's not uncommon for me to grab a book at 10 am on a Saturday, and read non-stop, sometimes skipping lunch and even dinner, until I finish it. But it's just a distraction. I forget to eat. I dont' decide I'd rather read than eat.
So if you get caught up in a winning streak, bet too much and wind up losing, that doesn't mean you were addicted to gambling during that session.
I've a hard rule for gambling: when I chose to increase a bet or to take more bets (like pair+, hardways, etc), I consider why I want to, whether it's a good bet, whether I can afford to lose the additional money required, and what I expect to get out of increasing my wagers. If I find my answers unsatisfactory, I don't wager more. This fails me when I drink (which I confirmed lastr trip), so I don't drink while I play, nor do I play shortly after having a drink.
Quote: NareedI've had the same thing happen with some books. It's not uncommon for me to grab a book at 10 am on a Saturday, and read non-stop, sometimes skipping lunch and even dinner, until I finish it. But it's just a distraction. I forget to eat. I dont' decide I'd rather read than eat.
I've often pondered the relationship between reading and drug addiction. Your mind goes off into a fantasy world, you lose track of reality... it's not a simple thing.
Quote: MoscaI've often pondered the relationship between reading and drug addiction. Your mind goes off into a fantasy world, you lose track of reality... it's not a simple thing.
It's completely different. Reading requires thinking and focus. You lose track of time and ignore the world around you because your mind is otherwise engaged. With drugs your mind just behaves erratically, and you can't focus on events because of that.
Quote: NareedIt's completely different. Reading requires thinking and focus. You lose track of time and ignore the world around you because your mind is otherwise engaged. With drugs your mind just behaves erratically, and you can't focus on events because of that.
Man, I dunno. I recall being pretty damned focused a few times, LOL.
I've done some reading about this. There are some researchers who believe that the development of reading and writing has been responsible for much of the development of the human brain. I'll try to take some time and get some links, right now I'm at work. I'll be free Sunday. It's fascinating stuff.
Edit: here is one I found quickly, from brainchannels.com:
Quote:Unlike speech, writing is not genetically encoded, nor is reading. In fact, it can be said with ease that these skills are unnatural to the brain and its neurodesign. Michael Gazzaniga, neuroscientist and author of "The Mind's Past" puts it another way, "Brains are not built to read. Reading is a recent invention of human culture . . .our brains have no place dedicated to this new invention." Neuroscientist and author Leonard Shlain, takes this concept a step further in making a bold proclamation, "the process of reading itself fundamentally rewired the human brain with profound consequences for culture, history and religion."
Thus, reading and writing are a manmade invention alien to the brain and the purposes it was created for. Yet most all of the important developments in civilization can be pinpointed back to the rapid development of language, reading and writing.
Quote: NareedIt's completely different. Reading requires thinking and focus. You lose track of time and ignore the world around you because your mind is otherwise engaged. With drugs your mind just behaves erratically, and you can't focus on events because of that.
That depends greatly on what type of drug you are talking about. Certain types can make you laser-like focused. Of course, they can also give you a heart attack.
Quote: rudeboyoii hate when people talk politics. if youre not in a position to be able to change anything about the government, why even pay attention to it? it never accomplishes anything. politics is a needless stressor in a lot of our lives. all it does is bring up negative emotions. anger. hatred. who really needs that?
Yep.
For anyone who isn't familiar with the term, they're called trolls. These people (myself included sometimes) are people who aren't able to start fights irl and try to hit some nerves for shits and giggles.
On politics: I spent a couple years of my life in activism during college and you can make a difference. Very rarely on a community scale, but I like to think that my dad and uncle vote differently than my grandparents because of the way I've slowly worked them over. I'm not trying to say that I've tricked them, but merely shown them where they can get the most out of their votes. Not many people can talk politics and not let it get personal, but being a conservative christian living in Seattle's U-district for four years gave me a very thick skin.
Quote: NareedWhen you say "It's a habit, an addiction," you are saying habit is addiction.
No. Addiction may develop from habit, yes, but it's not a straight-line progression you must constantly guard against. Usually addiction develops by itself. In gambling it can be as sudden as in drugs.
Nor would I define addiction as a dependence, of any kind, on a substance or an action. If I did, then we're all oxygen and food addicts, not to mention toilet addicts. No. Addiction requires an obsession and dependence on something that isn't absolutely necessary.
I dont' think so.
I play videogames on my PC. When Rollercoaster Tycoon first came out, I'd play it for hours on end. Some weekends I'd lose track of time and play until 4 am. This seems addictive, but it's not. It's a temporary distraction with a pastime that is both immersive and entertaining. In time I exhausted the entertainment possibilities of the game and stopped playing it. But even while I played it, I had no trouble putting it aside to do other things.
I've had the same thing happen with some books. It's not uncommon for me to grab a book at 10 am on a Saturday, and read non-stop, sometimes skipping lunch and even dinner, until I finish it. But it's just a distraction. I forget to eat. I dont' decide I'd rather read than eat.
So if you get caught up in a winning streak, bet too much and wind up losing, that doesn't mean you were addicted to gambling during that session.
I've a hard rule for gambling: when I chose to increase a bet or to take more bets (like pair+, hardways, etc), I consider why I want to, whether it's a good bet, whether I can afford to lose the additional money required, and what I expect to get out of increasing my wagers. If I find my answers unsatisfactory, I don't wager more. This fails me when I drink (which I confirmed lastr trip), so I don't drink while I play, nor do I play shortly after having a drink.
Nareed, please give a good definition of what an 'addiction' is.
My thought is that if you played RCT2 or the Sims for hours/days on end to the point that you missed work, spent all of your money on upgrades, and ended up at the hospital for starvation or dehydration, you might be an addict.
Certainly though there are other addictions that have no ill effects, though I couldn't classify a drug or alcohol addiction in that way. Gambling is a psychological dependence that is for sure, so it's difficult to define when you are an addict versus being a problem gambler to simply being able to state that gambling is a form of entertainment. These quizzes, Gambler's Anonomous and the money that the government spends on programs to fight addiction are there to help you at least be aware that one might have a problem.
I acknowledge that perhaps I am making too much of this. I wanted to point out that there were times in my life where my gambling was a problem.
Matilda just wrote off the test as being written by a bunch of Republican conservative christians and while the test overall might be a little bit "too sensitive" I think that the problem does exist.
