Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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I don't know if I should respond. If I offend try to let it slide.
When you have too many at the bar and drive home you are counting on a higher power not to get in a wreck, or busted. When you know what happened last time you did drugs and it was unpleasant, if you do it again you are counting on a higher power to see that it doesn't happen again.
Counting on a higher power for that is as bad as counting on help from one to "cure" you. No matter what.
The higher power doctrine of any kind is for those who can't get a grip on themselves. That is a form of immaturity. The addiction, in that sense is the same as the religion. And what specific addiction it may be doesn't matter, not one iota. I don't care if it's scenery or cyanide. Drugs, booze, gambling, money, even power, they're all the same thing.
Legality doesn't mean shit. If you throw $100 down the tubes at bingo, poker or the state sanctioned lottery, it's all the same thing. If you spend the same $100 on drugs, booze or hookers, or beanie babies for that matter it's all the same thing. The question is can you afford it ?
If you can afford it, who cares ?
The allure of gambling is in essence faith in a higher power, the power of luck. I've been educated about luck. It exists but you make it for yourself. You sit down at a table with five or six other people in a private game, you have a chance of winning if you know what you're doing. You can't learn how to gmble at bingo or playing the lottery. For me it's a very intriguing mind game. You can't play mind games with vending machines or powerballs. I do not gamble what I can't afford to lose, therefore the craving for that winning moment does not exist for me. It's the game itself, but money is still necessary to make it meaningful.
You go buy a case of beer and have a good time. When it's over it's over. If you go get another case of beer that might be a problem. Same with anything. When you are in control of yourself and can afford it, you decide how far you are going to go - and you stick to it. This is a sign of maturity.
I don't want to rub that in, but I want to explain it fully, well as much as possible anyway. There are of course levels of maturity, but there are also different aspects of it. People have different levels in different things. Again, the addictable mentality is immature - in one of these aspects. Whether one grows out of it is unknown individually. but one thing is for sure, religious mumbo jumbo will NEVER accomplish it without creating it's own dependency. Would you rather have the heroin or the methadone ?
Outside help never works. Get that through your head. If it appears to work, all it really did was to help you help yourself. I've fallen into some "holes" in life and climbed back out. I have never ever seen anyone helped - until they helped themself.
Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is not an easy subject to deal with properly. I've seen people see the error of their ways, but usually after some consequences. Consequences teach, the comfort of religion is an escape. It is no less an escape than drugs or any other compulsive behavior.
Heal thyself, noone else can. Once done, you can again enjoy a junket, when you can afford it. I can give you some specific information on gambling that will decrease the losses, but now is not the time. To gamble effectively you need to think. It's math, not luck. Unfortunately, once you cut through the shit, gambling is a job. Growing out of compulsion really wrecks the fun.
Twelve steps is the waste of eleven steps. It only takes one. Best of luck and - I'll be around.
T^T
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