Your "advice" will mean nothing once they are already addicted. You cannot give advice to people who are addicts. They don't have a choice to suddenly stop taking your advice, it's not their fault. They are an addict. A friendly pat on the back, old chum, just quit, that doesn't work. That is what being an addict is! You quote all of this crap about addiction and then think that oh, well if I tell them to quit and they don't, my job here is done. I did my part. I can wash my hands of the situation. Bullshit. You can't just tell someone to quit and they will quit. That is what being an addict is.
Where do you think the 3,000,000 people in the United States with compulsive gambling problems come from? They start with innocent things like this. Small games. Just having fun. Friends bringng them to the casino. If you gave a friend a cigarette, and they never smoked before, and then a couple months later you saw them smoking a pack a day, what do you think, you're not to blame at all for the fact they are now smoking a pack a day? How can you go on and on about all of this addiction crap and not at least own up to the fact you are responsible for what happens to the people you get involved with things that can hurt them? If you are going to get your friends and family involved in potentially dangerous things, you have to be willing to accept your share of the responsibility for what can happen to them. Instead, you do this: If my friend gets addicted to gambling that I introduced them to, I will make a lame gesture to help by telling them to stop gambling. And if they don't, which is impossible by definition because they are ADDICTED TO GAMBLING AND CANNOT STOP, then oh well, I feel bad for them, and it's their problem now.. (continued next commment)...
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Date: 2006-02-28 17:10 (UTC)Where do you think the 3,000,000 people in the United States with compulsive gambling problems come from? They start with innocent things like this. Small games. Just having fun. Friends bringng them to the casino. If you gave a friend a cigarette, and they never smoked before, and then a couple months later you saw them smoking a pack a day, what do you think, you're not to blame at all for the fact they are now smoking a pack a day? How can you go on and on about all of this addiction crap and not at least own up to the fact you are responsible for what happens to the people you get involved with things that can hurt them? If you are going to get your friends and family involved in potentially dangerous things, you have to be willing to accept your share of the responsibility for what can happen to them. Instead, you do this: If my friend gets addicted to gambling that I introduced them to, I will make a lame gesture to help by telling them to stop gambling. And if they don't, which is impossible by definition because they are ADDICTED TO GAMBLING AND CANNOT STOP, then oh well, I feel bad for them, and it's their problem now.. (continued next commment)...