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Quote by Kurt Dahl

“One second the gambler is active in their addiction – the dopamine is flowing – and the next second the money is all gone and they can no longer anticipate a big reward. At that point they must get off the chair, step away from the machine, adjust their eyes to a larger field of vision, and then walk out the door in a trance, often into a dark and cold night. The intensity and severity of that instantaneous transition from hopeful to hopelessness is so dramatic and dangerous that it has led to thousands of impulsive suicides.”

Quote by Kurt Dahl

Book:Gambling Addiction: The complete guide to survival, treatment, and recovery from gambling addiction.
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Gambling Addiction: The complete guide to survival, treatment, and recovery from gambling addiction.

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Kurt Dahl

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“Right now, while you are reading this, your brain is functioning normally. But when you walk out of that casino your brain is seriously screwed up. Your willpower is weakened, your risk-taking tendencies are increased, and your decision-making system is not functioning in a way that can protect you from harm. As you walk out of that casino your brain is trying to kill you (or at least not able to prevent you from killing yourself). This is why, last year alone, thousands of people, who were okay 8 or 12 hours earlier as they walked into the casino, are now dead. This is why you must prepare now, while your brain is working properly. You can do things right now to prepare for that life or death moment. The primary goal of your preparation is for you to be able to walk out of the casino, get into your car, drive away, and totally ignore what just happened. Ignore the emotions, ignore the losses, ignore the despair, ignore the hopelessness – just drive on home as if nothing had happened.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingSlot MachinesCasino
Book:Gambling Addiction: The complete guide to survival, treatment, and recovery from gambling addiction.
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“The gamblers also rely on the absolute trust of the non-gamblers. If there is ever a question about money or time, the gamblers' loved ones readily accept the explanations. They don't check the bank accounts, the bills and the computer, speak to the gamblers' business partners about finances, or research the gamblers' explanations.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingGamblers AnonymousGam Anon
Book:GAMES COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS and WE PLAY Second Edition
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“When the gamblers finally run out of money and credit, or crack under the strain of maintaining a "normal life" while living the life of a compulsive gambler, the gamblers "hit bottom" and reveal the life of lies to the shock of the non-gamblers. The gamblers will promise that this will never happen again, plead for one more chance, and ask for financial help to get out from under the debt.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingGamblers AnonymousGam Anon
Book:GAMES COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS and WE PLAY Second Edition
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“When my husband and I went to the racetrack he handed me his $5.00 ticket “for luck." When he lost, he cursed and yelled. I told him that if he can't lose $5.00 like a grown-up, he shouldn't gamble. The thought that he had bought more tickets never entered my mind. I knew we didn't lie to each other. When he told me I couldn't go to the supermarket the next day because he had a bad business day on Saturday, it never occurred to me that this had anything to do with the evening at the racetrack. It didn't make sense until I came to Gam-Anon.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingGamblers AnonymousGam Anon
Book:GAMES COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS and WE PLAY Second Edition
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“Compulsive gamblers are fantastic liars because they can be relentless and extremely convincing. If caught in a lie, they will try to convince the non-gamblers that they must be mistaken and will argue so strenuously and for so long, that sometimes the non-gamblers just give up out of exhaustion. The gamblers are so convincing, that even though the evidence at hand would convince a jury, gambling will be denied. Even when the non-gamblers know the gamblers are lying because the facts prove that the gamblers spent the money, or bought the lottery tickets, or spent the day at a casino or on a gambling website, the gamblers' denials are unshakable. Non-gamblers walk away from the gamblers knowing that what they know is the truth, knowing that the money is gone, the time is gone, and nothing they can say or do will replace it. Whether the gamblers are believed or not, the gamblers win because the money has already been spent on gambling, and nothing the non-gamblers can say or do will change that. Wearing down the resolve of the non-gamblers is the desired result of this game.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingGamblers AnonymousGam Anon
Book:GAMES COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS and WE PLAY Second Edition
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“For the gamblers' family and friends, the world of compulsive gamblers is an unfamiliar and frightening place to contemplate, and the gamblers use that fear, becoming most convincing when they need money. Gamblers create lies about what could be plausible financial hardships in order to borrow money from unsuspecting concerned friends, relatives and business acquaintances. The gamblers may also plead for money to avoid jail, avoid being assaulted, not lose a job, or not lose a home or a car, even when none of these things are going to happen.”

AddictionGamblingGamblerGambling AddictGambling AddictionProblem GamblingGamblers AnonymousGam Anon
Book:GAMES COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS and WE PLAY Second Edition
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