re: I hate Casinos. Seeing your brother going down a path of addiction sucks.

Not the casinos fault your bro don’t know when to fold em or when to hold em.

If he’d been winning he wouldnt be an addict :/

Watched a guy lose his career because he thought he was a professional poker player… so yea. Addiction sucks

So sorry to hear you're going through this.

Gambling is absolutely the worst addiction there is. What makes it unique is that it's the only addiction where the addict actually believes there can be a good outcome with his next hit.

You don't have that with drugs or alcohol or any other addiction.

Intervention time. Get him some help.

What is the appeal of gambling? You lose 99% of the time, and with most games, it's over quickly.

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was smart enough not to jump on the online sports gambling craze when it first started here in LA. It'd have destroyed me. I still will not touch it.

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I hop on for a couple months every other year or so. I make a little cash early then I start the deviance of chasing losses. Eventually losing my seed money and sitting out a year or more.

It’s a cycle. But I have to scratch that itch every now and then

A very good move. How’s your drinking now???

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I like going to the resort part of some of the casinos, but man the actual casinos are some of the saddest places on Earth.

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Back when I was in college some buddies and I were cutting through Harrah’s after a Saints game. As we are walking through I saw this woman, probably about 30yo, sitting at a slot machine with a picture of what I am assuming was her kid propped up on the machine in front of her. The blank expression on her face still haunts me almost 25 years later as one of the saddest things I have ever seen.

Gambling Addiction absolutely sucks. It is the ONLY addiction where participating IN the addiction can solve the problems CAUSED by the addiction. Meaning that you can win your next bet and that can solve the problem from losing money from previous bets.

It’s one of the very few addictions where the addict’s mind constantly lives in a fantasy world. Try to help him understand that and become more focused with living in reality. We are all wired that way to an extent. For example we all feel excited the day before a big vacation because we are anticipating the fun that’s about to come. The gambling addicts mind is so messed up that they constantly live in that fantasy world and actually get high on dopamine by just THINKING about the next bet (very similar to a cocaine addict who can get a high in ANTICIPATION of doing a line of coke).

All I can say is that he can get better. I say that because I am here typing this and have fought gambling demons for decades. So I know it’s doable but it won’t happen with out your brother being willing to work at it.

I would try to get him to immediately cut off access to cash. If it’s actually the slot machines that is his issue - he can’t play those with no cash. Cut up all debit and credit cards and make sure he doesn’t have access to cash. If he WANTS to get better it honestly won’t take long for his brain to start to rewire itself again if he stops playing,

I also highly recommend he start taking small doses of Lithium. That helps the mind of an addict make clearer decisions

It’s called weed out the week. Like the Beatles said, Let it Be, oh let it be!