It’s so much fun to play! In fact, it can be fascinating to play with money, too, as long as we see it as a game. However, when we go into a casino, and all we can think about is the prize or the car we lost, we aren’t players anymore. We are totally addicted! We can’t live without it! We’re hooked on this habit and just can’t get enough!
My story of how I became a gambling addict
Until thirty, I knew nothing about playing cards except for a few parties. I earned two degrees, one in the humanities and one in education. I met my ex-wife at university. We got married at the age of twenty-six and soon had two children. Then I started a business, which quickly developed into a well-going company. I had everything an ordinary person could imagine: houses, cars, a beautiful family, and a fantastic business. It was as if it all came together for me.
The first time I played poker was about 15 years ago with a friend. As a first-time player, I had no idea what it was, but when I discovered it, I was impressed that we have to use our brains and luck in this game.
It was a great business at first! Things were going well, and it was making money. We played for small amounts of money, and I won most of the time. And, if I lost, that wasn’t a problem as well since I had enough money for my loved ones and myself.
After playing for a year with small stakes, I got mixed up with two professional card players one night. They let me win for two hours, and I won a fortune. That was the trick. My money was gone by dawn, and I said goodbye to my car.
My discovery of the fake deck of cards didn’t take long. I’d been duped. When I went to them for a refund, they refused. The thugs beat me brutally and threatened to harm my family if I went to the police.
Despite this experience, I continued to play poker, and within a month, poker had become a part of my life. During the day, I worked, and at night I played poker. If I couldn’t get to a card club, I went to the casino, but I didn’t like them as much. I don’t know why. Roulette’s not my thing.
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Initially, my wife tolerated my absence at night. She reassured herself that it wouldn’t last long and I would give it up. She was so patient with me. She believed I did it because the business and family put too much pressure on me.
Nevertheless, after only seeing me in the mornings for six months, she told me that she did not find that enough. She meant nothing to me! I didn’t care about her one bit!
My losses were so significant that I had to sell two of my flats two months later. My company’s assets made us money, so I didn’t touch them.
However, my wife took the kids and left me.
Even though the money was out of my hands, I remained confident that I would get it all back one day. I took out a loan on my house, which I could only pay by selling my company’s assets. Therefore, I began to sell my company’s assets at a bargain.
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The vicious circle grabbed me, and I was utterly destroyed after three years. The bank sent the house to foreclosure, and I moved into my office. When I got an order, I did the work. I had to send all my employees.
For help, I turned to my ex-wife and my parents. I made up a story about my company going bankrupt. I asked my ex-wife to take a loan on her parents’ apartment. I did the same thing with my parents. And, of course, everybody took the loan. As soon as I received the money, I immediately started playing.
For six months, everything went smoothly. Renting an apartment, paying the mortgage, and quitting cocaine were all easy. But then I lost again. The in-laws blamed me for the lack of money in my company that they had borrowed from the bank. They were right. My company no longer existed.
Our relationship was broken. I told them I was bankrupt. Since then, they have stopped speaking with me. Neither my parents, my ex-wife, nor my children. But I’m okay with it.
Recently, my daughter walked past me on a roundabout. Although she noticed me, she didn’t say anything to me. My response would be the same. Her dad is a shitty little addict who doesn’t care about her. What matters to me is the game, the excitement of poker. This is more important to me than anything else.