9 of 18

Write now Article Tools

Page 4 of 6

profitable and you thought of them as your friends. Of course, a large part of the attraction of the tribal casinos in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and other states I'm sure is that the women who bring the free coffee and cocoa in the mornings, and the cocktail gal of the night before, and the awards club lady all seem gushingly thrilled to see you. Your name is spoken and remembered, you are pointed toward the machines that should be hitting soon, and they revisit you throughout the hours, as they call you "friend" and while you're there, you actually want to believe it is true. You want to feel not so alone in the world, and in this place, people are claiming you as their friends. For a short while, it feels wonderful to be remembered and missed and actually mentioned between employees who've been wondering how and where you are.

It is my fervent hope to bring understanding and hope to those without either; to provide answers to those whose questions alone scare the possible answers right out of them. Addictions of every variety abound and thrive in our society. In fact, gambling triggers the exact rush of dopamine cocaine releases into the body by the brain. They are the most parallel of addictions, and the addict brain having sampled his first taste of the rush of the coke or the rush of adrenaline in the slot machine is feeling the exact same merriment and head rush the gambler can literally FEEL the electrical thrumming in his bones while anticipating the rolling of the reels, each bounce of the dice, each slice of the cards. It is just NOT real money when the addict is gambling; it is Monopoly money but the addicted gambler is having no fun. He inhabits a prison of his own design and construction, the architect of no tomorrows. A life sentence handed down by a deck of cards, a shuffle or cut, just one more pull on the handle of a slot machine. "God, give me just one more trip to the automatic teller or one more check at the joint up the street that charges 25% interest and I will tithe 10% of the gross winnings back to you. I will hand money to the next poor beggar I encounter, inside the casino or on the street corner. I will never return here again if you let me win just this once. Please God, just one more time and I'll stop."

In searching the face of the gambler, one need not look far. She sits eating her $1.50 breakfast of pancakes and eggs over-easy, hastily scribbling circles with a stubbed down pencil while watching the keno numbers alight.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Gambling: Abuse and addiction?
We want to hear your view. Write now!