Compulsive Gambling

The old adage notwithstanding, money is not the root of all evil, compulsive gambling is. To put it in dichotomy, there are 2 kinds of peope in this world, the first kind who gamble within their limits and the second who do not. Most of us, like myself, are the the first kind. You gamble when you make a wager with your friends, you gamble when you get attracted to bad jerks, you take a major gamble they day you marry your husband or wife. Point is, everyone gambles. When we are born into this world, we are taking gambles so we are the first kind of people to begin with. I'm stating the above because I'm pretty comfortable with the first kind of gamblers, being one myself. What I hate and despise most (at least for now) are the second kind of gamblers whom I affectionately call COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS. They are the ones who gamble without limits. They even dare to gamble what they do not have. Just like compulsive borrowers (shall be ranted some other day), they are people whom I refer to as people who lack foresight. They execute things without thinking of consequences but unlike law offenders, they are not persecuted by the law and so, 'sad to say that these people disrupt their own families and when desperate, may even turn to committing crimes. Am I exaggerating? I hope not, because I've seen cases of people turning to crime to feed their vices. These people devote their ives to making gambling their only job and when they lose, they borrow and pile up mountains of debt. When this happens, they leave their loved ones with no choice but to pay for them. Yes, I expect life to be unfair but it has to be reasonable most times, not? To date, I've not seen any gambler make a home out of a winning fortune, yet I've seen countless gamblers bankrupt and implicating their families and friends shunning them. It's sad, I know. That's why it has always been my principle NEVER to help any gambler friends with loans. I know I will do them more harm than good. They always give the same pathetic, desperate face but seriously, what right do they have to waver your heart when it is their mistake to bear? Today, is the FIRST and the LAST time I'm helping someone clear debts, not because I'm going against my principles, but it is for blood. This person implicated my brother into gambling. It will be my brother's first and last brush with this menacing habit. As for the compulsive gambler, I sincerely hope he will mend his ways. He looks like such a good boy, but he has an unforgivable habit. I don't care if I'm going to be berated for shaming them. I'm sharing this because I personally want to drive home this message, especially to compulsive gamblers, that gambling is an ENDLESS RUT. By being so self-centered, you're not only going to hurt yourself, you're going to hurt those who love you.