Addiction is 100% your choice:

[Marvelockg]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

If for instance, I decide that I'm only going to gamble once a week and that at each time I will only gamble with an amount like $20 based on my current financial strength, would I ever become addicted to gambling?  Isn't it because you don't have any plan in place and just gamble as your spirit leads that makes you become careless with your gambling and become addicted to the process? Just want to ask this question;

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

[danherbias07]

Easy to say but you won't know it for sure if nobody will tell you.
You can ask yourself the question over and over but I bet you will just tell yourself that you are still in control. Gambling addiction is a choice but when you get hooked to it either from chasing losses or your greed, you can be in a position where you cannot stop it anymore.
It's other people who can tell if you are a gambling addict especially if you are not doing what you usually do anymore before it became out of hand.

A non-gambling addict on the other hand can tell himself that he ain't that yet and then stop for a week or two just to prove to himself that he is alright.
If a person can still do that, then I won't say that he is a gambling addict. Control and discipline, are the crucial things that we must learn.

[Davidvictorson]

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

You have to be very intentional about your gambling habits and activities for you not to become a dictated unconsciously to gambling. Just as the way most persons are suffering from internet or phone addiction without them even knowing that it is an addiction. They only become aware when they have to go without their phones and they begin to have withdrawal symptoms. Those who are deliberate and intentional cannot get addicted to gambling. And it is in the actions more than just the words.

[yahoo62278]

You're going to see lots of opinions both ways here I feel. Some, like myself and you say that addiction is a choice while others will say it's a sickness. It's like being a heroin addict, you chose to put the needle into your arm, you chose to think it won't happen to you. Well, you chose to gamble and tempt yourself.

Addicts have a choice and if they know they have an addictive personality they should probably not even consider gambling.

[acroman08]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

uhh... you don't choose to be addicted. nobody wants to become addicted, being addicted is a very awful place to put yourself in. Gambling addiction is a complex mental problem, I suggest you read studies about gambling addiction and its psychological effects, you'll also learn that it can still manifest despite you trying your best not to become addicted to gambling. also, you'd be surprised that there are people who are genetically more prone to addiction(not just gambling) compared to other people.

[Charles-Tim]

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

Addiction starts from thinking of making money from gambling.  Thinking that you can earn from gambling often. These kind of people will change from one approach or strategy to another but keep losing. If you are not addicted to gambling, that means you do not have that kind of mentality and you know that you can not make life fortune from gambling.

[taufik123]

In theory, it may be quite easy to express it, but in practice there will be many obstacles that will occur because it has to do with the psychology of everyone who gambles.

Giving a maximum fund limit of $20 for gambling as you say will not guarantee whether you will be free from gambling addiction.
Just looking at how your gambling behavior and history are, sometimes if you get too caught up in the gambling game you subconsciously put in more money to achieve a bigger winning goal.

I experienced it myself, when the limit was determined I was carried away by the atmosphere of the game which made me more focused on winning.
Because in every attempt it is always lost, and fewer wins are obtained.

[OgNasty]

I’m with you on this. The whole idea of mental addiction is crazy to me. People act like they can’t control their own decisions. I could see if you had a real chemical dependency on a substance, needing help to get free might be necessary. If you just keep repeating bad behavior because you’re weak mentally, that’s not addiction, that’s you being weak and pathetic.

[Upgrade00]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice?

Yes, gambling is addictive, and for some people it may be better if the choose not to get into it a all for fear of getting addicted to it.

It's also not a choice, no one chooses to be unable to control their urge and risk losing all their possessions and going in debt. For some they are exposed to gambling at a young age when their inhibitive qualities are not yet fully developed, this puts them at risk of getting addicted. Some others due to other things going on in their lives fall into addiction.

In many cases it is a product of poor decisions as well, but not a willful voice.

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

Yes, this is possible.

[swogerino]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

If for instance, I decide that I'm only going to gamble once a week and that at each time I will only gamble with an amount like $20 based on my current financial strength, would I ever become addicted to gambling?  Isn't it because you don't have any plan in place and just gamble as your spirit leads that makes you become careless with your gambling and become addicted to the process? Just want to ask this question;

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

That is easier said than done.I know most people play with a set budget like the one you are saying,some play 20 dollars a week,some 50 a week and some 100 week depending on how much money they can afford to lose.We have seen rarely stories of rich people becoming addicted for simple reason that they have enough money,well a few rich individuals have lost all their fortune but the number of rich people addicted compared to poor or people from medium family is very small.So why do these people get addicted,the poor and medium family,because they start playing for fun and with a set budget but as they start going they get hooked to it and they end up dreaming about turning poverty into richness through gambling and that is their only motive,which is a deceitful one as it never happens,so that is why the number of addicted people is higher when they are poor or from medium income families.

[Cantsay]

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

If I continue my gambling activity the way I’m currently doing it I’ll be bold enough to say that I’ll never become addicted to it but if anything happens that makes me change my current gambling patter I’ll no longer be able to tell if I’ll be able to control it and get away without being addicted to it.

Most gamblers you see out there - some of them still think that their gambling habits is normal they don’t even realize that they have gone to the extreme already, to them they are just trying to make money and have fun so what’s the big deal about making a huge deposit into my account? After all I’ve also won large some from it: those are the kind of things they think meanwhile you an average gambler would look at them as addicts. The idea that addiction is a choice is only for those who were quick to realize it and also those that took their time to learn the precautions to take when gambling - but for those who just saw ads on how to make millions through gambling and then hopped into it that choice was not given to them.

[GxSTxV]

I think most of people would say the same thing like you and even be as confident as you are about gambling addiction and that addiction is a choice because words are easy to say.

Gambling addiction happens due to many reasons such as greediness, anger, impulsiveness, chasing losses and so on.. In my opinion gambling requires someone with a strong personality and with strong self management, a good gambler needs to know how to manage his spendings and money and know when to stop and when to not.

You might actually plan how to gamble before starting and tell yourself you're going to gamble only once a week for example or spend only a specific amount of money on gambling, but you never know what comes while gambling, you might lose because of a stupid reason so you decide to kind of revenge or chase that loss, you might also get lucky and win big and think it can work another time. Many things might occur, but are you that strong to hold yourself? I think it is what can decide whether you can fall into addiction or not.

So I can't really agree and say addiction is 100% your choice since so many factors might happen and affect your decisions and not everyone have strong mindsets.

[Fortify]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

If for instance, I decide that I'm only going to gamble once a week and that at each time I will only gamble with an amount like $20 based on my current financial strength, would I ever become addicted to gambling?  Isn't it because you don't have any plan in place and just gamble as your spirit leads that makes you become careless with your gambling and become addicted to the process? Just want to ask this question;

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

I think there is definitely an element of the population who are more susceptible to getting addicted, but I also think that anyone can be vulnerable to addiction too. When you consider that most addiction does not come from one or two sessions, but rather a habit that is formed over a longer time of weeks or months. If you build up a routine around gambling, you can often get sucked further in without realizing and if you understand that over the long term a vast majority of gamblers are mathematically destined to lose - then it can become harder to extract yourself. If you imagine that you lose $10 the first week, but by the fourth weekend you are $1000 down, you can forever feel like you want to claw those losses back.

[KTChampions]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

If for instance, I decide that I'm only going to gamble once a week and that at each time I will only gamble with an amount like $20 based on my current financial strength, would I ever become addicted to gambling?  Isn't it because you don't have any plan in place and just gamble as your spirit leads that makes you become careless with your gambling and become addicted to the process? Just want to ask this question;

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

It is naive to consider yourself invulnerable  
Much more beneficial to understand your weaknesses and therefore be more careful = more protected. If many people become addicted for one reason or another, why should we think that this cannot happen to us? Physiology in humans and the following from this various weaknesses are of a similar nature. In general, I cannot say that I was never addicted (thank God this did not entail any consequences), but I was able to get rid of it, or rather, I did not let it develop into a strong addiction. And yes, restrictions on the time/amount of gambling help a lot.

[Stalker22]

I think it is more complicated than just saying addiction is an excuse for bad behavior.  Yeah, some folks probably do use it as a cop-out sometimes.  But we gotta admit addiction is real and causes serious problems for people. 

It isnt just about folks being weak or pathetic.  Our brains and bodies are complex, you know? Addiction literally changes how the brain works. I read studies showing it alters brain chemistry.  I get what you said about different types of addiction, but at the end of the day our bodies depend on delicate chemistry to function with or without outside stuff messing it up and  its proven our brains change in significant ways when addicted.  So people struggling with it often have a really rough time stopping, no matter how hard they try... like theyre fighting against their own biology or something.  Real tough situation.

And saying its just a choice fails to capture everything that leads someone down that road - the complex interplay of biological, psychological, and other factors. Its like telling someone with anxiety or OCD that they chose to have those conditions and if someone has a full-on phobia or compulsion, did they choose that also?

[SamReomo]

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

I can but only if I apply the rules of gambling responsibility. If I start gambling 4 hours per day or more than no matter how many times I tell myself that I won't get addicted to gambling, I'll still get addicted to it.

Those who're addicted to tobacco think that they aren't actually addicted to it but they're smoking it because it makes them happy. Similarly if someone gets addicted with that mindset then he/she will never admit the addiction but tells that gambling only relives his/her stress and that's why he/she gambles everyday.

[iv4n]

...
Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

It's easier if we accept the truth, we are all addicts, and we are all addicted to many things. It's the thing, if we like something we will do it, and if we are doing it regularly we are addicted to it and we can't imagine life without it. It can be gambling or any other activity that light up the fire when we are doing it.

You are 101% right that everything depends on us and our choices, and if we are not careful the addiction will cause us many problems and in the end will eat us. So it's not about whether you are addicted to something or not, it's about controlling it and not letting it take control over you and your actions.

[Accardo]

Gamblers have lifted addiction to a prime icon, by becoming elite candidates for compulsive gambling. Addiction is a behavior and all behavior are choices says Jeff Schalar, author of addiction is a choice. Technically, players also need to do away with the thought that addiction originates from anything else other than themselves. Presumably, similar idea holds for the reason why players think less of the control they have over compulsive gambling habit. Thereby, allowing their emotions to be toiled with different unacceptable ways of thinking which may lead to addiction. Such as going for monetary fulfilments.

[Rruchi man]

isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

It can be easier to just say that you will never become an addict, but practically, it becomes very difficult to keep with the decision if you do not set the standards or principles that will guide you in gambling and stay disciplined about it.

Can you comfortably tell yourself that you have never been addicted to gambling and that you can never be addicted to gambling because of how you go about it?

Not everyone can, but if you have been a long-time gambler who has been able to maintain discipline, you will be able to more confidently say that you cannot become an addict because you are sure of what you have been doing and your practices that have kept you a responsible gambler.

New gamblers who just say that they can never become addicts speak inexperiencedly, and because they have no practice or principles that will guide them, the chances of them turning into addicts still largely exist.

[darkangel11]

Almost 90% of the people who have a thing against gambling do so because they feel that gambling is addictive. But come to think of it, isn't addiction a choice? After reading lots of stories on the effects of being an addicted gambler, I feel it's 100% possible to tell myself that I can never be addicted to gambling and won't ever get addicted.

You don't understand psychology.
There are stronger and weaker personalities and I can give you a relationship example. Why does one person start dating after being left by a girlfriend or wife, but another goes into drinking and considers suicide? We all deal with things in a different way: some bend, while others break.
That's why you gamble and don't get addicted but other people can't stop thinking about gambling when they stop. They can't sleep. The only thing that relaxes them is winning a few rounds of poker or something.