It's an addiction, like any other. But there is also psychological mechanisms at work that can affect anyone, regardless of being and addict or not.
The people who suffer under it have no control, but believe that they do. They make up all kinds of fancy justifications for why they do what they do, but in the end, they are slaves to their addiction, and it will consume them. I once knew a guy who fell for a Nigerian scam. Nobody could dissuade him from losing everything he had. Once they've dug a deep hole, most people of this sort will keep on digging until they hit rock bottom.
In all risky endeavours, it's smart to have a stop-loss point. You've lost a certain amount of money, time or other resources, it's time to rethink your strategy or get out. I'd liken it to getting lost in the woods. My old uncle told me when I was a teenager: If you ever get lost in the woods, sit down, light a fire and make yourself a cup of coffee or cocoa. Once you've cleared your head and stop running around in a panic, you can see clearly and are unlikely to make a life threatning mistake. The old woodsmen knew this from hard lessons. Then you can get back to where you were, or at least get easily rescued. I guess you could get yourself a coffee if you're gambling too, or at least go to the bathroom and splash some water on your face. Get away from the table, clear your head and rethink what you're doing.
The people who suffer under it have no control, but believe that they do. They make up all kinds of fancy justifications for why they do what they do, but in the end, they are slaves to their addiction, and it will consume them. I once knew a guy who fell for a Nigerian scam. Nobody could dissuade him from losing everything he had. Once they've dug a deep hole, most people of this sort will keep on digging until they hit rock bottom.
In all risky endeavours, it's smart to have a stop-loss point. You've lost a certain amount of money, time or other resources, it's time to rethink your strategy or get out. I'd liken it to getting lost in the woods. My old uncle told me when I was a teenager: If you ever get lost in the woods, sit down, light a fire and make yourself a cup of coffee or cocoa. Once you've cleared your head and stop running around in a panic, you can see clearly and are unlikely to make a life threatning mistake. The old woodsmen knew this from hard lessons. Then you can get back to where you were, or at least get easily rescued. I guess you could get yourself a coffee if you're gambling too, or at least go to the bathroom and splash some water on your face. Get away from the table, clear your head and rethink what you're doing.
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