Drugs, Gambling, Love And Other Quicksands In Our Midst

     

       Everyone has his or her addiction, it could be harmless and fleeting or thoroughly harmful,  it could be drugs, or food, or sex, or alcohol, or work or nicotine, or  caffeine, or gambling. Or love. Yes, you could be addicted to love, they say, and one of the symptoms of this addiction is your mind gets messed up when the precious object of your affection is just a few feet away and that you could almost smell and touch her, that you tend to lose track of everything happening around you and you lose concentration on what you’re presently doing every time it happens. It’s quite unhealthy, but not really dangerous and easy to cure—you just have to softly lunge at her and cuddle with her, of course, just make sure that you’re allowed to do that. You’re not allowed to do that? Tch, that’s when it becomes quite difficult; withdrawal symptoms would be real harsh. The earlier you start your rehabilitation, the better. And get the best doctor, please.

       Addiction to drugs and gambling, now, these are considered dangerous addictions.  These two types of addiction not only destroy the addicts but also the people around them, most especially their family and loved ones. We already know how these addictions could turn somebody into a desperate human being and a violent criminal. You’ve seen and read the countless headlines: Drug Addict Rapes A month-Old Baby; Drug-Crazed Man Kills Own Mother; Drug Addict Skydives From The Top Of A 50-Storey Building Without A Parachute, Dies. Drug Addict Castrates Himself (Arghh!) And a lot of people don’t react nicely to drug addicts—the least that would happen to you is be a social pariah.
     
      You’re clean and someone’s offering you to try drugs, that you only have to try it once so you can experience it, that trying it once is harmless and won’t get you addicted? Decline! Then shun that someone! Most drug addicts started like that, “just this one joint, just one tablet, just one gram, just to see what the fuss is all about…” and the next thing they knew, they’re hooked.

       How about the gambling addicts? What’s in store for them? Now, you only need to read the news about the man, a former employee of Department of Finance, who just a few days ago, attacked the Resorts World Manila with an Armalite and burned  casino tables, inadvertently causing the death of more than 30 casino employees and guests. Why Resorts World Manila? He was a  high roller there. He tried to steal chips (after he failed to enter the room where the oodles of cash were) but he was cornered. He then locked himself inside a room and  burned and shot himself to death. Ghastly and tragic, yes.

        A quiet man and an ideal son, his parents told the media, the suspect’s life went downhill when he became addicted to high stakes gambling. Gambling can be fun, yup, but it has, when you’re vulnerable, this habit of staying with you for a long time—it’s sort of clingy, like your ex—until it becomes an addiction and a mental disorder, where you don’t care anymore what happens to you and your family’s finances as long as you get your fix and where trying to stop already causes anxiety, mood swings and depression. Gambling, like drugs,  is a quicksand. It will try to get hold of you once you step on it. Its ability to drag you down into madness and oblivion will depend on whether you’re strong-minded, or weak.