I Have a Gambling Problem
explanatory Essay
2235 words
I Have a Gambling Problem
Professor’s comment: This student’s essay is well researched, strongly analytical, and seriously personal. But the essay did not begin as a personal essay—far from it— from major rewriting emerged this fascinating and very effective essay, in which social and personal analysis intertwine.
Hi, my name is ______ and this is my first GamAnon meeting. I am nineteen years old, and I started gambling in junior high, $5 bets with friends. In high school, craps and deuces were the craze. The teachers had no idea. Then I started playing the lottery, hoping to hit the jackpot. Age never really mattered since the vendor never asked to see ID. In my first year of college, I started wagering on sporting events through an online sports book. It was completely legal, even though I was only 18 years old. I have always loved sports and having money on a game made it even more fun, more exciting. At first, it was only $25 or $50 a game, but then things got out of control: I was laying hundreds of dollars on single games. It wasn’t fun anymore. My bank account dwindled from four figures to two. My GPA was half my high school 4.0+. I knew I had a problem, but I just couldn’t stop, no matter how hard I tried. That’s why I’m here today. I need help.
I never thought that a friendly wager could lead to such self-destructive behavior. Luckily, I recognized that I had a gambling problem and sought help, unlike the millions of other pathological gamblers who allow their problems to worsen, some eventually becoming involved with drugs, alcohol, and crime (Lesieur 43). Annually, Americans legally wager over five hundred billion dollars—more than they spend on groceries—and illegally bet hundreds of billions more (Ren...
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Lesieur, Henry R. “Compulsive Gambling.” Society. May 1992: 43-50.
McGowan, Richard. State Lotteries and Legalized Gambling. Westport: Quorum, 1994.
McGraw, Dan. “The National Bet: Laying an Illegal Wager Has Never Been Easier.” U.S. News and World Report. April 7, 1997: 50-56.
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Snyder, R.J. “Gambling Swindles and Victims.” Journal of Gambling Behavior 2 (1986): 50-57.
In this essay, the author
- Explains mcgraw, dan, "the national bet: laying an illegal wager has never been easier."
- Opines that simon, paul, "the destructive side of gambling mania." st. louis journalism review 26: 8-11.
- Explains how the student's essay is well-researched, strongly analytical, and seriously personal, but social and personal analysis intertwine.
- Explains that pathological gamblers are defined by the american psychiatric association as "chronic and progressive failure to resist impulses to gamble"
- Explains that gambling has existed since the beginning of time, with the greeks telling myths about the seductiveness of gambling, while the romans placed wagers on the fifty chariot races.
- Explains that traditional theories attribute pathological gambling behavior to the gambler's personal psychological factors.
- Explains that the growth of pathological gambling after 1974 is directly related to social changes. the most common form of gambling allowed is the state-run lottery.
- Explains how they were "pulled" towards gambling, finding hope in playing the lottery, aroused by the excitement of watching a game they wagered on.
- Explains the american psychiatric association's diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
Related
- analytical
- opinion
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that 51% of all state lotteries income has come from only 5% of the lottery participants. the government needs to restrain gamblers so that they don't create social issues.
- Analyzes how gambling addiction affects the family, career, and personal life. problem gamblers tend to commit crimes due to their stress, anger and need of money.
- Explains that casinos are taxed at a relatively high rate, which leads to corruption and illegal manipulation in state lotteries.
- Explains that gambling generates more revenue than movies, spectator sports, theme parks, cruise ships, and recorded music combined. gambling legalization has been successful due to its ability to boost the economy.
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- Explains that gambling business has a negative effect on people's attitude, even the one who is not addicted.
- Opines that gambling business is immoral because they make money from people gambling, especially those who are gambling addicted.
- Argues that gambling business is a moral business model because their purpose is making profits like other business and gambling venues are the place for people to entertain, and entertainment costs money.
- Opines that gambling itself is an immoral action due to its negative consequences and the business that operate gambling should be a moral business model.
1309 wordsRead More - The Case Against Legalized Gamblinganalytical essay"Gambling Under Attack." CQ Researcher. Congressional Quarterly Inc. 6 Sept. 2012, Volume , No. 33 Pages 769- 792
In this essay, the author
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- Opines that "gambling under attack." cq researcher. congressional quarterly inc. 6 sept. 2012.
- Explains kindt, john warren, md, "the economic impacts of legalized gambling." drake law review, university of illinois, champagen, illinois.
- Explains that the gambling industry is a big money maker in america. the american gaming association (aga) claims that gambling institutions lower taxes in many areas because of the large tax money they give the government.
- Explains how schilchter became addicted to gambling at a young age and began gambling to escape the pressures of daily life.
- Narrates how the maryland department of health and mental hygiene alcohol and drug administration addressed gambling addiction in 2013.
1320 wordsRead More - Legalization of Gambling in Ohioexplanatory essayWeissman, Robert. A BAD BET Casino Economics and the Politics of Gambling [Online] Available http://prince.essential.org/monitor/hyper/mm1196.04. html,
In this essay, the author
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- Describes casual bets on the bulls and knicks game or a weekend poker game at their home.
- Opines that the miner's pick was as much a part of his possessions as his pick.
- Explains that it's illegal to bet on the outcome of a sporting event.
- Explains that hubben refers to 'yes on one' in issue 1 of the nov.
- Explains that gambling in ohio, one needs only look at the numbers.
- Opines that casinos bring jobs to a city, which is the next biggest factor.
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- Explains weissman, robert, a bad bet casino economics and the politics of gambling, available at http://prince.essential.org/monitor/hyper/mm1196.04.
- States that issue 1 was voted down by a count of 2,659,076 against it to only 1,639,955 for it.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that although problem gambling and pathological gambling are both behavioral addictions, there are slight differences in the two.
- Explains that cognitive behavioral therapy is one form of treatment used to treat individuals with gambling addictions.
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- Explains that the gambling industry supports education and donates millions of dollars to colleges across the united states. the hope scholarship program has raised the educational standers at the university of georgia by giving them the opportunity to stay in state and attend school for free.
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- Explains that even though gambling might bring money into the state and local economies, there are side effects to having a casino down the street.
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- Explains that congress has corrupt officials that stimulate the gambling industry, but politicians actually fuel it. the casino industry has contributed 1.9 million dollars to the republican and democratic parties.
- Explains that organized crime is directly linked to the gambling industry. atlantic city's 320% increase in crime rates is evidence to abandon gambling in the u.s.
- Explains that the lottery is a major reason for the loss of over 400 million dollars in market transaction in virginia.
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- Cites the gambling commission's significant legislation, rcw 9.46 1973, chapter 218, laws of 1973 (shb711).
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that compulsive gambling is considered to be a type of impulse-control disorder. the mental health community distinguishes between problem gambling and gambling addiction.
- Explains the myth that gambling is a mental disorder for men, while in reality that is not the case.
- Explains that gambling addictioin can happen in multiple venues, from a casino to someone’s living room, with advances in online gambling and the increase in websites that promote and host gambling.
- Explains that diagnostics for gambling addiction are based on ruling out other psychological disorders. gambling addicts must admit they have a problem before they can work on eliminating or reducing the problem.
- Explains that treatment options for pathological gambling include cognitive behavioral therapy, participation in gambler's anonymous, medications and financial or debt consolidation services.
- Explains that pathalogical gambling is a lifelong disorder that requires constant maintenance. recovery is possible through hard work and effort, and self-awareness and faith in oneself.
- Cites dryden-edwards, roxanne, and william c. chiel jr., md, facp and facr. gamblers anonymous: q and a.
- Explains that gambling addiction and problem gambling: signs, help, and treatment. helpguide.org: expert, ad-free articles help empower you with knowledge, support & hope.
859 wordsRead More - Essay On Organized Crimeanalytical essay...on bankers and Wall Street financiers have bankrolled and profited from casinos ruled by organized crime, and how a handful of enthusiastic journalists and law enforcement officers were ruined before they could expose the city’s secrets. The Money and The Power says in no doubtful terms that gambling is wasteful, that it's a enticing and destructive vice calculated to make middling people feel important in a setting of phony lavishness and excess. It says that our cultures has steadily accepted this turn of events to a certain extent than deal with it and end it. References Gledhill, Christine. "The Gangster/Crime Film." In Pam Cook, Ed. The Cinema Book: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Movies. NY: Pantheon Books, 1985: 85-92. Kaminsky, Stuart M. "The Individual Film: Little Caesar and the Gangster Film." American Film Genres. Pflaum Publishing, 1974: 13-32.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that organized crime is a methodical criminal activity for money and power and applies this definition meticulously to the rich and powerful.
- Analyzes how william chambliss' on the take illustrates the level and intricacy of organized crime and political corruption in the united states.
- Analyzes how rich cohen's "tough jews" detonates the meticulous stereotype that jews are considered weak. the money and the power by sally denton and roger morris illustrates an unholy coalition of gamblers, gangsters and government that has proscribed the city.
834 wordsRead More - Gambling and Casinos Addictionanalytical essayPeterson, Eric. "Study: More casinos, more gambling addicts." National Council on Problem Gambling. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how claire's father insists that it will help out the family with money and claims that each night is "his night".
- Explains that casinos increase the risk of problem gambling, and suicide numbers fly sky-high. gamblers anonymous in illinois found that 66 percent of people had contemplated suicide, 79 percent wanted to die, 45 percent had a plan to kill themselves.
- Explains that addictive gambling and casinos cost the nation between $32.4 billion and $53.8 billion a year. problem gamblers often think that they can win more and will pay off their debt, but in the end more than 20% of them end up filing for bankruptcy.
- Explains that casinos take full advantage of the poor and of all their money. gamblers who earn less than $10,000 per year lose 10% of their family incomes to casinos, while gamblers with more than $40,000 spend 1%.
- Opines that the nation needs to pass laws banning casinos and stricter laws to show adults the happy results of non-gambling.
- Cites works citedchad, hills, and fay, bill. mental health information. n.p., n.d.
- Explains that gambling availability increases addiction. casino-free philadelphia. goulding, mike. n.p.. web. 26 feb 2014.
- Analyzes lange, mark, and the gambling scam on america's poor.
- Explains that people in poor neighborhoods are twice as likely to have gambling problems.
919 wordsRead More