Gambling can be such a big problem but it's often completely invisible.<p>In an average day, I don't think about gambling, porn, doordash, alcohol, or any of these things much at all, and then I'll randomly have a conversation and find out a friend can't do something because they spent too much on it.<p>It seems like people who have these issues are often fairly pro-risk, and into antifragility and confidence culture type ideas, and I always wonder if that has anything to do with it.<p>They seem to be very comfortable with responsibility and self reliance, they like the "I can pick a winner, I know when to stop, I have this under control" idea rather than the idea of trying to pursue inherent safety.<p>And many seem to feel that really big problems are just a part of life to embrace and accept. Sometimes you'll see people who become homeless, and all they talk about is how much they learned. They don't seem to think security is a possibility for them, and they don't even want it.<p>I suspect they do a lot of self evaluation and a lot of time wondering if they are good enough, smart enough, strong enough, etc. walking away and never gambling again would be to say they don't actually know the game.<p>But losing and being poor just shows their dedication and ability to cope with changing circumstances.<p>Maybe their evaluation of their own skill has a bigger impact on their happiness than whether they can eat that week.<p>There's almost a perverse incentive to keep the challenge around, if it is your biggest issue and dealing with it makes you feel strong, and at the same time, not dealing with the problem leaves you alone and undistracted with your self hate.<p>But this is all very armchair psychology based on observing a few very extreme cases, full of emotions and desires I don't really understand.