Many people like to visit casinos, bet on horses at the racetrack, buy lottery tickets, or play cards. For most people, occasion gambling is a safe and entertaining form of recreation. ______ But some people become compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gambling is a form of addiction, similar to alcoholism and drug addiction. Like these other more visible forms of addiction, compulsive gambling can ruin a person’s life, sometimes even driving the gambler to thoughts of suicide.
A. Compulsive gamblers generally go through phases of addiction.
B. These people gamble infrequently with friends or family members, and decide beforehand how much money they are willing to lose.
C. They become irritable and may begin to lie to friends and family about gambling losses.
D. Eventually, however, gamblers begin to bet larger and larger amounts, feeling that they can’t lose.
E. Once compulsive gamblers have reached the desperation phase, they are not far from hitting rock bottom.
F. Compulsive gamblers really can’t stop gambling at this point and are obsessed with winning back the money they’ve lost.