Moderate consumption of heroin is safe

Andrew PK Yap is the author of Insights into Casino Gambling and founder of CasinoGamblingPrevention.com

I almost fell off the chair when I saw one of Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling advertisement for the first time on television last night.

A well known Singaporean actor, Li Nanxing intoned:

"Excessive Gambling is Harmful"

It is like saying:

"Excessive consumption of heroin is harmful" and so, "Moderate consumption of heroin is safe" That which is not spoken is more powerful than anything you can say. 

The issue is not "excessive consumption" is it? The issue is that casino gambling is highly addictive, just as heroin is addictive.

Addictive substances and behaviors build tolerance. That is to say, while you might indulge in the substance or behavior in moderation, there is a very high chance that you will become an addict. When you become an addict, you have no choice but to indulge in excessive amounts.

These observations have been studied extensive by medical researchers.

Medical researchers also note that and I quote:

"The argument presented is that loss of control over expenditure of time and money during a session
of play/betting is a common and 'natural' experience for regular players." Mark Dickerson, Tattersall's Chair in Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Western, Sydney

You might start a bout of casino gambling in a controlled manner. You might be completely determined not to gamble excessively. Yet, research shows that you will are expected to fail. You are expected to lose control of your time and money. You are expected to gamble excessively. It is in the nature of casino gambling and it is human nature to gamble excessively when you gamble at the casino. This observation is backed up by medical research.

There might be exceptions but do you cling on to the exceptions or do you say that the exceptions prove the rule?

Casino gambling help create broken families, loss of jobs and increases the rate of suicide.

In the article: Characteristics of 75 Gambling-Related Suicides in Quebec
Dominique Bourget, MD, FRCPC, CSPQ
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; Coroner, Province of Quebec and others, said:

"These results suggest that pathological gamblers who commit suicide differ from nongamblers... We suggest that, given the growing prevalence of pathological gambling, suicide and suicide prevention in this population should be further studied."

The damage is done and whatever I now say is ineffectual given the sight and sound "effectiveness" of television. How can I ever compete with a well-known actor like Li Nanxing? We now have a generation of people with an assumption that "excessive" gambling is harmful but going to the casino and gamble moderately is not. This is a sad time to be living in places with casinos.