Taking Responsibility

It's so sad to see in the news that someone else is suing the casinos for taking advantage of their gambling problem. When someone knows they tend to spend too much money at the casino then it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know they should stop going. It is their responsibility to police themselves and not give into their gambling lust.

It's no different than a heavy drinker or smoker. Both habits will kill you in the end but it is on your shoulders and not someone else's to control your own actions. We like to blame our bad habits or addictions on neglectful parents, strict parents, an abusive uncle, poverty, or any number of convenient whipping boys. When do we open our eyes and say, "It's my problem and I will heal myself"?

Circumstances can be a catalyst when we decide to take up a dangerous pastime but we are the ones in control at that moment. We're the ones who take the necessary steps to make our lives even more complicated and unstable. We are the ones we should hold responsible.

The casinos will always be there, just as the booze, cigarettes, drugs, and even french fries. It is our individual responsibility to control ourselves and not put the onus on others.

People who prey on young children claim they can't control themselves. Murderers claim they were blinded by fury and lost control. It wasn't their fault, right?

Each one of us starts every single day making choices that will affect our lives, either for better or worse. There will not be another person standing behind us forcing us to drink, smoke, kill, or even gamble away our life savings. If we do any of these things it will be from free choice.

Face it, when we screw up we're the screw-up.