some gambling addiction counselor just said "an alcoholic can just stay away from the bar, but a problem gambler has to see all the popular culture that celebrates gambling." Um, seriously??

Yeah, my experience contradicts that. Number of times offered an alcoholic drink this week? 3 or 4. Number of times offered any form of gambling opportunity? 0.

Yeah, but did you watch CSI, Calli? JUST AS BAD AS BEING OFFERED A DRINK.

It's so weird how winters here are so much milder than where I grew up (about 220 miles north of here). It doesn't seem like a real winter to me until it gets below zero.

Yeah, I get that. But I don't think it's the location - I think winters in this region have gotten seriously milder/less snowy than twenty or so years ago. And it's kind of sad and freaky.

That said, it is plenty cold right now. Yesterday I had to bribe myself with a trip to the cupcake store in order to take the dog on a reasonable length walk.

did you watch CSI, Calli? JUST AS BAD AS BEING OFFERED A DRINK.

No, but evidently I should. Booze costs way too much, and I'm already paying for cable. So thanks for the tip!

I wonder how the gambling addiction counselor feels about gambling as an addiction relative to sex as an addiction. I mean, would she say our culture doesn't celebrate sex either?

Lesson No. 8907 about the internet:

it fuels my OCD. I dropped books off at the school book depository yesterday AM before class. The library opens at 10:00 AM and my class began at 8:00. Thanks to the internet, I can check my library record and see that they have not been checked back in. I ask you, WHY NOT?! So I'll check again later today to see if they do get checked in.

Paranoia is a beautiful thing.

I guess the gambling counselor has a serious case of "If you have a nail, the world looks like a hammer" syndrome, tunnel vision for her cause of choice.

That said, I know you can't go into almost any grocery, convenience, liquor store around here without passing the state lottery on sale, not to mention sports being ubiquitous in our culture/news, which I suppose would be a big trigger to some gamblers. Because most of us don't have a gambling problem, it's nearly invisible to us.

I seem to be arguing myself around to seeing it from her point of view. Though of course, she's taking a big leap over all the social situations that involve liquor, all the ads in various places and et cetera.

In conclusion: addiction is hard, and deserves a lot of understanding.

I guess the gambling counselor has a serious case of "If you have a nail, the world looks like a hammer" syndrome, tunnel vision for her cause of choice.

This.

In conclusion: addiction is hard, and deserves a lot of understanding.

Also this.

Really it was the pop culture part that killed me -- later on the same show, they had a thing about Super Bowl ads, many of which are for beer, of course.

Ah well, moving on! I think I'll go buy a six-pack and a scratch card.

Speaking of CSI (not really), if anyone watched L&O on Friday, my sister was very briefly in the first scene! She's the angry looking woman in the front row in the camouflage jacket, and there's a close-up of her shouting at the Anne Coulterish speaker right before everyone rushes the stage. (Ripped-from-the-headlines opening scenes that only tangentially affect the case don't need whitefont, right?)

Ah well, moving on! I think I'll go buy a six-pack and a scratch card.

You should also pick up a six-pack....

That said, I know you can't go into almost any grocery, convenience, liquor store around here without passing the state lottery on sale

True, but I can't think of anywhere to buy a lotto ticket that doesn't also sell beer.