From Euphoria to Rock Bottom: My Battle with Sports Betting

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It all started innocently enough. A friend, seasoned in the world of sports betting, convinced me to try my luck. “Just 5 euros, man. Trust me on this,” he said.

And so, I did. I won 60 euros that day.The euphoria was indescribable; it felt like I had cracked the code to life itself. I was already dreaming of daily wins, of never having to worry about money again.But little did I know, I was stepping onto a slippery slope.

According to Dr. Timothy Fong, a psychiatry professor and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, the brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine when we experience pleasure or reward. This is what makes gambling so addictive.

The initial win triggers a dopamine surge, creating a euphoric high. But over time, the brain needs more and more stimulation to achieve the same effect, leading to increased bets and greater risks.This is what happened to me.As weeks turned into months, my brain needed more dopamine and my betting habits escalated. What started as a 5-euro bet once a week morphed into 50, then 100 euros, multiple times a week.I was earning a decent salary, so I shrugged off the losses. But then, the stakes got higher. I…