THE ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS OF METAL: gambling and cheating

Gambling is not just a habit that takes place in a casino or at the counter of the local convenience store. Our lives are filled with gambles. We take risks continually throughout our days. Do I have enough time to get through that yellow light? If I do extra time at the gym, can I afford to have that chocolate cake for desert? Would it hurt to have a drink with my co-worker if my spouse won't find out? Gamblers get a high from the adrenalin produced by their bodies while in action. The larger the risk the greater the amount of adrenalin. Our entire economy is built on the largest slot machine in the world - Wall Street. Investment is gambling, plain and simple. And when we have a lot at stake, the need to win may override our sensible thought process. The recent epidemic of corporate crime is revealing how firmly entrenched the cultural environment has been in gambling.

We have a rather schizophrenic belief around money in our culture - on the one hand, we say "there's no such thing as a free lunch". On the other hand, we have thousands of messages telling us that if we're lucky, we can be showered with wealth. Wall Street, the lottery, swarms of invitations to register for "free" this or that - is it any wonder that we are tempted to take our chances? Especially if we believe deep down that playing the odds is the only way we will get to our goal.

Gambling in all forms is part of our nature. The action of taking risks is built into our cells. Big risks pay big dividends. Every choice is inherently a gamble. Cheating is a way of making sure the gamble pays off. If we believe in a structure that says "no free lunch", yet see no way of achieving our desires, gambling becomes a seductive whisper to success.

Gambling or cheating addictions may be the efforts of a frustrated soul to live a bigger, more daring life, and to break out of limiting beliefs about what is possible.