Essay Example: Is Angie Bachmann Responsible for Her Gambling Debts?

Introduction

Gambling is a habit which many people end up being addicted to due to the thrill of winning. No one would say that he or she wanted to engage in gambling just to enjoy it. There is always the thought that one might lose or win. In most cases, the latter motivates people. Anyone can choose to avoid gambling. However, there are very few people who do so during their first time or after they have already tried it. Those who can avoid it in either situation tend to exhibit better discipline. This differentiates them from gambling addicts. Angie Bachmann is a perfect example of a gambling addict whose story is adequately covered. However, it is often impossible to tell whether an addict is responsible for his or her gambling debts. To understand this, this essay shows whether Bachmann is responsible for her gambling debts.

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The Nature of Gambling Habits

Gambling is a habit and habits have a structure. The cue triggers one's brain to go into involuntary mode before the routine, which can be physical, emotional, or mental, begins. The cue is avoidable if one occupies themselves in something else that will not bring out the cue. Otherwise, the cue will come into play quickly. For instance, in the case of Bachmann, any sense of boredom or emotional upheaval prompted her to leave her house and go gamble. For example, on the very day she started gambling, she was so bored "She had no idea what do next." This became one of her cues. Later on, other cues such as fighting with her husband and feeling unacknowledged by her kids emerged. By this time, she had become an addict and handling those cues became a problem. Nonetheless, at every point a cue came up, she would decide to head to the casino. She is entirely in control of the situation at the point of the cue hence if she chooses to go to the casino, then she has failed, and any consequence that comes from the decision is her sole responsibility. Given that every time a cue came up she decided to go gamble, then all the debts she accumulated from gambling became her responsibility.

The Case of Angie Bachmann

For Bachmann, the routine was heading to the casino and laying bets. "At the tables, she was numb and excited, all at once, and her anxieties grew so faint she couldn't hear them anymore." This shows that her routine was always filled with anxiety, but with time, the anxiety would slowly fade as her brain stressed that the routine might produce a reward. Bachmann's routine is the point at which both she and her creditors would have stopped her from gambling. This is because, at the point of the cue, Bachmann's innate decision led her to the casino. However, during the routine, her creditors had the opportunity to intervene and keep her from gambling anymore until she paid her debts. Her creditors would include her relatives, friends, and the casino. The intervention is evident when her mother asks her, "You want to be a big shot?" and then goes on to say, "you keep gambling because you want the attention." The casino also kept records of her winnings and lost and therefore she was well aware of her debts. However, the decision to still engage in her routine in spite of the state in which she was with her creditors meant that she was responsible for the consequences. The debts, which were the consequences of her routine became her responsibility.

Responsibility in Gambling Debt

The reward is the final part of the structure. It is an essential part of the structure because it is the motivating factor. Bachmann's reward was the excited feeling she got from gambling. This feeling would end with her either winning or losing, and she was aware of it. However, as Charles Duhigg notes, "the high of winning was so immediate. The pain of losing passed so fast." Hence, to Bachmann losing almost meant nothing as long as there was the probability of winning every time she gambled. This is where the problem of an addict is emphasized. For Bachmann, it would always be hard for her to stop gambling because she was fixated on the idea that she could always win. Something that she was aware was not a sure possibility but merely a probability. At this point, the best way to deal with it would have been to seek help, and for it to work best, the addict would have to take the initiative. Something Bachmann could not do as a problem gambler. A problem gambler tends not to stop gambling even after he or she wins or loses because he or she is not hesitant to take the risk even after losing. On the other hand, a non-problem gambler tends to stop gambling after he or she wins or loses because he or she is hesitant to take the risk after losing. Nevertheless, the reward comes after all the other parts of a habit's structure, and whether Bachmann chose to seek help or not, the debts were her responsibility.

Conclusion

From the above essay, it is easy to understand how Bachmann is responsible for her gambling debts based on the structure of a habit. Still, as an adult, Bachmann surely realized that she was accumulating debt even though she could not control her gambling problem. Hence, the debts are her responsibility. Furthermore, if the gambling would result in her being profitable, the profits would be hers.