How Gambling Can Destroy Relationships. (Cutting Ties With Relatives)

Gamble is very enjoyable for some to the point that they forgot their limitations. Gambling has a thrill because it involves money. Money is a double edge sword. People have their choice where to put it. I personally do not put all of my money in the bank. I invest some in crypto and NFTs. Of course, I have savings in case of emergencies.

Storytime...

My father came from a barangay (neighborhood/town) that gambling is a normal thing to be seen in the streets. My father told me that since they are kids, gambling is rampant in their town. My father's family is one of the families that do not gamble at that time. His brothers and sisters are all afraid of their parents (my grandparents). They do not dare to do bad things or else, they will be tied to a coconut tree. This was back in the 1970s.

As they grow, my aunts and uncles are exposed to the world and many temptations are everywhere. And so, that was the start of the gambling addiction. My dad is otherwise. He obeyed his parents, went to school, helped with the chores, and stays in the house. He was very different from his siblings. Because of gambling addiction, his siblings' life was destroyed.

To the future...

My father is now very successful in his career. Our family is not that rich but I can say that we can buy the things we need and want. His siblings are in a bad situation right now. They have debts to loan sharks, and the addiction to gambling is still in their blood. They cannot take the urge to play cards. (I am sad in this part while writing this because I still feel my father's disappointment in them).

One time, we gave money to our uncle. He is saying that he will use it for building a new business. We are happy as a family because he is thinking of this future. A business will surely boost his confidence. After few days has passed, someone told my father that our uncle was in sabong (chicken fight) and betting bigtime.

We were really disappointed with what we heard and from that point on, we didn't give him money including his family because he is a bad influencer.

It turned out that we are the bad guy that we do not give money. Maybe because we are traumatized by what happened. It did not happen once, twice, or thrice, it happened many, many times but we forgave him. It is hard to bring back the trust we gave them. We want to help them but they are not helping themselves.

My uncle was sick because of puyat (staying awake until morning) because of playing cards. One time he forgot to take a bath because of it. It is unbelievable but it is true. This habit made his body crumble. The family has also a history of heart disease and diabetes. Until one day, it really took a toll on his body, he was bedridden.

Of course, we cannot let the bill piled upon him. We paid the bill and medicine. We cannot pay it fully because we have bills to pay too. The other elatives were angry about it because we didn't give enough. In the first place, we supported and reminded our uncle to stop gambling. We became the bad guys now after all these years. :(

Our uncle died. We are saddened by what happened to him. We did our best to understand his situation but still, he cannot control himself...

This event made our family distant from our relatives. They are angry because they thought we neglected our uncle. Just because we have the money, does not mean we have to help him throughout his life. He himself should help his own life. We cannot help someone who does not help himself.

Final thoughts

Gambling is not bad if it is controlled in my opinion. There are many types of it but the worst part is when it is uncontrollable. It can destroy life, relationships, and your body. This is what happened to our family. It is very sad on our part. We are not angry with them. Maybe they are also jealous of what my father had attained in life. Up to this day, we remained silent because that is our peace. We regret to ever help because they see us as the bad guy because we did not give enough. Right now, we are happy and sane mind. We are in the best healthy place as a family.

❤️ Twitter/noise.cash/Opensea:@Jijisaur

You can read my other articles here:

• Five Things That Make Me Happy During Pandemic https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/five-things-that-make-me-happy-during-pandemic-c137dc89

• My Half Marathon Experience (My toughest physical challenge yet!) https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/my-half-marathon-experience-my-toughest-physical-challenge-yet-1c664fab

• My 9.9 Sale Haul (bought something for a new hobby). https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/my-99-sale-haul-bought-something-for-a-new-hobby-e66d8a2d