I don't mind if people think I am addicted to Poker, Because I will admit that I am, But if someone said I was addicted to
gambling, I would deny it emphatically because I am not addicted to gambling.
People always use the excuse that Poker is gambling, therefore I must be addicted to gambling and my response to anyone is "It is only Gambling when you are losing, and because Poker has not cost me a single red Cent, How can it be gambling?"
I have never made a deposit on any Site, I have won on several different site's and I still have a decent bankroll with Pokerstars that has cost me nothing to accrue, so what am I gambling with? Money that was never mine to begin with.
Yes I will admit I have bought into Live games in Pubs and Casino's But I have cashed in more tournaments than I have lost, and the cash I have won over and above my buy-in stakes is still in my safe, minus money I have spent on my wife and kids.
Gambling at any level, is in my mind only a problem when it affects others around you, Family and Friends, when you approach them for help with bills and everyday expenses by lending you money then you have a problem. Then it becomes time to look at yourself and identify why you need to borrow money to survive.
I once, many years ago, found I was doing this when I was addicted to Horse racing, and being single had not found it to be a problem because I was always bailed out by Friends and Relatives, but once I became serious about a relationship I had with one girl I decided to stop and told her "I was prepared to share the highs when I was on a winning streak, but not the lows when I was losing"
We married 45 years ago, and are still together, because I beat the addiction. So Yes I am a Poker Addict! but I don't Gamble.
When the fun Stops, STOP!