Addiction

Addiction of every sort, implies a psychological tendency and need to do a certain activity. One of the worst kinds of addiction would be something like heroin and meth habits. But there are all sorts of other addictions which are harmful to people to a lessor and higher degree.

I myself was addicted to caffeine. But there have been studies that it may even reduce cancer or increase your health. Most people would describe addiction to caffeine as harmless. In the great scheme of things, it is one of the lesser types of addiction.

But I am not condoning addiction of any kind because it suggests that you MUST do sometime.

Alcohol and Gambling Prohibitions

In 1920 the United States prohibited the production, sale and consumption of alcohol. Thirteen years later they recinded that attempt to ban alcohol.

In 2006 the US also attempted to ban online gambling with the adoption of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

However gambling was still very much legal in the United States, especially in Las Vegas Atlantic City and various Indian casinos.

Addiction Levels

But my main question is “which is more addictive”? I certainly don’t want to imply that just because one is more or less addictive, that it needs to be prohibited or supported.

• In 1997 the US government determined that approximately .9% of the population were pathological and problem gamblers.
• In 2017 The Journal of the American Medical Association found that 12.7% of American could be classified as problem drinkers.

Help for Addiction

Fortunately, there are many ways for people to get help with their addictions. Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous are just a few of the places where people can get help for these serious problems. There are also a number of self-exclusion programs at casinos.