🎰 What it means to have grown up with a gambling addicted parent
Growing up with a gambling addicted parent meant living in a constant cycle of empty promises and letdowns—where their addiction always came first, and you may have felt like you mattered less than their next fix.
At home, gambling or other compulsions may have ruled your household. You became a lie detector, scanning for broken promises even before they happened, because you learned early that trusting others to follow through feels dangerous. You may have grown up feeling like you'd always be second to someone else's cravings—it became your "normal."
This unpredictable environment taught you to live in extremes—you either avoid risks entirely or gamble recklessly yourself, with no middle ground. You may vacillate between extreme self-reliance ("I'll never depend on anyone") and desperate hope ("Maybe this time they'll show up"), never knowing which version of stability to trust.