Lithuanian mother recounts decade of son's gambling addiction, warns against financial bailouts

A Lithuanian mother, identified only as Violeta, has shared the harrowing story of her son's decade-long battle with gambling addiction, a struggle that has profoundly impacted her family. The addiction began innocently around 2017-2018 with weekend poker games among friends, which her son likened to chess, emphasizing the strategic thinking involved. At the time, gambling, particularly poker tournaments broadcast on television, was viewed more favorably by society, leading Violeta and her husband to believe it was a harmless pastime that their son would eventually outgrow.

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Son's character was always adventurous, but it all started with poker, which he began playing with friends, just on weekends. He then compared poker to chess, talking about how one needs to think in this game, know the rules, and so on.

However, the seemingly benign hobby quickly spiraled into uncontrollable behavior. Her son's personality changed, his good qualities faded, and he began gambling at night, skipping school, and becoming emotionally distant. "At first, we just didn't understand what was happening, and then everything developed so that the situation became very difficult," Violeta recounted.

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At first, we just didn't understand what was happening, and then everything developed so that the situation became very difficult.

The family's initial response, Violeta admits, was a classic mistake made by relatives of addicts: they tried to rescue their son financially by paying off his debts. "We didn't support him financially, but we started paying back his debts. We thought, maybe this is a coincidence, maybe it happened for the first time. We wanted him not to ruin his life, so that lawsuits or other terrible things wouldn't start. Therefore, we paid off those debts. But now, with knowledge about this addiction, I can say that you should never do this," she stated.

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We didn't support him financially, but we started paying back his debts. We thought, maybe this is a coincidence, maybe it happened for the first time. We wanted him not to ruin his life, so that lawsuits or other terrible things wouldn't start. Therefore, we paid off those debts. But now, with knowledge about this addiction, I can say that you should never do this.

Violeta revealed that the family has been estranged for some time, as they have "nothing to talk about" other than arguments. She also pointed out a persistent societal myth that gambling is not a "real addiction" like drugs or alcohol. "People tend to think that it's just a lack of willpower or financial discipline," she said, lamenting the pervasive advertising for gambling and the lack of understanding about how deeply it can alter a person's identity, leaving little else in their life.

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It is extremely difficult – for ten years his life has simply been one big addiction. Now we haven't communicated at all for some time, because we simply have nothing to talk about, only arguments arise.