The Greatest Tragedy

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Problem gambling is growing at an alarming rate in our country, and especially so in Oregon.  This story of my own experience is given as a testimony that the troubles are real, need to be addressed, and are turning out to be extremely costly for a lot of people.

This site is dedicated to a very sweet and special person - - "Valerie".  The story is true.  By reading through the various pages on this site, my hope is that someone may find help and/or answers to some very tough questions that are thrown at us through life's experiences.  Before you begin, be aware that much of the information is based on my understanding of God's Word, because through this tragedy I have discovered that God can, and will, use circumstances for our benefit - especially when we need discipline in our lives.

God's promises have proven to be very real to me.  One of my favorites (actually my all-time favorite) is found at Romans 8:28 -

"All things work for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose." 

For me, this promise has brought an awesome peace.

Another Truth that bears listing here is found at I Corinthians 13:7 -

"Love never quits, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 

This Truth from God's Living Word will show up often during the course of the story to follow.

My name is Neil Pake and I have survived - literally - a walk down the path of Problem Gambling.  Let me point out here that there is a significant difference between gambling and problem gambling.  Gambling is a recreational activity that for most people is a source of entertainment, a pursuit involving friends, or simply a chance to enjoy a shot at 'the Big Win'.

Problem gambling, on the other hand, is a progressive (an important adjective that will be discussed later) spiral down a treacherous path that most often, if not always, leads to destruction.

As I have said, I traveled the path of problem gambling, and survived.  Writing this story will help me.  Reading this story may help you - at least if you look at the experience I found and apply that experience to some of the questions that you may have about you, or someone you love.

One of the greatest tragedies that results from problem gambling is the destruction and oftentimes complete loss of close relationships.  While there are many other types of losses that are experienced while traveling deeper and deeper into the quagmire of problem gambling, for me, the loss of relationships is the most severe.  The main reason for that, I believe, is those lost relationships are not replaceable - everything else is.  True, Divine Intervention (I believe all things are possible with God) can restore lost relationships, but the process is long, arduous, and involves an enormous amount of pain.  As a result, it is common practice to forget what was . . . and move on to another chapter in life.

So, what really happened?  Please check out "The Treacherous Road".

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