My Gambling Problem.

I thought it all ended a few weeks ago as I returned from Las Vegas a few dollars down.  It's tough not to gamble when you spend three days in the casinos with sportsbooks, televisions, black jack tables, and a drink or two.  But despite lady luck slapping me around a bit, I left the town in decent shape.  A couple of stops at the ATM, a few bags under my eyes, and a few wagers lost, but I assumed it was over once I landed back home.
But last night I hit rock bottom.
The term "gambling problem" is an interesting one.  No one has ever been accused of having a problem when things are going well.  And to be honest, I only lost $20 on my wager last night after winning much more a few nights before.  But every addiction has a defining moment.  A drug addict finds themselves stealing from their grandmother's medicine cabinet.  The alcoholic starts buying those little airplane sized bottles and storing them in her purse.  And the addicted gambler, like me, bets on NCAA Women's basketball.
I'd like to blame my neighbor.  After all, with the exception of the occasional bet placed between friends, the kind that no one ever pays, I only bet when I'm in Vegas.  I don't have a bookie, or an online account.  What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, including my sports wagers.  But the exception of the rule is when a friend or neighbor is in Vegas and calls you.  Then wagering is allowed.
It all started with a winning ticket from a sportsbook at Bally's.  I forgot to cash it in, so I gave it to my neighbor to "invest" for me.  I put the money on the Kentucky vs. UConn game, analyzing the match ups, schedules, scoring numbers, shooting percentages, and defenses to try and predict the pace of the game and the total points.  I bet the under, meaning if the combined score was less than 141 I would win.  The final score was 56-55.  I would now have 48 hours to think about my next investment, the Butler vs. UConn game, my neighbor would return by Friday, and my gambling days would end until next year's March trip to Vegas with the fellas.
But 48 hours was too long.  And I was too hot.
"What's the spread on the UConn women's game tonight?" I asked.
I've never watched a complete women's college game before in my life.  I only know two things about women's college basketball.  Baylor has a 6'8 center who can dunk, and UConn wins the tournament every year.  No stats, no match ups, I just put $20 on UConn and watched part of the game from my living room, drinking a glass of red wine from Chile.  It was me hitting rock bottom, and my team lost.
Tonight is my last dance, so to speak.  I have UConn covering the 3 point spread and I am betting the over at 129.  Simply put, Butler will try and slow the game down and limit possessions.  UConn will push the pace a bit more.  I expect a low scoring game, but 129 is too low.  Win or lose, it will be my last wager for some time as I still think about how I lost all self control, curled up in my living room, watching women's hoops on the big screen, holding a wine glass during a sporting event, defeated by the Lady Irish of Notre Dame. 
Every addict has a defining moment.  Last night was mine.