You are so correct.
Young Freepers, please listen to my cautionary tale:
I grew up poor with six brothers and sisters. We didn’t have much. In my late 20s, I accumulated some money and lost my mind. I had never had money, and getting it was not the hardest part, KEEPING IT IS!
I spent recklessly, accumulated debt, but by far the worst thing that I did was develop a compulsive gambling habit. I gambled only on sports, and would bet up to 5k a game depending on what was going on.
Long story short, after bankruptcy and a nearly destroyed relationship with someone very close, I am just now getting my life back on track.
Everyone says: If I won the lottery, I’d never blow it. But those are the people standing behind you in line to buy the ticket with their six pack and cigs. Also, as for the insinuation that blowing money only applies to black athletes, not true. I am a white male with a law degree and post-grad level academics.
Beware. Getting the money is easy, keeping it is hard.
Those who typically blow their lottery win fail to understand one thing about winning the lottery. If you are ever so fortunate to win the lottery, you have won a step up in life, not keys to a mansion. You go from poor to lower middle class or lower middle class to middle class. It allows summer trips to the local lake resort, not yearly trips to Europe.
I was once 160K ahead in black jack, and ended up 75K in debt. It was an experience.
Glad you are recovering from all that. The pitfalls of humanity are legion.