Nicotine Dreams: A Story of Compulsive Gambling

Meet Kim, a honestly ordinary, middle-aged woman with a job, two adult children, and a hard husband. For enjoyment she plays the stock market, buys expensive handbags and sneaks an occasional cigarette. But when a casino opens within driving distance of her house, her life as she knows it will soon be over. This is a tale of addiction. This is a tale of one woman’s descent into gambling hell, where the compulsion to play slots and poker machines is so splendid, she will risk it all in order to place just one more bet.

User Reviews

This book is a deep and awesome read for someone who has been or is addicted to gambling. I can see where someone may have trouble with it if they haven't had this issues in their personal life, either themself or with a family member. One review stated they didn't like the ending, but if you've been swallowed up into the deep trenches that compulsive gambling holds, the ending is perfect for this story. One thing happens in the story that seems a little too deep (you'll see), but it makes some sense when you think about how far this addiction can take a person, how it can almost re-create you into two people, your everyday self that everyone else sees, then the monster you become when your gambling moves beyond fun to pure compulsion and self destruction. I loved it, read it in 2 hours and I haven't done that for a long time with a book! -- If You've Been or Are Addicted, A Must Read

I received the book today and finished reading it today. Page turner and major eye opener. If you know anyone with a gambling problem, this tells it like it is. As with any addiction, it grabs you and takes you down. As for the review of the book not being finished or an ending, there was an ending. It's when your heart stops, and you realize what this woman has become. -- Excellent Insight into a horrible world

Katie Cunningham writes a hard hitting, deep story of a life of a women who is addicted to gambling. What was intended as an afternoon of fun with her friends starts a multi year chain reaction with turns her entire life upside down. I just received the book today and read it in one sitting. It was a real page turner! This story will stay with you long after you finished reading it, and may make you think twice about throwing "just another $20" into that slot machine time and time again. -- Fantastic read!

I am what is considered a problem gambler - not a compulsive gambler - but I have steadily been on the path of becoming a compulsive gambler. I saw myself in Kim in so many ways, the highs, the lows, the despair, the escape, the love-hate relationship with slot machines. This book left me with so many unanswered questions, specifically what ultimately happened with Kim's life. I hope it is a setup for a sequel, one with a positive ending. Even with the unanswered questions, this book has given me the incentive and the courage to change my life. I have been trying, but seeing myself in this book in so many ways has given me the determination to turn my life around. Casinos are everywhere in the city I live. They are constant and ever-present temptations. Finding this book is a God-send for me. When I find myself compelled to gamble, I will read the last page of Katie Cunningham's book, and I will be reminded ..... -- Non-stop Reading but Unanswered Questions

This book was a great read. It was a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next! -- Fantastic Read!