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I've been there - I once bought a winning Scratch-Off ticket from a sketchy convenience store, only to realize I had filled it in wrong. Now I'm stuck with an alm.. *(edited)*

came here to say this *(edited)*

this right here 👆

Nah I'd push back on the "scratchy conv" part – in my experience WINNING big isn't about where you buy it, but how you deal with not winning

saving this comment

bro 💀

this needs more upvotes *(edited)*

Soul-crushing disappointment still festers *(edited)*

hard agree

Guess i'll just invest in cats. 💀

Be serious 4 a sec, Dila - investing in cats isn't gonna replace a Powerball jackpot, that's just a distraction idk

no thoughts detected

yeah, no thoughts is a pretty solid diagnosis, wolfgang 💀

Worth pondering the bigger picture

this take is actually embarrassing

Congrats on the existential crisis lol

Ugh, i've been struggling with the crushing existential despair of having a 401k instead of a powerball ticket. can WE get a support group going? 😭 *(edited)*

hard disagree

same thing happening to me with fantasy football

why did I have to read this today specifically

not me

I missed the one that would've paid for my student loans, but hey, at least the odds were in my favor... right honestly

This thread is everything

Same, happened to me when I won $500 on a scratcher LAST year. life's the same, but somehow it's not

someone finally said it

winning a scratcher is not COMPARABLE to powerball tbh *(edited)*

actually 💀 *(edited)*

Been lurking but gotta respectfully disagree with Wolfgang's take - won $0 on the lottery last week and still feel down, but it's not necessarily about life staying the same, it's..

OP should pin this *(edited)*

i'm actually kinda surprised to see this conversation because, ngl, it feels like we're romanticizing the idea of "powerball withdrawal" lol. isn't it more like us just being bummed we didn't play correctly or something?

Been lurking this thread and just had to say — I see what Elizabeth is saying about this being "everything", but don't you think we're glossing over the reality of what's at stake here? I mean, people are genuinely struggling with financial decisions, and missing out on a big payout can be life-changing. Can we balance our empathy for those who ARE struggling with the frustration of our own financial losses?

idk if we're really calling it a "withdrawal" though - isn't it just disappointment or disillusionment with the odds?

I'm not seeing much empathy here. People's lives are being impacted by missing out on a potential life-changing payout. It's more than just a missed chance, it's a stressful reality check. Can we discuss actual strategies for moving forward instead of just dismissing it?

this is the hill i will die on

ratio *(edited)*

i get what min's saying, but i think we're all missing the point that everyone's reacting with shock or guilt when they clearly won't be changing the world 😭

First time posting but wishful thinking

we really out here pretending this is groundbreaking

yeah we're like A support group for lottery trauma now fr

I've been lurking this thread and just had to say that while "withdrawal" is a real feeling, I think we're oversimplifying the issue by not addressing the lack of systemic support for those who are struggling to make ends meet. People like my sister are counting on these jackpots to get back on their feet after medical bills or job loss, and missing out on a big payout can be devastating.

underrated take

glad I scrolled down far enough to find this

Unironically one of the best posts I've seen here

I think we're glossing over the systemic reasons why some people are missing out on big payouts, and it's not just about individual luck. Missing $300M can be catastrophic for SOMEONE struggling to afford rent, but the underlying issue of economic inequality remains

this right here 👆

this needs more upvotes

ok but

haha yeah I thought it was just me having a bad luck streak idk

imagine thinking this

why is this buried? this is the real answer *(edited)*

^ what they said *(edited)*

How are you all doing today after the letdown though - still feeling down about it? 😭

screenshotting this

^ what they said

Same thing happened to me years ago

^ what they said

wait what

Yeah man, I bought a ticket for that last Powerball and swore I’d quit if I didn’t win—turns out I didn’t, and now I’m just scrolling memes at 3am like a zombie idk

yeah, powerball withdrawal's a real thing, right? i actually found myself reevaluating my finances a week after missing a decent-sized payout, wondering what i could've done differently. turns out, i was trying to calculate the "what ifs" and ended up overspending on avocado toast. who knows if that's a direct result, but it's an... interesting correlation at least.

Been there, stuck in financial limbo

same

ugh, yeah, i was gonna buy a house. now i'm just gonna stare at the same four walls i've been staring at for years. it's a real existential crisis ngl

yeah because playing the lottery WAS going to change my life anyway.

dila, Sade, Min, I get that it's tough but it's also real - people gotta be realistic about their chances here. We can all dream of being lottery winners but it's not going to pay the bills.

Yeah, i get that it's tough, but "people gotta be realistic" feels like a cop-out - what does that even mean in this context? isn't it just an excuse to tell people to stop hoping or dreaming? 💀 *(edited)*

THIS exactly *(edited)*

^ what they said

someone finally said it

this hit different

screenshotting this

this comment > the whole thread

this right here 👆

can confirm

came here to say this

I think we're getting hung up on the "gotta be realistic" message without acknowledging the fact that it takes time for winners to process their emotions - a lot of them have to deal w/ the loss of a dream life for a split second, after all.

people are acting like big winners just magically adjust to reality overnight, meanwhile they're dealing with the aftermath of life-changing loss. that's not how it works, let's not pretend otherwise.

I appreciate where everyone's coming from, but I feel like we're not quite getting to the crux of the issue – that withdrawal can hit us differently depending on our pre-lottery expectations (and let's be real, sometimes those expectations are wildly unrealistic). Min, you're right that we're glossing over that "people gotta be realistic" thing; it can be a dismissive stance, implying that winners should just magically adjust to their new reality. What if we're actually grappling with our own emotional, social, and psychological adjustments?

This is the hill I will die on no cap

I was in deep once, spent my rent money on lottery tickets like it was going outta style, ended up eating ramen noodles for a month - but then I finally got it together, started investing in a retirement account, been doin alright ever since.

Literally bought like 20 packs of tickets the day before my sister's wedding. my family was already giving me the side eye for being late with the RSVP, now they're gonna think I'm completely losing it. still can't get that last winning number out of my head.

Came here to say exactly this 😭

came here to say this

Realistic doesn’t mean pessimistic 😂

I don't think being realistic is funny here, it's really insensitive. People are sharing about a huge emotional rollercoaster, not asking for an economics lesson

tbh guys, i feel like we're getting sidetracked here. can we actually talk about what people are going through post-missed winning, like, what are we seeing in real life? *(edited)*

hard disagree

I feel that perspective is skewed tbh

saving this comment *(edited)*

lol, realistic doesn't mean dismissive, wolfgang, that's what i'm seeing here. people are sharing legit feelings of withdrawal and u're basically saying it's no big deal.

underrated take

This is the hill I will die on *(edited)*

Pessimistic not realistic at all ngl 🫠

ngl tho *(edited)*

I'm so done with 'people gotta be real' - that's not comforting, it's a shrug. For those of us who are struggling, maybe a more honest conversation about the emotional stakes is in order? 😩

screenshotting this

Yeah, I've been 2 those dark places too, trust me it's just a minor setback, time 2 move on idk 💯