I really miss gambling. Its only been about 2 weeks for me. I love Poker. I think about it a lot. But once I've gone enough time without it, the thoughts slow down. I think it will probably take at least 2 months for me to stop thinking so much about it.

I went into a trance like state, (I did sports betting, cards and video poker) any time i could keep going for more than a couple of hours. Don't remember all of the bets, or how many times I went to the cashier or ATM. My counselor told me it is similar to an alcoholic's 'black out' and is called a 'brown out'. I was especially vulnerable with a large credit line and gambling on no sleep, I would often go for 3 days without a wink of sleep. Did not really need the free room they gave me except to shower and bush teeth, if I could tear myself away to accomplish that.
Yes it is dopamine - which has a role in all addiction. The way I understand it is; dopamine and serotonin are part of our primal survival system that signals when things are good for us and for our survival: like food, shelter, sex. But addiction of any kind hijacks that brain/body survival, chemical system. Video games were created with the help of psychologists to make them as addictive as possible. My counselor also told me that a gambler's brain in action can have hundreds of times more dopamine than the brain of a cocaine addict that's been snorting all day. It takes 90 to 120 days of abstinence for your dopamine levels to calibrate and get back to normal. (Providing you are not finding other ways to over boost the dopamine - some cross addiction) You can make yourself feel better in initial withdrawal by doing things that more naturally boost your dopamine incrementally. Exercise and laughter are two things that can do that.