unpredictable

I have read that poker("slot") machines are particularly addictive due to the unpredictable pattern of reward. People feel as though that next win might be just around the corner which makes it hard to stop.  Today I was talking with a patient whose father and partner are both alcoholic. It brought up memories of my own father who was an alcoholic though he stopped drinking when I was seven years old. Although he was often frightening to a small child, he was also unpredictably wonderful, all the more so after the negative times.

I wonder if we often find ourselves with a partner like our troubled parent because we become addicted to the capricious rewards of their behaviour as a child. We are aware of the risks but cannot resist the compulsion to play their game.