Even
though Gamblers
Anonymous is considered antiquated by many who have
attempted to stop their addiction to gambling, it's
important to give the compulsive gambler every available
alternative to stopping their addiction.
One of the many concepts Gamblers
Anonymous counts on is the consistency of the program.
The program is basically the same since the original
inception. Compulsive gamblers need a more updated
recovery program. There are now more alternatives
available which gives hope to these individuals.
Here you
will find a small glimpse into a Gamblers Anonymous
group meeting.
Gamblers
Anonymous holds weekly meetings to help individuals beat
their gambling addiction. At each location there are a
group of people who meet once a week to share what’s
happening in their life.
At the
beginning of the meeting for existing members they ask
you to state your first name and your last name
initial. They then ask you to state the last time you
place a bet and that you admit you are a compulsive
gambler. For new people entering the room, there are
other procedures. These people are asked twenty
questions. Gamblers Anonymous believes that if you
answer seven or more yes then you need to decide if you
believe you are a compulsive gambler. Then they ask
if you believe you are a compulsive gambler then please
state your first name, last name initial, last time you
place a bet and that you admit you are a compulsive
gambler.
For
people entering the Gamblers Anonymous room for the
first time this can be very overwhelming. Most rooms
are made up of eclectic individuals. There is no
discrimination here. There are people from all walks of
life. At the table there may be a plumber, carpenter,
gas station attendant, insurance agent, receptionist and
or a fisherman. Gambling affects all walks of life
through out this world. It was amazing to see emails
from Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia and so many
other countries with the same addiction as people here
in the United States.
One of
the downfalls of Gamblers Anonymous is each room is run
by a different personality each week. There are basic
rules to be followed, but unfortunately each member or
chair person has there own interpretation.
Gamblers
Anonymous is not anonymous by any means. The meetings
are sometimes held in a church or a public meeting
hall. It’s a small world, people running into old
friends at the meeting and occasionally a college
student wants to write an article on the members in the
group and how they stopped gambling. There is also a
call list of names for members to talk to one another
for support. With today’s technology a majority of
telephones have caller ID. There goes your anonymity.
Gamblers
Anonymous is self supporting, members are asked to
donate at each meeting.
As the
Gamblers Anonymous meeting commences small books are
distributed and each member takes a turn reading a
section. Some members have a hard time reading. Other
members help out.
Who ever
runs the meeting that night sets the tone.
Unfortunately there were many nights where the person in
charge would dictate. “No you can not talk”, “I am
going to ask the members to vote on changing your
gambling date because of the statements you made during
therapy” and even continuously monopolize the
conversations. Members have felt degraded at times to
the point where they either quit or changed rooms.
It’s
estimated that approximately 3% will maintain weekly
meetings. The other 97% struggle on there own and
succeed or have gone back to gambling.
After
they finish reading the book, the Gamblers Anonymous
chair person asks each person present to tell the group
what’s happening in their life. They call this portion
Therapy. Time limits are sometimes imposed on long
winded individuals. Most members have enjoyed this part
of the meeting the most. This is where they realize
they are not alone in their thoughts.
The
night ends where the members form a circle hold hands
and recite a serenity prayer. The closing procedure may
be different all over the world.
The
large percentage who does not return to weekly meetings,
there are now alternative ways to help stop their
addiction.
For
those who are still searching for a way to stop their
addiction, there are new innovative websites available
to help.
