I attended two different meetings in my area that addressed alcoholism and compulsive gambling. Initially, it was easy to see the similarities. The overall culture was similar. People introduced themselves as either alcoholics or compulsive gamblers. There was no cross talk. Certain literature was used to guide the meeting and help it flow. It seemed as if Gamblers Anonymous was simply an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous or any other 12-step program. I have learned in the past that each group has its own culture as a result of the personalities and differences of its members.
I began to learn this as a young adult when I entered the rooms of Al-anon and Nar-anon. Certain groups just felt more comfortable than others. I attended an AA group with a friend of mine who considered this group to be her home group. It was a closed group but I had permission to come to one of their Big Book meetings. There were introductions at the beginning of the meeting where people stated their names and some people made mention of a significant anniversary. Many congratulations were given for milestones. The room was filled with almost twenty people and they ranged in age from early twenties to sixties.
After reading a chapter from the Big Book, the meeting was opened up for sharing. There was no cross talk and I did not hear any gruesome war stories of what happened when people hit rock bottom. Instead, I heard stories of how grateful people were to have the rooms and meetings in their lives. They realized that their lives had become unmanageable and AA had saved them. The Big Book was used as a source of inspiration and guidance and is not meant to shame anyone. There was a break in the middle of the meeting and my friend’s sponsor was sitting in a nearby seat.
The Essay on Oppression Native Son Bigger People Book
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There were many hugs shared in that part of the room. Many of the people in the room had been coming for several years. A few were there for the first time. The veterans of the group welcomed the new people with compassion and support. The Big Book was used as the primary tool for this particular meeting. My friend explained that some meetings were step meetings where the primary focus was one of the 12 steps and other meetings were just sharing meetings. She said each meeting and each place did things differently and that is why many people go to several meetings at different locations each week.
That resonated with me and my experiences with Nar-anon. It took me awhile to find a group that felt “right. ” Gamblers Anonymous was very similar in some ways, but different in others. We did not go around the room in the beginning and announce our names and our addictive affliction. It was interesting to find out during the course of the meeting that many people at GA attended AA on a regular basis. Though gambling is a behavior and alcohol is a substance; some people deal with both addictions. We also did not start the meeting with the serenity prayer.
It was printed on a pamphlet that was passed out but was not said as a group. At the AA meeting, everyone held hands and said it together. We read about the history of GA and the definition of GA. Just as in AA the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling whereas in AA the requirement is to stop drinking. The 12-steps are very similar to AA’s 12 steps. They also subscribe to the Unity Program. The pamphlet included a definition of gambling that may seem simplistic but is necessary so that the definition cannot be twisted to serve individual needs.
GA defines gambling for the compulsive gambler as: Any betting or wagering, for self or others, whether for money or not, no matter how slight or insignificant, where the outcome is uncertain or depends on “skill” constitutes gambling. The meeting was based on the Twenty Questions at the back of the pamphlet. They were questions that asked in many ways how gambling as effected one’s life. Question 15, “Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, or loneliness? ” and question 20, “Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result or your gambling? surprisingly caught the attention of many of the members who ranged in age from the thirties to their seventies. As we went around the room, people would state their names, the date they first entered the rooms, and the last time they gambled. If they had anything to say, they would say it with no cross talk. I heard lots of war stories and stories of extreme distress. Other people shared stories of triumph and years free of gambling. Some people had gone to extremes to maintain their secret life of compulsive gambling and had committed crimes to keep up with the costs.
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The Social and Legal Problems Posed by Online Gambling Introduction Not only has the Internet brought gambling into the home, it has made it anonymous and readily available to virtually anyone at any time and at any place. As a result, the popularity of Internet gambling has skyrocketed over the past few years. Since the first virtual online casino started up in 1995, the industry has grown to ...
Alcoholism and gambling both wreak havoc on a person’s personal life and the lives of those around them. A therapist once told me that addiction is addiction is addiction. In many ways, she is right. But the GA members seemed to have less relapses and more “clean time” than those who were in AA. The rock bottoms of both groups were just as severe but climbing out of the hole seemed easier for some of the GA members. I have to keep into consideration that there were more new members at the AA meeting and many of the GA meetings had been coming to that meeting for years.
When people are active in their addictions, they usually are not attending meetings. The GA meeting was much more organized with phone numbers and lists of resources of interventions for members between meetings. People encouraged me to come back and offered me their numbers. They told me about other meetings in the area to hold me over until the next week. They seemed more proactive in keeping new members active in the rooms to prevent relapse. It is not to say that AA was not, but the AA group also knew I was a “visitor. The differences in dealing with a substance addiction and a behavioral addiction are addressed much the same way in AA and GA. The people who attend these meetings on a regular basis feel they owe their lives to the rooms and the meetings. They don’ work for everyone and longitudinal studies are hard to come by due to the anonymity aspect of the groups. But I can understand and appreciate the power of group and mutual support. AA and GA offer that to those who enter the rooms. It works for millions of people whether it can be scientifically proven or not.
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Regardless of the group one wants to enter, there is usually a closed gate which is only opened to a selected few. It is a gate that distinguishes who is "in" and who is not. Obviously, if you are "in " you receive the special privileges and rights associated with that group, while, if you happen to be the unlucky one, who is left outside in the draft and rain and cold, you are "out " and you are ...
