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GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS

THEN THINGS \\ GANNOT CHANGE
COURAGE NO CHANGE YENTHINGS | CAN

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH fil

FORWARD

Trial and error have produced a rich experience for GA members
concerned with keeping a GA group, and GA as a whole, functioning
smoothly. As time passes, we will need to continue to share our ex-
perience, strength, and hope with each other as we work towards mak-
ing our groups, and GA as a whole, more and more effective in carry-
ing the message of hope to the man or woman who needs our help. New
techniques need to be explored, enlarged upon, or sometimes abandoned,
but it is this willingness to consider new ideas and concepts that
will always keep our GA fellowship vigorous and strong. Utilizing
the principle of ep fo objectives, we can be assured of @mntinued
progress. |

The contents of this booklet are meant for the consideration and
benefit of GA members everywhere. They are presented in the spirit
of /nonesty and openmindedness which GA encourages us to consider as
ar "way, of: life. They are not meant to offend or influence any other
GA member's individual way of thinking or living.

The articles cover many varied subjects. Some relate to the pro-
gress, problems, and hopes of Gamblers Anonymous. Some have inspira-
tional and spivitual themes that relate to human beings who happen to
to be members of GA. Some have been written by members of GA and Gam-
Anon and some by people who are non-members of GA. The GA and Gam-Anon
people who have contributed to this booklet, in keeping with our prin-
ciples, shall remain anonymous. It is their thoughts and opinions that
we wish to present, not their identities. New thoughts, old thoughts,
and all thoughts that can lead to continued abstinance and a better
way of life are vital to the health, growth, and vitality of Gamblers
Anonymous.

We would particularly like to make mention of the first article
in this booklet entitled 'The GA Recovery Program." It is symbolic
of what the original purpose was for having a book. That purpose was
to share with each other our experience, strength, and hope. It is
our humble opinion that the article is an important document and will |
have great impact for all compulsive gamblers who shall now and in
the future have the privilege to read and learn from its wisdom .and
Vis Lon.

Our heartfelt thanks are extended to the people, GA and non-
members alike, who contributed so freely of their time and effort to
make this booklet a reality. If one person is lifted in spirit ’and
abstinance by its message, then their joy is our joy, and our goal of
sharing our experience, strength, and hope will have been realized. |
Our wish for everyone present at this First International Conference
and for those who could not be here is HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH -
ONE DAY AT A TIME,

Yours in GA,

First International Conference
Committee

ONE DAY AT A TIME © i 1

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

DEDICATION

Let us hope as we gather here this weekend that our vision not
be turned inward, but outward--that we are able to overcome the tempta-
tion to project our personalities, rather than our principles.

Let us hope to realize our responsibility to ourselves, our
groups, and GA as a whole.

Let us hope that at this conference, the First International,
that we renew our commitment and dedication to the principles, purpose,
and program of Gamblers Anonymous.

Let us hope to find the courage, honesty, and willingness to
face the problems and challenges that shall confront GA as it conti-
nues to grow.

Let us hope, as GA grows, that all of us shall grow and mature
also so that we shall be better prepared to pass down the heritage
that GA has so freely granted to us--abstinance from gambling and a
return to a normal way of thinking and living.

Let us not forget that the most important people will not be
with us at our conclave this weekend. Most of these people are not
even aware that there is a program known as Gamblers Anonymous.
Those people are the compulsive gamblers who still suffer and the
wives and children who suffer reat the results of their iliness.

GA belongs to them also.

Our combined purpose and destiny, if we so desire it, can be
to bring back to the distant areas we have come from a renewed vigor
and dedication to share with others what has been so freely given to
us. We can very simply begin ey turning to the preamble of Gamblers
Anonymous, which states:

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS IS A FELLOWSHIP OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO
SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE, STRENGTH, AND HOPE WITH EACH OTHER,
THAT THEY MAY SOLVE THEIR COMMON PROBLEM AND HELP OTHERS TO
RECOVER FROM A GAMBLING PROBLEM.

Therefore, it is our wish as hosts of the First International
Conference, being held on July 21 - 24, in Chicago, Illinois, that
its: success be dedicated to the practice of our fellowship's pri-
mary purpose--to carry our message of hope to the compulsive gambler
who still suffers

j ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE GA RECOVERY PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION

The GA program is an extraordinarily significant way of life.
For almost two decades, it has proven to be the only known hope for
those individuals who are caught up in that baffling, insidious ad-
diction known as compulsive gambling. In essence, the GA program
is a philosophy of living which directs the individual to look within
himself for the answers to his dilemma rather than to seek out the.
solutions in a variety of different persons, places, things, eect cir-
cumstances over which he has no control.

The principles of the GA program, when first introduced to an
individual, seem to be very foreign concept of material which hase
no relevance to that individual's set of circumstances. Its ideas
seem to be new and very impractical, tending to renounce a whole
set of principles and values with which a person may have lived for
years. On second look, the individual may note some similarities
of thought that remind him of some bygone time from which he is
able to make some basic comparisons. Finally, he may learn that the
thoughts and concepts of GA are not original with GA at all. He
may have been introduced to these concepts by his church, hisparents,
a certain set of friends, a political party, or by other organizations
similar to GA.

In actuality, an individual is not introduced to a new idea at
all, but rather, re-introduced to an idea of living that, when at-
tempted, produces startling results in a person's life style.

If, in fact, the basic concepts of the program are not original
with GA, then why GA at all?

The reason is that the GA program is unique in many ways. Pri-
marily, it is designed to fit the needs of the compulsive gambler.
It affords the gambler the opportunity to share his experiences,
strengths, and hopes with others who share the same affliction. He
can exchange his ideas with those who have the same common denominator,
specifically, the illness known as compulsive gambling.

The situation that exists, which makes GA strikingly unique, is
that in most instances, compulsive gambling is the only common denomi-
nator. The individual usually finds himself in a melting pot of doc-
tors, lawyers, cab drivers, dishwashers, and Indian chiefs--people
with different cultural and educational backgrounds. He finds him-
self with those that have lost thousands and those who have lost hun-
dreds. He finds a multitude of different religious beliefs and finds
there are those who do not believe at all. Yet, inspite of all these
differences, he can attempt. his recovery, and either by accident or
design, assist in the recovery of others.

Secondly, the GA program is unique inasmuch as the accent is
put on the effort rather than the accomplishment. By the very nature
of the program, the success or failure of the individual can only be
measured by the individual himself. . There are no specific time limits
for achievement so, consequently, there are no specific goals other

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

than those that the individual wishes to pursue himself. With the
accent on effort, no true practitioner of the program can rightly
judge-another, since there is no true measuring stick for effort.
With this basic concept in mind, the individual becomes his own de-
fendant, judge, and jury and thereby he, and he alone, can be the
only judge of his progress with himself and his program.

The GA program offers yet another unique aspect. It affords

the participant the right of individual interpretation and individual
application of its principles. The individual has the option to ac-
cept in total or in part any principle of the GA program. Individual
interpretation is one of the aspects of the GA program which builds

the individual into a storehouse of ideas which he can share with
the fellowship if he chooses. It is this exchange of ideas within
the fellowship that provides the basis for change in an individual's
makeup. It is this sharing of ideas that makes it possible for an
individual to examine his thoughts and ideas, and to challenge their
value. It is this exchange of ideas that affords the individual the
right to change his position on any principle at any time, and this
gives him an everlasting pool of thoughts and ideas which he may
consider.

Because of the right of individual interpretation, I will share
with you my views of the GA Recovery Program. I wish to make clear
at this time that these ideas are not original with me but merely a
composite of everything I have learned through nine years association
with the GA program. So, let us go through the GA program as seen
through the eyes of this compulsive gambler. If there is anything of
value to you as an individual, feel free to consider or use it. If
there is anything that is unreasonable or abusive to you as an indivi-
dual, just chalk it up as a bunch of absurdities from a man who is
in the midst of his recovery.

THE GA RECOVERY PROGRAM

The GA Recovery Program, at first glance, is a series of steps,
numerically listed from one through twelve, which suggests a way of
life. Upon further study of these steps, one finds that they are but
a mere outline of the whole picture that the program tries to paint.
It is a necessary and vital outline, but it is no more or no less.
The GA Recovery Program, as written, relative to the whole idea of
GA, can be compared with a skeleton relative to the body. There is
a whole lot of meat between those lines.

Upon further analysis, we find that there are three distinctively @

different types of steps. One grouping deals with admittance and ac-
ceptance. Another grouping deals with certian forms of action. And
yet another grouping deals with a power greater than the individual.

For the remainder of this analysis, we will henceforth refer to

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

the steps not by their number, but by their grouping. They will be
referred to as:

STEPS OF ADMISSION po NOss Lea llO
THE ACTION STEPS we Od. Ae San 2
THE SPIRITUAL STEPS ==NOG. 2a 3=7— 11

STEPS OF ADMISSION

ADMITTED WE WERE POWERLESS OVER GAMBLING--THAT OUR LIVES
HAD BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.

One of the hardest things a human being might have to do in
his lifetime is to admit to failure, and in turn, admit to that which
is real. In this step, we are asked to do that--admit that we are
powerless over gambling and that our lives had become unmanageable,
(admitting that we are compulsive gamblers). Prior to doing this,
we must know and accept the facts about compulsive gambling. We need
to be willing to accept the fact that:

It is a progressive illness.

It always gets worse but never better.

It can only be arrested and may never be cured regardless
of the time of abstinance.

It can only be arrested through total abstinance.

It is a baffling, insidious, compulsive addiction.

- In its worst form, it can very easily lead to:

a. Incomprehensible demoralization

b. insanity

ec. Death

OF WNH

To fully admit to this step in its entirety means to admit to every
single solitary fact about compulsive gambling. The second part of
this step - "that our lives had become unmanageable" - seems to be
the part that we should start with. It is a whole lot easier to com-
prghend and in most circumstances it is the most obvious. The af-
flicted gambler usually is beset with a host of financial problems,
marital problems, and personal relation problems which can be easily
interpreted as an unmanageable life.

When we learn to admit the obvious, then and only then will we
be able to tackle that baffling, insidious addiction that we have all
known so many years.

To admit and to accept is a pre-requisite in dealing with this
problem.

ADMITTED TO OURSELVES AND TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING THE EXACT
NATURE OF OUR WRONGS.

Once our wrongs are brought to the fore (determined through an-
other step), we are then able to do something about them. Here again,
as with the gambling problem, an admittance and acceptance is vital.

We can mull them over and over in our minds.and usually can come to

ONE DAY AT A TIME | 3

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

some awkward conclusion. Very seldom, if ever, can we arrive at a
positive conclusion because it is difficult to be objective with our
thoughts and ideas with a burden of guilt on our conscience. The

only time objectivity is possible is when we have a sounding board

in another human being. The idea of admitting wrongs to another human
being acts as a relief valve. It relieves the pressure and allows

the mind to relax from the fears that were built up for years--the
fears of our shortcomings, our weaknesses, and our imperfections being
found out. Revealing our shortcomings to at least one person opens
the door to the truth. If we can be truthful to another human being,
we then can begin to be truthful with ourselves. In essence, the
truth will set us free--free to begin the task of living--free to try
to be the person we want to be--free to admit, without fear, the exact
nature of our wrongs and begin to do something about them.

CONTINUED TO TAKE PERSONAL INVENTORY AND WHEN WE WERE
WRONT PROMPTLY ADMITTED IT.

This particular step is actually a re-iteration of Steps 4 and
5 of the Recovery Program, but it has one basic difference--the word
"continued." It gives purpose and longevity to the GA program, since
it suggests a lifetime of use. | /

Since it has taken all of one's life to build a whole series of
character defects, habits, and misconceptions of the truth, logic
would have it that it will take the rest of one's life to attempt to
make some corrections and improvements.

Since our ideas and concepts will begin to change during the
practice of this program, continued self-appraisal becomes vital.
Once this healthy practice has been acquired, it enables us to rehash
our ideas, concepts, and actions time and time again. It allows a
continued re-evaluation of one's self and gives us the opportunity of
a growing self-improvement.

THE ACTION STEPS

MADE A SEARCHING AND FEARLESS MORAL AND FINANCIAL INVENTORY
OF OURSELVES.

There are no short cuts to admitting or accepting anything. To
pick out shortcomings and/or problems off the top of one's head is
no more than a futile effort to reach the truth. The truth of the
matter is that to merely acknowledge one's shortcomings, a thorough
and complete "soul-searching" becomes mandatory. We in GA call this
a moral inventory. -

When an individual takes a moral inventory, he is, in essence,
taking an objective look at himself. He is examining his character,
his feelings, his behavior, his values, his priorities, his relation-
ships with other people and where he fits and how he stands relative
to the society around him. He finds that in order to make a complet-
inventory he must examine every phase of his life.

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Taking this objective moral inventory can be very difficult when
first attempted. It can be compared with facing one's creditors. The
first one is always the most difficult. The reason for the difficulty
is the fear of what we might find. But the more we attempt this in-
ventory, the easier it becomes, for we find that the truth does not
breed fear, but it breeds courage--courage to see the truth as it
really is--courage to seek out the whys and wherefores of our own
dilemma--courage to go forward with a productive, serene life, always
seeking out the truth about ourselves.

Objectivity is the key word to the successful practice of this
step. The ability to let it all hang out, take ten paces back, and
look at ourselves for what we really are, will release us from being
prisoners of our own emotions and anxieties and make us free to go
about the business at hand--RECOVERY.

WERE ENTIRELY READY TO HAVE THESE DEFECTS OF CHARACTER
REMOVED.

After an individual makes a determination and can readily admit
to his shortcomings, is it possible that he can ever become ready to
have all of this defects of character removed? It seems that by the
7 mere fact that we are human beings it would be very easy for each of
us to submit a long list of character defects. Yet, while living with
; these defects, we are reluctant to give them up, at least not until
they begin to cause us excessive misery. It seems very obvious,
therefore, that very few people can become, quickly and easily, ready
| to have their defects of character removed. (Unless, of course, there
; happens to be a magic wand available). It seems that it is a human
characteristic that most of us will settle for only enough improve-
ment to enable us to get by in day-to-day living.

The complete implication of this step is perfection, and per-
fection is an impossibility.

We,therefore, can only strive for perfection. We cannot limit
ourselves to strive for anything less for if we do, we put a limit
on improvement. Our goals in self-improvement must not be goals we
can reach, but goals we can always strive for.

MADE A LIST OF ALL PERSONS WE HAD HARMED AND BECAME WILLING
TO MAKE AMENDS TO THEM ALL.

We are asked in this step to do two specific things. First, we
are asked to become willing to make amends to them all. However,
before we are able to do this effectively, we must determine the
various ways we have affected and disrupted peoples' lives.

We will undoubtedly find that we have created financial and/or
emotional damage to most everyone he have come in contact with. We
are also apt to find that, through a series of lies, we have seriously
damaged the reputation and friendship of other people who were, and
may still be, completely oblivious to the fact that we were the cause

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HOPE = SECURITY - GROWTH

of their troubles. Consequently, the action demanded in this step
serves as a leverage in preparing us to face up to the damage we have
caused.

The words "to make amends" suggest that it is a pennance to right
the wrongs done to those we had harmed. The words "willing to make
amends" gives this step its true meaning. We can make these amends
not because we have to but because we want to. If we are willing to
do what should be done, the pain and guilt of the past will begin to
vanish and the willingness will manifest itself into personal satis-
faction and a sense of accomplishment.

Willingness is a state of mind that generally manifests itself
through practice. As soon as we begin to make some feeble effort at
making amends, regardless of the reasons for doing so, our motives
will begin to change and our willingness will begin to grow. Oddly
enough ,, as we become more willing, the task becomes much easier for
we find that we can face our fellow man, admit to our mistakes, and
become willing to do something about them.

MADE DIRECT AMENDS TO SUCH PEOPLE WHEREVER POSSIBLE
KXCEPT WHEN TO DO SO WOULD INJURE THEM OR OTHERS.

In attempting to make direct amends to those we have harmed we
often find that the amends themselves vary relative to the circum-
stances involved.

Speaking in terms of financial amends, the answers become quite .
simple, because the measuring devices are dollars and cents. This
particular measuring device is not new to us, for this is, most likely,
the device that we know the best. Although we may have what we think
are insurmountable financial obligations, it is still a matter of
owing somany people and so many banks so many dollars. Ultimately, a
dollar owed is recompensed by a dollar paid. As arduous a task as this
may be, in essence, the solution is simple.

The harm that is particularly referred to in this step has to
do with the emotional and sprirtual makeup of those concerned. These
amends do not have an apparent yardstick for measurement.

How can you measure the hurt inamother or father when they see
their son go down the drain? What is the measure of amends one makes
to his wife and children for the years of deprivation and lies? What
price does one pay to a couple of friends whom he has used against
each other to achieve his own selfish motives? What kind of amends
can he make to an acquaintance whom he has harmed by malicious lies?

These are the things that are particularly referred to in this
step. These are the areas where the real damage has been done. How
can we "pay off" those that have suffered emotionally and spiritually
because of our irrational behavior? The answer is that we do not pay
them off at all. This step does not ask that we pay them off--it asks
only that we make amends. The restitution to be made manifests itself ©
through character.

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

When analyzed, there is not one wrong that cannot be corrected
through willingness and truth. Given time, willingness, truth, and
an improvement in character will improve any human relationship, for
it was the absence of these very things that caused the damage to
begin with. We owe nothing as a debt, not a cadillac, not a trip to
Hawaii, not a mink coat, but we owe the truth for our own peace of ;
mind and the peace of mind of those around us. sa

HAVING MADE AN EFFORT TO PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL
OUR AFFAIRS, WE TRIED TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE TO OTHER COM-
PULSIVE GAMBLERS.

Having made an attempt to practice the GA program in our daily
affairs, we are now asked to spread the word to other complusive
gamblers. There are many and varying ways for an individual to prac-
tice this step. Some of us who have been blessed with a nice speak-
ing voice or a quick mind have carried the message at the level of
press, radio, and television. There are others who have done so
through various speaking engagements to clubs, church, and professional
groups. All of these methods are vital in attracting people to Gam-
blers Anonymous and to introduce them to the message which we are
trying to deliver.

Let us consider, however, that these opportunities to carry the
message occur infrequently, while, by the same token, we are asked to
practice the program in all our affairs on a daily basis. The biggest
attraction to the message of GA, much more far reaching than a national
TV show with 50 million viewers, is the example of just one GA member
who has abstrained from gambling and has turned his life around. This
Is the message in practice. The examble we set as we go about our
daily existence is living proof that the GA program truly has some-
thing to offer the compulsive gambler who is still suffering. Example
alone has a tremendous effect on the people around us.

The words "carry the message to other compulsive gamblers" does
not only refer to those that have never heard of GA but to every
other compulsive gambler in the world, including our fellow members.
The words "other compulsive gamblers" are all-inclusive. Consequently
we, carry the message, as we understand it, to all that would care to
listen. We can do this at the meeting level, on the phone, through
our therapy, on national TV, or around a kitchen table. Some of us
are capable of doing this with words and others with deeds, but it
is example, the living proof that it works, that will carry the
message the world over.

This step also has a great deal of personal value. While work-
ing with other complusive gamblers, some of whom are still suffering
from the actual pangs of gambling itself, we can well be reminded of
the life we once Knew. We can visualize, through them, the pain, agony,
and emotional insecurity that we, ourselves, have suffered. We can
readily see that, without a continued, diligent effort on our part,
we could very easily go through it all over again. To carry the mes-
sage to other compulsive gamblers is a very rewarding experience in

the sense that we are sharing what we have found to be good with our
fellow man.

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE SPIRITUAL STEPS

CAME TO BELIEVE THAT A POWER GREATER THAN OURSELVES COULD
RESTORE US TO A NORMAL WAY OF THINKING AND LIVING.

- MADE A DECISION TO TURN OUR WILL AND OUR LIVES OVER TO
THE CARE OF THIS POWER OF OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. j

The fellowship of GA is composed of people with many different
religious beliefs along with some who may be agnostics or atheists.
Since membership in GA does not require any particular belief, GA
cannot be described as a religious society, but the GA program is
based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. Spirituality in |
GA deseribes those characteristics of humanity which are marked by |
the highest and finest qualities such as generosity, honesty, toler-
ance, and humility. Since GA advocates these principles as a way
of life, we are asked to pursue these principles with every conceiv-
able avenue at our disposal, and indeed we need them all.

In these steps, we are first asked to come to believe that a |
Power greater than ourselves can restore us to normalcy. We are
then asked to turn-ourselves over to this Power. In essence, we
are aksed to change our attitude about our state of mind. We are
asked to come to grips with the fact that for as long as we were
the sole power of our existence, the result was nothing but turmoil
and strife. We are then asked to seek out another Power--a power
greater than ourselves, which will make it possible to acquire a new
set of values and consequently lead us back to normalcy. This will
require a dramatic change in attitude.

This Power that is greater than ourselves may be interpreted
in any number of ways, as is stated in these steps, ("Power of our
own understanding"). To name a few examples, we might consider a
Supernatural Force, a God, a philosophy, a set of ideals and standards,
or a group of people. Whatever Power we might choose, it must be |
understandable and real to the individual. It is imperative that we ©
choose the Power that is believable to us. ;
a
We are then asked to turn our will and lives over to the ideals
and standards of this newly acknowledged Power and try to live by its
will, eventually to become one with this Power. We are asked to make —
these ideals an integral part of our thoughts and deeds. There is ;
no timetable outlined, in achieving this oneness with the Power of }
our understanding, but indeed, a constant effort is necessary. A
willingness to pursue the help of this Power will guide us to the |
right decisions. |
HUMBLY ASKED GOD (OF OUR UNDERSTANDING) TO REMOVE OUR
SHORTCOMINGS. .
q
Many GA members, although we believed in the existence of God
since childhood, were firmly convinced that we could live exclusively ©

by our own intellect and strength. The sum total of all Judeo-Christian

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

society which we were born and raised in advocates a reliance of hu-
manity on God, and here gain, in this step, GA asks us to rely on
God. We are to humbly ask our God to remove our shortcomings.

Humility before God, in the true sénse of the word, is to’ ap-
proach God without wrongful pride in oneself or in one's accomplish-
ments. Humility before God is to strip ourselves clean, hiding no-
thing, and to admit to Him all of our human frailties and shortcomings.

As this step indicates, we must literally ask God to remove our
shortcomings. Tell Him the exact nature of these shortcomings. Tell
Him the necessity of having these Shortcomings removed, and ask Him
if He would guide us in removing them. It is remarkable, the marve-
lous things we have missed in-our lives, only because we never took
the time to ask God for them. God is waiting to assist us in getting
what is good.

There are always many setbacks and disappointments in the re-
moval of shortcomings. God is trying by this means to tell us some-
thing. He is probably saying, "No, that is not the way to do it."
Therefore, if we suffer disappointments, we could probably assume
that God is saying, "No, you still haven't got it right."

Let us think about the word disappointment. The prefix dis
denotes separation from. Used in connection with the word appointment,
it means separation from your appointment. This implies that there
is an appointment for us, an appointment from God, but we have missed
our appointment. Hence, there is disappointment. The solution is
to say to God, quietly and humbly, "God, correct the error in me by
which I have missed the appointment you have for me, and guide me to
it." When we do our part, God will do His.

SOUGHT THROUGH PRAYER AND MEDITATION TO IMPROVE OUR
CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM PRAY-
ING ONLY FOR KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL FOR US AND THE ©
POWER TO CARRY THAT OUT.

Here we are asked to work on a continually improving relationship
between ourselves and God. We are actually trying to find out what
God wants us to do. We are really asking for two distinct things.

We are asking for the knowledge to determine His will for us, and then
we are asking for the guidance and the strength to pursue the course
of His will.

Ths step outlines the exact method for us to take in order to do
this. The method is prayer. Unfortunately,, for most us, prayer seems
to mean getting down on our knees and saying some pre-planned words at
a pre-planned time. Nothing could be further from the truth. In
actuality, prayer is a state of mind, whereby you and your God meet
face to face and speak free and easy. Talking to God like you would
talk to a person you love and respect serves to make a natural and
beautiful relationship.

~

ONE DAY AT A TIME 9

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Getting close to God, as getting close to a loved one, develops
through a constant association, so the idea is to pray (talk with God)
as often as possible, asking for the guidance and the strength so that
we may do his will. Ask Him to show us the direction that will help
us walk the pathways of our lives with humility, love and understand-
ing or ourselves, our God, and our fellow man.

CONCLUSION

Most of us, through the course of our own gambling careers, were
very extreme individuals. Every action demanded every thought, idea,
and dollar we could muster up in pursuit of our gambling. We fought
tooth and nail to continue our gambling ways. We used every lie ima-
ginable to portray our image of greatness to other people. We used
every cunning in the book with which to get money to gamble. We were
totally committed, with every bit of enthusiasm we had, to a lifetime
of gambling.

It is this same total commitment that will make us succeed in
GA--a total commitment to the GA way of life. We must pursue the GA
way of life with all the enthusiasm we can deliver. The enthusiasm
is there in all of us; it needs only to be turned around. It's the
Same enthusiasm and drive that made us race ninety miles up the road,
double park in the parking lot, dash to the gate pusing people out of
the way, running through the stands and sneaking in line, throwing
house rent at the window and just betting the daily double with only
30 seconds to spare. (Ah! I made it!)

It is when this type of enthusiasm can be used toward the GA way
of life that things begin to happen. It s with this type of total
commitment that disintegration stops and unification begins. It is
when this type of approach is used toward GA that an individual will
develop a better way of life.

There have been many things written about the power of enthus-
iasm, but there is one that particularly applies to the gambler:
"The worst bankrupt in the world is the man who has lost his enthus-
iasm. Let a man lose everything in the world but this enthusiasm,
and he will come through again to success." H. W. Arnold.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE UNKNOWN

My name is unknown and may never be discovered. JI live in the
brain of human beings. People try to describe me and find that it
becomes confusing at times. The reason for this is that I like to
affect people in different ways so that the confusion of it all will
help me to be known and not to be taken lightly. Also, I have a
terrific way about me--I know how to attract people to do the things
I direct them to do. I have driven certain men to the point where
they have come to believe that I am their master, and I can answer all
their problems. Of course, they don't realize at this time that it
was me, the unknown, unexplainable disease that has taken their brain
and put it in a state where only I can direct and pacify each deterio-
rating step towards more misery and agony. They become something that
they, themselves are not aware of so that they are not really and
truly responsible for actions that they take. Here is where I really
enjoy my work--to see the satisfaction of all my disease, spreading
at almost an unstopable rate, driving a force of evil into their
brains and knowing that these are men that I have destroyed, both
mentally and physically.

My goal is to conquer all of mankind and to rule throughout
eternity. Just think how everything would be if I succeed! The
world would consist of a mass disease, spread all over the mountains,
CSSHS 5 deserts and eventually, who knows, maybe even further into
man's unknown, unsearched places. There I will be, all of myself,

a lump of nothing--no love for anyone, for there would be no one to
love but myself.

To my regret, in 1957, two men started a program called GA,
Gamblers Anonymous. This is and always will be my enemy. This GA
has taken many of my patrons from me. It teaches honesty, a word
I despise. It teaches love, another word I hate. With these ideas,
my disease cannot be spread about in men's minds. I find that my
work is really cut out for me now. There are men that belong to GA
who find they have a choice to make--to continue living miserably,
with me as their master; or to admit that I have run their lives and
made their lives unmanageable and to turn their lives and will over
to a power that they are told is a greater power than me, the disease,
the unknown. They're informed to stop, look, listen, and to wait.
They're to seek love and not hate; to be honest and not to lie; to
better themselves and not to destroy; to make amends and not to for-
get; to express and admit to another and not to hold it in; to prac-
tice these principles and to help others with my Gisease.

Oh, yes, I am proud to admit that I exist even in GA rooms
chewaehout the country. I continuously like to confuse a new member,
for it's he who I give my all to. That's evidently why the odds are
low on a man to make the program.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 11

ae:

LO

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Getting close to God, as getting close. to a loved one, develops
through a constant association, so the idea is to pray (talk with God)
as often as possible, asking for the guidance and the strength so that
we may do his will. Ask Him to show us the direction that will help
us walk the pathways of our lives with humility, love and understand-
ing or ourselves, our God, and our fellow man.

i
;

CONCLUSION , | -

Most of us, through the course of our own gambling careers, were
very extreme individuals. Every action demanded every thought, idea,
and dollar we could muster up in pursuit of our gambling. We fought
tooth and nail to continue our gambling ways. We used every lie ima-
ginable to portray our image of greatness to other people. We used
every cunning in the book with which to get money to gamble. We were
totally committed, with every bit of enthusiasm we had, to a lifetime
of gambling.

It is this same total commitment that will make us succeed in
GA--a total commitment to the GA way of life. We must pursue the GA
way of life with all the enthusiasm we can deliver. The enthusiasm 4
is there in all of us; it needs only to be turned around. It's the 2
same enthusiasm and drive that made us race ninety miles up the road,
double park in the parking lot, dash to the gate pusing people out of
the way, running through the stands and sneaking in line, throwing
house rent at the window and just betting the daily double with only
30 seconds to spare. (Ah! I made it!)

It is when this type of enthusiasm can be used toward the GA way
of life that things begin to happen. It B with this type of total
commitment that disintegration stops and unification begins. It is
when this type of approach is used toward GA that an individual will
develop a better way of life.

There have been many things written about the power of enthus-
iasm, but there is one that particularly applies to the gambler:
"The worst bankrupt in the world is the man who has lost his enthus-
iasm. Let a man lose everything in the world but this enthusiasm,
and he will come through again to success." H. W. Arnold.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE UNKNOWN

My name is unknown and may never be discovered. I live in the
brain of human beings. People try to describe me and find that it
becomes confusing at times. The reason for this is that I like to
affect people in different ways so that the confusion of it all will
help me to be known and not to be taken lightly. Also, I have a
terrific way about me--I know how to attract people to do the things
I direct them to do. I have driven certain men to the point where
they have come to believe that I am their master, and I can answer all
their problems. Of course, they don't realize at this time that it
was me, the unknown, unexplainable disease that has taken their brain
and put it in a state where only I can direct and pacify each deterio-
rating step towards more misery and agony. They become something that
they, themselves are not aware of so that they are not really and
truly responsible for actions that they take. Here is where I really
enjoy my work--to see the satisfaction of all my disease, spreading
at almost an unstopable rate, driving a force of evil into their
brains and knowing that these are men that I have destroyed, both
mentally and physically.

My goal is to conquer all of mankind and to rule throughout
eternity. Just think how everything would be if I succeed! The
world would consist of a mass disease, spread all over the mountains,
oceans, deserts and eventually, who knows, maybe even further into
man's unknown, unsearched places. There I will be, all of myself,

a lump of nothing--no love for anyone, for there would be no one to
love but myself.

To my regret, in 1957, two men started a program called GA,
Gamblers Anonymous. This is and always will be my enemy. This GA
has taken many of my patrons from me. It teaches honesty, a word
I despise. It teaches love, another word I hate. With these ideas,
my disease cannot be spread about in men's minds. I find that my
work is really cut out for me now. There are men that belong to GA
who find they have a choice to make--to continue living miserably,
with me as their master; or to admit that I have run their lives and
made their lives unmanageable and to turn their lives and will over
to a power that they are told is a greater power than me, the disease,
the unknown. They're informed to stop, look, listen, and to wait.
They're to seek love and not hate; to be honest and not to lie; to
better themselves and not to destroy; to make amends and not to for-
get; to express and admit to another and not to hold it in; to prac-
tice these principles and to help others with my disease.

Oh, yes, I am proud to admit that I exist even in GA rooms
throughout the country. I continuously like to confuse a new member,
for it's he who I give my all to. That's evidently why the odds are
low on a man to make the program.

ONE DAY AT A TIME pie

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Before GA came into effect, I was really having a ball. Men
were going to doctors, clergymen, and psychiatrists seeking help
and understanding, not knowing that this was not the answer. GA
teaches that a man can be helped only if he, himself, wants to be
helped.

Many men in GA call me the bug. This is their way of communi-
cating with each other. I also have many other names--disease, slip,
easy way out, immaturity, loneliness, and many others--probably hun-=
dreds more. The longer a man dedicates himself to GA, the more he
learns about me. He finds that the names given to me are all adding
up to one major understanding--to be able to recognize me in the
event of an emergency. In other words, if, for example, you were
to take one hundred men who have abstained from gambling for five
years in comparison to one hundred men with one year abstention, the
percentage of men with one year going back to gambling would be
greater than the percentage boing back to gambling with five years.

If aman really, honestly, and truthfully wants to stop gamb-
ling, he can do this only if he can understand me, the bug, and how
I function. A positively true and real compulsive gambler has to
defeat me and set me aside, living with me, but being able to control
me in given situations. He will only learn this in GA, and it takes.
a long time in each given case.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

OUR UNITY PROGRAM

People outside of the GA program must sometimes look at us in
dismay and mutter "What the heck keeps those people together?" They
have no rules or regulations to enforce obedience! This comes as
quite a shock to most people outside of GA who in their everyday lives
face rules and regulations at work and in their community affairs.

Our obedience is a spiritual adherence to principles that are unen-
forceable other than how the individual applies them to himself. We
have no rules, and we have no rulers.

The group of principles that bind us together are twelve in nunm-
ber. They are called the 12 Steps of Unity. The most important state-
ment that can be made about them is that they work! We suggest to
every GA member who is seeking a deeper understanding of the Unity
steps to secure the GA publication, 12 Steps of Recovery/l2 Steps of
Unity, which is an in depth explanation of the steps and to read
them in their entirety. It would seem like the sensible and respons-
ible thing to do to become better informed about these steps which

suggest the way for us to remain united and guided by the practice
of their precepts.

They say that fact ts stranger than fiction. The facts we should
consider surround society's laws which are enforceable by appointed
authorities and which are constantly broken or ignored. We all should
be thankful for the wisdom of GA's founders who recognized that our
truest and most secure Unity would be cemented by our adherence to
spiritual principles, not by any type of force more commonly known
outside of GA as rules and regulations.

‘7

ONE DAY AT A TIME 13

Ly

HOPE - SEUURITY - GROWTH

12 Steps of Unity

Unity - Something that is complete within itself, with a one-
ness of purpose, and thought and spirit.

For the compulsive gambler who walks through the door, out of
a want and need to stop gambling, and with a desire to become a
new member of GA, it often seems to be a tremendous task simply to

stop gambling and restore oneself to a normal way of thinking and i

living. In the beginning there is an understanding confusion of the
mind, and the normal impatience. We try to open our minds to share
with others who have experienced the first steps of recovery.

The new member often blocks out any discussion of the unity
program for a period of time, and even those members who have ab-
stained from gambling for longer periods often avoid or put aside
the need for discussion and the acceptance of the unity program for
any number of reasons, but the truth of the matter is the great
need for an understanding of the progress of our recovery, made

possible by the tools that are available to us as contained in the

steps of unity.
Step One:

Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery de-
pends upon group unity.

The group that is troubled due to personality conflicts, in-
difference to others individual ambitions, super egos, compulsive
talkers, disruptive members, and others who openly indicate that
group unity is not essential, will certainly be unable to carry the
message and in time will simply cease to exist. The individual
member will not cope with this situation in his (or her) personal
recovery, and will seek relief in another direction. However,
there is great strength in maintaining our own abstinance and
continuing recovery when each member has an understanding and de-
pendency upon group unity.

Step Two:
Our leaders are but trusted servants: They do not govern.

We shall be held responsible if we elect irresponsible
trusted servants who cannot serve the group in the manner deter-
mined by the "Ultimate Authority" which is the spiritual concept
of "Group Conscience". They are not elected to command, order, 7
demand, change, alter, but simply to serve and express the opinions.
determined by the group through a conscience consideration of op-
inions expressed by all members of that group. Trusted servants
in each group are often rotated, inpart so that each of us may be
reminded and remember that we serve for the good of all, without
authority over any.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Step Three:

The only requirement for GA membership is a desire to stop
gambling.

Since we come in so many different sizes, shapes, colors,
ages, cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds, and histories, how im-
possible to impose any list of qualifications other than that one's
life has become unmanageable due to an uncontrolled compulsion to
gamble. And so the only requirement for membership in GA is a
desire to stop gambling.

Step Four:

Each group should be self-governing except in matters affect-
ing other groups or GA as a whole.

As defined, when two or more members meet on a regular weekly
basis, using approved GA literature, they will be considered a group,
and so no matter how large or small when we gather to practice the
principles of GA we shall be a group if we say we are, asking respect
for the group's right to conduct its meetings and business as de-
termined by its own conscience within the scope of our program, hav-
ing no affect on other groups or GA as a whole.

Step Five:

GA has but one primary purpose--to carry its message to the
compulsive gambler who still suffers.

Personal direction and purpose of life are often different for
each of us but hopefully we shall remember that the one common bond
of responsibility that we share on a group level and that is to
carry the message of hope to the compulsive gambler who still suf-
fers. GA is not a job finding bureau, not a social society, nor is
GA a lending institution.

Step Six:

GA ought never endorse, finance or lend the GA name to any re-
lated facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money,
property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

Most fundamental at this point is the constant awareness that
GA is so willing to co-operate but not "Affiliate" with any outside
enterprise. Any other course presents the possibility of contro-
versy clouded behind the motives and direction of any well meaning
group, creating a diversion from the primary purpose of GA. If we
were to apply our’ energies toward any "related facilities" would
we then set aside the attention required to share with the suffering

ONE DAY AT A TIME

ey)

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

compulsive gambler? And would we then suffer from internal strife
as we argue over money, rules, requirements, and who is to run this
"related facility"? The answer from experience is frighteningly,
yes. So we preserve the tradition of not lending the GA name.

step Seven:

Every GA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.

If anyone were to be permitted to contribute to GA other
than its members, they might expect the right to voice an opinion as
to the manner that we choose to run our fellowship. It is a matter

of assuming our own financial responsibility in all areas requir-

ing funding, from the coffee and cakes at the meetings, to rental
fees for our meeting room, to contributions at the group level to
the National Service Office. In part the wisdom of limiting the
amount of money a member can leave to GA through their wills or can
contribute onayearly basis, is that no one member can undully in-
fluence GA no matter what their wealth.

Step Hight:

Gamblers Anonymous should remain forever non-professional but
our service centers may employ special workers.

It becomes quite clear of the occassional need to employ
special workers in order to handle the necessary functions of an
office designed to fulfill certain responsibilities to GA as a
whole. However, the principal concepts of our responsibility to
a new member, counseling, guidance, pressure meetings, etc. as well

as the need to create an awareness for others that there is a recovery
program through GA, should remain free of any financial remuneration,

keeping in mind that the "reward" for trying to carry the message
will be our own abstinance.

Step Nine:

GA as such, ought never be organized: But we may create ser-
vice boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

There is no question of the many ways that one can serve GA

and at various levels. Each of us who has chosen to serve is directly

responsible to those we serve, from the member who empties ashtrays,
or makes coffee, to group and intergroup trusted servants, or at a
national Level of regent or trustee.

At each and every level we assume responsibility not authority

for there need be some measure of "organization" rather than confu-
sion.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

_——

i Spee ate Po ees
< — En
nm = i, a

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Step Ten:

GA has no opinions on outside issues; hence, the GA name ought
never be drawn into public controversy.

Hopefully GA's place will never be between the hawk and the
dove, or the liberal and conservative, the pro and the con on any
issue. Our mere presence in that instant would be far from the peace
of mind and serenity so necessary in our recovery and in maintaining
our abstinance from gambling.

step Eleven:

Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than
promotion: We need always maintain personal anonymity at the level
of press, radio, films, and television.

GA would not want to be so hidden that the suffering compulsive
gambler could not find our groups, however, we must be concerned
and aware of those who speak for GA through the media that they do
not damage the image of GA, they would not discourage new members
by breaking anonymity, and for themselves that they do not threaten
their own abstinance by disregarding the spiritual principles of
anonymity. The recovery for the compulsive gambler is the most
significant "attraction" to our program.

Yet there is the tremendous need to present to the public an
insight to the problem of compulsive gambling, its effects and the
program of recovery offered by the GA fellowship. It can be accom-
plished with respect and dignity, within the scope of the unity step,
which details the need for personal anonymity. In the meaning of
this unity step it is not breaking anonymity if we choose to relate
to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. that we are members
of GA.

Step Twelve:

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of the GA program, ever
reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The most simple expression of humility can be considered our
anonymity. As the 12 recovery steps deal with us on an individual
basis, the 12 steps of unity help us deal in working with others,
that we all are trying to achieve a position direction and purpose
with humility and spirituality that shall ever remind us to place
the principles of his fellowship, before the personalities in it.

ONE DAY AT A TIME If

18

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH
THE FUTURE OF GA

There is not a single GA member who has not, at some time,
anxiously asked himself, "Are we, as a Fellowship, standing still, or
even worse, are we going backward?" If the affirmative were true, it
would certainly strike terror in the heart of any man or woman who
has been caught in the web of compulsive gambling. If it becomes a
fact that GA is standing still or getting smaller, it could bring a
nameless dread into the hearts of the spouse and the loved ones of &
those of us who are compulsive gamblers. -

Do you doubt this? Look at those who have "resigned" from GA.
Almost without exception, they have gone back to the hell from which
they escaped when they became a part of the GA fellowship.

If there were no GA, then does it not follow that we might all

eventually return to gambling? Of course, it does! This being true, | iy
we-realize we can allow nothing--absolutely nothing--to stand in the u
way of strengthening our Fellowship. i

This means work and more work on the part of every member. It | -
means sacrifice and a willingness to give as well as take. It means | oo

attending meetings, meetings, and more meetings. It means we need | ¥
to explore new techniques at themeeting level. It means seeking ia
ways to continually strengthen our service facilities, both local ,
and national and international.

Most of all, it means we will need to knit ourselves closer to=
gether through greater compassion, understanding, generosity and love
instead of pointing the finger and criticizing (many do this to
justify their own weaknesses and faults.) .« It is these fundamental,
spiritual principles that weld our Fellowship together and offer us
the guarantee for continued GA health and growth.

To do all these things would seem like quite a large order. Be- —
gin by asking yourself this question: "Have I made an effort to prac-
tice GA principles (Compassion, understanding, generosity, honesty,
love) in all my affairs? Practice them we must if we hope to look
forward to a lifetime of freedom from gambling.

Do we have the strength, courage, and inner integrity to go for-
ward? Let us pause and give thanks for the many blessings that have
been bestowed upon us. Then, together and with God's help, we WILL
get the job done.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Sa ia ia re a ee

- HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR STARTING A NEW GA MEETING

One of the most rewarding ways of doing leth Step work is to
start a new group. It is rewarding to all concerned--those start-
ing the group, GA as a whole, and those compulsive gamblers who
still suffer. It is one more candle lit in the darkness.

The first ingredient for starting a new group is the desire to
get it going. After that, a good deal of leg work is involved. Be-
low you will find some of that leg work outlined.

4 Pick a meeting night when two or more compulsive gamblers are
available. .If there are very few meetings in your area, it
would be wise to plan the new meeting on a night that there
is no meeting. If there are many meetings in your area, pick
the night most convenient to the people founding the group.

ae Pick a location and clear it with all necessary people.

(Churches are very cooperative, rent is usually on the basis

of what you can afford.) It is important to remember that

we are self-supporting and however attractive free rent

might be, it is wise for us to stick to the principle that

we do not want to get "something for nothing."

Pick a date and time for the first meeting.

Contact local newspapers, radio, and TV people. Inform them

of your meeting starting. Invite a media person to your first

meeting. A good friend from the press can give you unlimited
coverage. Make sure that one of the founders (an experienced
member) is assigned to the media person so that only accurate
information is given to the media. Caution the media person
about changing names in print, etc. Be sure to give thanks
for all coverage given (even it you are not particularly
pleased with the coverage given!).

a If you have an area Intergroup, inform them of the new meeting

and ask for cooperation from other groups. If no Intergroup,

notify the nearest groups by mail. :

Notify N.S.0. of new group meeting day, time, and address.

Try to have someone start a new Gam-Anon and Gama-Teen group at

. the same time.

8, Have patience. Do not be discouraged if new members are slow
coming in. It only takes two people to have a meeting. Thank
God your group will be there when a new member finally does
come in!

FW

IO

ONE DAY AT A TIME 19

| maa i crm  cltara ai ii ramina taal

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

PORTRAIT

Through gambling, we believe that a man runs away from himself
and life. He runs out of his own fear and ignorance of his illness.
‘He forfeits his dignity and responsibility to himself and others,
leading a life that promises everything for tomorrow but delivers
debt, degradation, and death for today.

When a man has given up his dignity and self-respect to enter
the action fantasy world of compulsive gambling, he loses more than |
money and time. He also loses himself and very often his loved ones.
This is the price he must pay and in the insidious grip of his ill-
ness is often willing to pay. Tomorrow's big score will solve all
his cares and woes for this hope is the "eax for all compulsive gam-
blers.

The progressive nature of the compulsion will in time reduce
him to a shadow of the man he once was. He will walk without hope,
without freedom, for a man with a complusion to gamble islittle
| more than a slave. He has no will or purpose other than to gamble.
His mind and tongue have lost the knowledge of the truth. He has no
trust in others, for he cannot trust himself. He walks with loneli-
ness and despair, and they are bottomless as his dreamworld comes
crashing down. His world is built upon the quicksand of compulsive
gambling. This world, which in the cold light of reality he has molded

and created, must of its own weight come crashing down.

The first paragraph of this portrait mentions the three Ds of
compulsive gambling--Debt, Degradation, and Death. One or any combi-
nation of those three Ds are the certain legacy that faces the com-
pulsive gambler who will never find help through Gamblers Anonymous.
Tt is our job to find this man who we once were. We can best do this
by practicing the principles of the GA program to the best of our
ability and to then carry that message of hope to the compulsive
gambler who still suffers.

THE ALTERNATIVE

To bet, to lie, the cheat, to abuse, to destroy is the legacy
of every active compulsive gambler--a way of life that can lead to
death.

To abstain from making a bet, to be honest, to be giving, to
care for others responsibly, to recover and rebuild is the hope
that GA offers to the compulsive gambler who desires to stop gamb-
ling. No problem--financial or emotional--can be solved for a com-
pulsive gambler by the making of a bet. Until a man accepts this
as the truth, the path to recovery can be very rocky and very often
impossible to travel. To build a foundation for a new way of life
involves an investment in honesty, willingness, and desire not to

20 ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

gamble. To gamble, risking progressive deterioration, or not to gam-
ble and develop a better way of life--this is our alternative!

There are some who think that Gamblers Anonymous is a place
where they ended up. There are many who choose to believe that Gam-
blers Anonymous is where they began!

NOBODY'S PERFECT

All of us come into GA with the best intentions in the world,
with the quiet determination to stop gambling as fast as we can, to
abstain, one day at a time for the rest of our lives.

But it isn't always as easy as that. Emotional upsets, ill-
nesses, business reverses, a lost job, domestic difficulties, some-
times utter carelessness will occasionally throw us, and we will
find ourselves plunged back into our old gambling patterns--or
worse.

When that happens, many GA's abandon the Program, not neces-
sarily because they believe that it has failed them but because they
believe they have failed it, and they cannot erase their sense of
Shame at the failure. They may feel that they are no longer welcome
in GA or that they are looked down upon by others for apparent in-
ability to get the Program.

The GA'ter who has stopped gambling a week or a month or even a
number of years, only to return temporarily to his old gambling pat-
tern, is as welcome as he was the day he attended his first meeting.

That is one of the reasons for GA--to help the faltering or
perplexed gambler to get on the ball again and guide him or her along
the path to a long and uninterrupted period of recovery.

If you wait too long to make a decision, you are not making a
decision at all. You are avoiding one!

THE URGE TO BET

When I get the uwge to bet, I think of sorrows My past has met.

I recall what gambling has really cost and just how much I have
already lost.

So I pray that this urge ack pass away. Dear Lord, Keep me clean,
Just for today.

When I get the urge to bet, I think of sorrows I can't forget.

I lost my wife, my home, and my pride. Lady Luck took me on a
one-way ride.

So, I ask my Lord, so just and kind, to make the urge to bet leave
my mind.

When I get the urge to bet, I think of debts I still owe yet.

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SS a es a =

HOPE - SEUOURITY - GROWTH

I recall how low in life l went; gambling had taken my last cent.
So, when I am tempted to even the score, I pray for strength to bet
no more.

When I get the urge to pet, I think of things that I want to get.
Lasting love and peace are my dreams, but just one bet could turn my
hopes into screams.

So, Dear Lord, again I pray that this urge to bet will pass away.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

GAM- ANON

What does Gam-Anon mean to the compulsive gambler who enters
Gamblers Anonymous?

In this article, I will try to explain my feelings toward the Gam-
Anon program.

First of all, I will have to be honest and say that when I came
into GA (32 months ago), I was not ready to accept the GA program
100 percent--and least of all, the Gam-Anon program! As the weeks
passed and I continued to abstain from gambling and we continued to

attend meetings my resentments toward by spouse and "those Gam-Anons"
increased.

Now, she was aware that I had a choice--to continue to gamble or
to stop gambling with the help of the GA fellowship and the 12 Steps
of Recovery. She also had a choice--to continue living the same kind
of life or to follow the principles of the Gam-Anon program with the
help and suggestions of other Gam-Anon members and make a better way
of life.

She let go of the gambling problem by refusing to make excuses,
lies, or cover up or to pay my creditors when they called her and
threatened her. In this area, she made me aware that it was my re-
sponsibility to make arrangements for restitution and amends to those
I had harmed during my years of gambling. The GA program made us
aware that the compulsive gambler cannot handle monies, so it was,
therefore, my wife's role to handle our finances. For the first time
in: our marriage, I would bring home my paycheck and any other monies
I earned part time, and we would sit down and she would write out
checks for our monthly household needs first. Then my creditors got
paid according to the Pressure Group budget that was set up for us.
The lines of communication started to open--we could sit down and
talk things out--we could get each other's feelings out--she seemed
to understand me--I could discuss my past experiences with her without
her getting upset.

The first time I attended a combined GA and Gam-Anon meeting, I
was very much impressed with the honesty and straight-forwardness of
the spouses--how they would cross comment on each other's therapy,
keeping one thing in mind: how to live with the compulsive gambler.

Their honesty and willingness to work the 12 Steps of Recovery of Gam-
Anon for themselves surprised me. I received as many helpful sugges-
tions from other Gam-Anon members as I received from GA members. I
fully realize now that if a husband and wife are going to attain their
goals, it must be together, working as one under GA and Gam-Anon.

My wife's strength and firm principles, which I resented when I
first came into the program was to be my biggest asset as I continued
to abstain from gambling and tried to make a better way of life for
my family.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 23

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eee ee ee ee ae ee

as

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

TOOLS TO BUILD----OR----TOOLS TO DESTROY???

The GA way of life is a goal worthy of striving for. This way

r J of life can return us to a more normal way of thinking and living.

. ae GA gives us many tools to use in the reconstruction of our unmanage-
boi ; able lives, but we must also be aware that during our gambling daze,
. | we used tools also--tools that almost destroyed us. Our task is To

become progressively aware of how we used the old tools to destroy

and how we can use the new tools to rebuild. When we enter GA and _

stop gambling, we are given the opportunity to inspect our lives and

fl | our attitudes for truly the first time and then GA says, "Here're

—_— | the tools--go to work!" The following two lists are broken down in-

a to two categories. The first category lists the negative tools or
attitudes many GA members employ which, if not corrected, can lead

q to the gates of Insanity or Death. © The second list contains positive:

: tools or attitudes that have proven successful for many GA members.

it ~~ fo = = #
a ae
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o- a
se

] NEGATIVE TOOLS

.
fl a 1. Self-pity over the mess we have created instead of finding
1 3 courage to start cleaning up.

2 ; 2. Placing blame on other people for our situation. This some-
| { j times even includes GA and Gam-Anon members.

4 i 3. Wishing to erase and cure all problems as soon as possible--
| 4 ; this is a carry over from the fantasy and dream world way

‘a ] of thinking.

7 4, Twisting of GA's principles and program to justify behavior
that is still sick. We may behave as we wish, but we must
take the responsibility for it.

5. Utilizing false pride and inflated ego in order to hide

4 from the truth. This condition, if not faced, can lead

3 to a permanently closed mind.

q 6. Self-recrimination and guilt over past gambling and its ef-
fects. We should try to remove the guilt over past gambling
and its effects. We should try to remove the guilt through
| self-forgiveness and learn from the past so that we don't

bs } repeat it.

ta Hanging on to old ways and ideas instead of trying to accept

the new ways and ideas of the GA program, which can open
the door to a new life.
8. Complacency.

9. The rejection of progress, prosperity, opportunity, or any-
thing that is productive and positive. The simple answer
is to try accepting good things, most of all because you

earned them. Be a Believer!

3 10. Continuing the harbor resentments, anger, and frustrations

F d toward others which can cripple our thinking and therefore

7 our recovery. Do not allow emotional disabilities to fog
j your mind--erase them with the help of the 12 Steps of Re-
covery.

11. Returning to active gambling, which can be the result of ad-

hering to some or all of the above-mentioned negative tools.

—
ee ee
e

ONE DAY AT A TIME ao

HOPE - SECUIRTY - GROWTH

If a member falls prey to the eleventh possibility, his only sal-
vation would be to return to the GA fellowship and start over gain.
Io continue is the answer, for if we fall, we must rise again, and
again, and again until the day that we surrender to GA's destiny for
us and all people who suffer from a compulsion to gamble. There is
no shame a man may feel because he fell away from GA that could com-
pair to the tragedy of his not coming back! Come back as if your
life depended upon it------ it does!

POSITIVE TOOLS

As the negative tools can destroy, let us now consider how the
use of positive tools can rebuild.

1. Continuous desire to abstain from gambling.

2. Regular attendance at GA meetings.

3. Involvement in some phase of GA service activities.

4. Read the Recovery and Unity Program often. Follow and

practice them - one day at a time.

5. Do not gamble on anything. Make this a principle to fight

for.

6. Develop complete honesty and willingness to rebuild on

unmanageable life. .

7. Acceptance and belief in GA's concept that "Family comes
First" in the areas of support and finances.

8. Determination to’ make complete financial restitution to
those we owe.

9. Trying not to blame, lean, or depend on others to straighten
out the chaos that we alone created through our compulsive
gambling.

10. Sincerity and desire to become self-respecting and self-
reliant. :

11. To utilize the qualities of courage, determination, desire
in the area of abstinance from gambling and personal
growth toward a better life.

12. Smash the false pride and ego--they can kill. They are also
beggars for the more you feed them the more they want. Their
pot is never full.

13. Fight for what you want. This program doesn't come easy,
but what does?!

14. Surrender to the GA way of life through belief and practice
of its program to the best of your ability. We know that
gambling can& does kill. So, by not surrendering to the GA.
way could mean that you are willing to gamble with your
life and the lives of others. GA doesn't care how much time

it takes to do what. has to be done--as long as you are trying»

to get it done!

The word that seems to fit this little essay is "awareness." Ifa

our eyes and minds remain closed to the enemies we will face as we
travel the road to recovery, then how will we be prepared to fight
them? On the other hand, if we don't strive for the principles that

GA suggests to us, how will we open our eyes and minds? The choice is

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

a simple one, but we are people who have the capacity to make it a
confusing one. The tools are there. Use them--the one's you use

are up to you. I would like to leave you with this thought--If you
knew with certainty that the world was going to end tomorrow, what
would you do with today? Gamble?

ONE DAY AT A TIME

at

| HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

ed

8 ONE DAY AT A TIME —

I
LF

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

AUTONOMY

Autonomy is a ten dollar word. In relation to Gamblers Anonymous,
it simply means that every individual GA group can manage its affairs
without interference, except when to do so would injure other GA groups
or GA as a whole.

Autonomy means that our program has the courage to declare each
GA group independent of outside control or jurisdiction. The group
must rely on adherence to the fellowship's guidelines and Principiées
by their own desire to conform to them. This is called a group con-
Science. In charting this course of complete freedom, it was neces-
sary to post two storm signals. First, a group ought not to do any-
thing that would greatly injure any other group or GA as a whole.
Secondly, a group ought not to affiliate itself with any other cause
of any other organization. There would be real danger should we com-
mence to call some groups "Democrat" and others "Republican," some
"Catholic" and some Protestant." The primary principle that every GA
group should adhere to is the striving to achieve their primary purpose
of helping compulsive gamblers attain abstinance from gambling and
carrying the message of GA to the compulsive gambler who still suffers.
In all other respects, there should be complete freedom of will and
purpose. Every GA group as well as individual members have a right to
be wrong and the responsibility when wrong to admit it.

How does autonomy manifest itself in a GA group? It does so through
the attitudes and behavior of the individual members. In GA, individual
members, sometimes even individual groups, differ in their approach to
the suggested 12 Steps of Recovery and Unity. They can also differ in
their approach to helping and guiding a new member. They can differ in
what they feel is good or bad for the welfare of GA. TI could illustrate
many more examples of such differences of opinion, but it will suffice
to say that autonomy offers all of these freedoms and many more. ‘The
key to our success is our common cause and our primary purpose which
unites: us more solidly than any differences of opinion that occur from
time to time. The reality or experience shows us that these differences
have never hurt us in any way but have truly helped us to grow. From
disagreement and deviations, we have found new answers to many of our
perplexing problems, have seen new groups emerge, and have learned
mueh about the art of communication and compromise. It has also taught
us that our opinions could be modified and sometimes even changed when
we saw that another's opinion was the better one for GA. Other times:
we have had to stand firm behind our opinions and beliefs, presenting
them with courage after listening to and considering the beliefs of
others. This is: the acid test for all GA members who seek to abide
within the guidelines and principles of GA's program. GA's principle
of autonomy for its groups and members I believe is a testimonial to
the consistent conduct of open discussion and high purpose displayed
by GA members everywhere. Our Guidance Code tells us that we have no
rulers or superiors to tell us what to do, nor is there anyone in GA
from the National Executive Secretary down to the individual member who
can issue a directive or order to any other GA member and make it stick.
Forever guided by our principles, we can merely suggest. That is what
autonomy means to every GA member. This paper will end with a quotation

ONE DAY AT A TIME 29

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

by John Stuart Mill that I feel sums up its message:

THE ONLY FREEDOM WHICH DESERVES THE NAME IS THAT OF
PURSUING OUR OWN GOOD, IN OUR OWN WAY, SO LONG AS WE
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DEPRIVE OTHERS OF THEIRS, OR IMPEDE
THEIR EFFORTS TO OBTAIN IT.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH
TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PROGRAM]

YESTERDAY TODAY TOMORROW

, There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its
faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever
beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesteré
day. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single
word we said--yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow with its pos-
Sible adversaries, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance.
. . Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will
rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds--but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake for it is as yet unborn.

This leaves only one day, today--any man can fight the battle of

| just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of these two
| awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down. It is
not the experience of today that drives men mad--it is remorse or
j bitterness for things which happened yesterday--and the dread of what
tomorrow may bring. :
SO, LET US LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIMEI!1I1!
THE SUCCESS ATTITUDE

S-ense of direction

U-nderstanding
( C-ourage
ca | C-harity
es E-steem
ij i S-elf-Confidence
Yl S-elf-Acceptance :
i F-rustration, hopelessness, futility
4 A-ggressiveness (misdirected)
: : I-nsecurity * a
: L-oneliness (lack of "oneness")

U-neertainty
| R-esentment
4 E-mptiness
ONE DAY AT A TIME 31

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE DES TDERATA

Go placidly amid the noise and haste

And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender

- Be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and bravely;
And Listen.to-others, even the dull and ignorant;
They too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

They are vexations to the spriit.

If you compare yourself with others, you ey" become
vain and bitter; for always there

Will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble

It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;

For the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere
Life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all
Aridity and disenchantment it isperennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully
Surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But da not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

Your are a child of the universe, no less than the trees

And the stars.

You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear
To you, No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive
Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in
The noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams

It is still a beautiful world.

Be careful. Strive to be happy.

(Found in Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, Dated 1692)

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

| THE VALUES OF BEING INVOLVED IN GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS

This is a structure of one's self-evaluation through the years of
being in Gamblers Anonymous. He asks himself: "Is it mandatory? Is
it selfishness?" The answers are definitely "No." It is of giving
yourself to others what has been given to you.

The elapsed time, when days grow into years, is most profitable to
one when in a position to suggest paths of steady recovery to compulsive
gamblers who are in dire need ofhelp, not only for gambling or financial
problems, but to create an understanding with a heart-broken family of
this dreadful sickness.

For the member, being involved in this great program of Gamblers
Anonymous knows that when helping others, he helps himself. Therefore,
if only a minority is retained through his time and patience, he has
succeeded in his efforts.

Last of all, being involved in the GA program and working with
other GA members who are also people dedicated to the program creates
a satisfaction within us that we are serving mankind as God willed it.

HOW ONE GROUP HANDLES THE NEW MEMBER......

= When a new man comes into one of our groups, the man who first

7 talked to him on the phone will put his first name and last initial on
the blackboard. He will also put the spouse's name, the new member's
phone number, and where he lives on the board. This way, all the GA
members attending that meeting will jot it down on their phone lists.

One of the officers will then introduce the new man to the other

] men in the room. He will be told that the chairman will ask him to

. read the 20 questions and for him to read them aloud but to answer them
to himself. Before the meeting starts, the chairman will ask the new

q man to stand and state his name. At this time, the other men will greet

him with a big hello and also applaud him.

At the break, before the announcements, the chairman will assign
two Trusted Servants to speak to the new man abouthis problems, financial
or otherwise. He will be informed to go and declare himself to his
creditors that he has joined Gambers Anonymous and should ask a mora-
toriam on payments. He should mention that he stopped gambling and
will be back to see them when he has a pressure meeting. At that time,
he will be able to tell them just how much he will be able to pay them.

in ee ee

oh ne

ras
|
Si

Toward the end of the meeting, the chairman will ask the new man
if he would care to speak. Then, prior to saying the Serenity Prayer,
the chairman will again assign the same two Trasted Servants to talk
further with the new man over a cup of coffee. The chairman will
make sure he received a book, phone list, and all other literature.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 33

34

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

He will be told that there is a meeting every night of the week in ;
the Metropolitan area. He will also be told not to make a bet one FH
day at a time and to attend as many meetings as he can. | m
The Secretary of the group will ask one of the Trusted Servants rw
to act as the new man's sponsor for about a two-month period. We , ie
feel that this is most important to a new man, and it is also important ee
to retention. a
Some of our GA members will invite the new man and his wife to
their home to ease the pain of the new man's problems and the amount _ -
of monies he owes so that his wife will understand that her husband |
was not the only compulsive gambler in the world. The new man and his © xf
wife will be told that after he attends meetings for ab. least. three -
weeks, the Trusted Servants will sit down with them both and give him © ae
a pressure meeting. some GA members will even go with the new man to im ue
see his most feared creditor for the first. time only if really.neces- @ ve
sary. This is not a standard practice. It is only done in rare cases. af

WHAT IS A PERSONALITY CHANGE? WHY DOES GA SUGGEST IT????

To me, a personality change is the toughest part of the GA pro-
gram--but the most rewarding. I say "toughest" because it isn't easy
to get out of those habits of Lying, etealing;, scheming, conning, and, —
in general, of being dishonest. If I were to continue to do these .
things in the handling of my affairs, I feel that it would just be a
matter of time before I would go back to gambling.

How does one effect this change? That's what the 12 Steps of Re-—
covery are all about. Abstaining from gambling left a void in my life
Trying to work this program has helped to fill this void. JI know the ©
more I put into it, the more Il receive from it. This is just another
beautiful way GA has helped me to grow.

Trying to understand and practice these basic concepts of our Re--
covery Program requires honesty, openmindedness, and willingness. tl @
find it most important to have faith in and believe what wiser people ©
before us have experienced.

Trying to be honest with myself and others, giving to others, and
sharing with others is a painful part of growing up. .

Trying to assume my responsibilities, one day at a time, is no bar
gain, either! i :

For the rewarding part, I am finding out more about myself, my
wife, my children, my parents, my God, and life's peautiful joys as
well as sorrows.

Never having been aware of all these things, I feel GA helped me
to open my eyes to see. As it would take a miracle to give sight to a
blind man, so it could be the reason why some people call the GA room
"a miracle room." |

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

HOW SiCK' IS SICK???

One need only to pick up a daily newspaper to realize that gambling
has become an integral part of our society. While the taking of a
chance is a normal experience for most people, we cannot ignore the fact
that there are thousands upon thousands of men and women, in all walks
of life, who have taken that one chance to realize a dream--to get some-
thing out a life that they feel could not be attained otherwise--only
to pursue that dream through compulsive gambling until they have ex-
hausted their finances, gone into hopeless debt, lost their friends
and most critical of all, caused irreparable damage to the family unit.

These thousands we speak of are compulsive gamblers. They are
victims of a disease just as surely as if their bodies were riddled
with cancer. They are victims of an addiction which slowly strips a
man of all his values and self-respect. It is as if the person in the
throes of this illness was committing a form of slow suicide.

The victim of this addiction, in order to pursue his gambling habit,
often or almost always undergoes a drastic change in behavior patterns.
You might say he assumes a Jekyll/Hyde personality, frantically trying
to live two lives. Herein lies the insidiousness of the disease. This
sickness consumes his whole being. He no longer controls gambling.
Gambling controls him. While he may say to himself, "Today I will not
gamble." More often than not, the compulsion takes over. Winning is
no longer the driving force. The act of ‘placing a bet, the anticipa-
tion (or as they say in GA rooms) the "action," becomes the motivation.

In his pursuit of the Impossible Dream, the compulsive gambler
leaves behind him a path of destruction. He jeopardizes marriage,
family, job, security. No thought is given to the consequences he will
suffer tomorrow. He becomes a thoughtless, conscienceless, unscrupulous
automaton no longer cease of making decisions outside his gambling
world.

Ts such a self-inflicted misery the behavior of a healthy, well-
adjusted normal individual? Is not such a person just as sick as the
dope addict, the alcoholic, or the mentally distrubed? The compulsive
gambler cannot take any pill or medicine to cure him of his illness,
but he is nevertheless just as sick as if he were slowly poisoning him-
self or destroying his body, mind, and soul by any other equally destruc-
tive means.

ONE DAY AT A TIME © 35

jl ada nara

sons situation through the process of emotional linkage. The troubled.

SS

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

IS GA A RELIGIOUS SOCIETY?

No, Gamblers Anonymous is composed of people from many religious
faiths along with Agnostics and Atheists. Since membership in Gamblers i
Anonymous requires no religious belief as a mndition of membership, it
cannot be described as a Religious society. The GA Recovery Program
is based on acceptance of certain Spiritual values, but the individual
member is free to interpret these principles as he chooses.

DEFINITION OF THE WORD SPIRITUAL AS IT IS USED IN GA

The word Spiritual can be said to describe those characteristics | @
of the human mind that represent the highest and finest qualities such 4
as kindness, generosity, honesty, and. humility. In as much as GA Fel- cee
lowship advocates consideration of these principles as a new way of
life, it could be said ours is a basically Spiritual Fellowship. Through
practice of these principles the GA Fellowship has grown and prospered. Bt
GA members have learned to strive for Spiritual progress as the surest ~ oY .
means for personal recovery and for the perpetuation of the GA Fellow- |
ship.

COMPASSION

Compassion means the giving of your courage to someone else; it .
means your optimism about life, your maturity, the transplantation of © oa
some of your assurance to someone else; it means your self-confidence, © 3
self-acceptance and self-respect, shared with others; it means the
sharing of your ingenuity for positive creative action with others and
the transplanting of your nucleus of faith into others. Compassion is
a full-time job that needs no time. It is the beginning of the brother-
hood of man. With it you are somebody. Without it you are nothing. .

- When you have compassion, you are expressing humility, the great-
est trait of the success instinct within you. The world then belongs
to you for you know that the world belongs to all other human beings,
too. You share your fortune with others, you share love of mankind
with others. You express the God-like quality within you.

And you cannot give compassion to others unless you have compassion
for yourself. Don't ever sell yourself short. Have compassion. j

EMPATHY----OR----SYMPATHY?

It will make us better prepared to administer help and guidance
to our fellow GA members when we truly understand the difference between
Empathy and Sympathy. Empathy is the ability to understand another per-

person is able to grasp the reality that the other person understands |
his confusion and pain, while not giving in to it. In gamblers personal
ities there seem to be a great need for depending on other people to
solve their problems, through the practice of increased empathy we can
show our brother members the ingredient most apt to help them, help

themselves. The ingredient is the by-product of being an empathetic
person. The ingredient is UNDERSTANDING. The other word we will inspe

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

is Sympathy. As it relates to the compulsive gambler, sympathy is
probably the one ingredient he needs the least of. He usually feels
sorry enough for himself without the added burden of someone else feel-
ing sorry for him. Sympathy for another brother member is allowing
him to continue to abuse himself and, at times, others around him. The
luxury of feeling sorry for himself, compounded with someone else feel-
ing sorry for him, is many times too great a burden for the troubled
member to overcome. It is not good enough to look back at a fallen
member and say "he wasn't ready" especially if we gave him SYMPATHY
instead of, understanding and direction.

HOW DO WE CHANGE OUR PERSONALITY?

There are four essential steps in the process of personality im-

provement and correction.

Le Realization of the need for improvement.

ae Strong desire for improvement.

ie Analysis or stock taking of ones strong and weak points.

. A systematic plan for improvement. Personality improvement cannot

. be neatly rounded out in 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years, it is some-

thing that should continue indefinitely. Personality improvement
is a life-time job. None of us will ever be perfect, there will
always be something more to accomplished. It is true that you may
be able to virtually remake yourself in three months of concen-
trated effort. You may be so changed and improved that friends
who have not seen you during that time may hardly recognize you.
However, without the strictest self-discipline and continued ef-
fort you may slip back into your old ways, especially if those
old way represent habits of many years standing.

The GA book relates to the need for personality change by suggest-
ing that we consider the possibility. If it were not important the fol-
lowing statements would not be in our GA literature.

In order to prevent a relapse it was necessary to bring about certain
personality changes within themselves.

ci How does a person stop gambling through the GA Program? He does this
through bringing about a progressive personality change within himself.
This can be accomplished by having faith in and trying to understand
the basic concepts of the GA Recovery Program.

The most difficult and time consuming problem with which he will be
faced is that of bringing about a personality change within himself.
} (ae Most GA members look upon this as their greatest challenge and believe
Lo this to be a life-time job.

The moral of the story in reference to attempting to make a person-
ality change could be summed up by the following statement: "To delay-
could be dangerous, To ignore-could be fatal."

ONE DAY AT A TIME 37

Pe, eg
gate

38

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

AN ATHEIST LOOKS AT THE GA PROGRAM

T walked into a GA room over 64 years ago at a time when I truly
had reached the "bottom of my barrel." This was it, "my wife said,
and I said, "We will see."

The meeting started and as the 12 Steps were being read, I un-
derstood that I would have to turn myself over to "God" and was re-
pulsed. I had been through the emotional and intellectual hassles
with myself for many years and had already resolved to all intens and
purposes that there was no God and that I was an atheist. How could Bins
I stay with this bunch of Holy Rollers?! a

The fact that I had just gotten out of jail, had no job, had
shylocks, creditors, and bookmakers looking for me, that I could not
face my neighbors, friends, or family because of what had happened, .
to me and that I was dependent upon $2 per day expense money my wife . ie
gave me induced me to sit in the room and at least look for an out
for myself.

Little by little, I began to hear things that I could accept. _ er
There was no question as to the dedication of those in the room to ny
having sought and found a better life. This was what I wanted.
"There is no magic pill," "You must learn to like yourself," "You
have to do it for yourself," "No more bail outs," "It's hard work,
but if yowkeep at it, things get better, “ etc., etC..cscesees

I realized that what I heard was not "pray to God and your prayers
will be answered." I began to hear the afterphrase "God of our under- ©
standing." I started to wrap the program around my needs and found
that, as an atheist, I could accept the fact that the GA program was
as close to my beliefs as any set of ideas could be.

I had found a room which believed that people could help each
other by the strength of sharing personal experiences, hopes, and
feelings--that in order to succeed, you must have the desire and the
will to persevere--that whatever strength the room could give was
through the input of those in the room. The philosophy that the more ©
you give, the more you get was prevalent. All this encompassed my
belief as an atheist.

I need not call upon any Supreme Being for help. If I needed
help, my brothers, fellow human beings were there to share with me.
I did not have to pray for success. I was imbued with the idea that
there was nothing that I could not accomplish if wanted and worked
at hard enough to achieve it. I found that I could learn to love
others and want to be with them and share with them because I wanted ©
it and not because some Supreme Being would punish me if I did not
do “the "right rehing.”

4

That power of my understanding, as expressed in the GA program,
was the power of the unity of human beings joined together to achieve
a common goal. There was no need to depend upon fate to change the
course of my life. I myself have the only say as to where my future —
lies. I have no need to pray for courage and wisdom. I know I must ©
work to achieve my goals and they cannot be achieved by any other means

*

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

AN ATHEIST LOOKS AT THE GA PROGRAM

I have. learned through my experiences in the program that, regard-
less of the protestations of beliefs in a Supreme Being, success is
only achieved by hard work and dedication and a willingness to trust
the goodness of the people in and out of the program. I have learned
to believe in people.

The fact that a believer in God prays for miracles is fine except
where his spiritual belief keeps him from performing. (I see the danger
of reliance on others, rather than oneself.) One must avoid falling
into that trap, and if his creed is that "God helps those who help
themselves," then the practical aspect of his beliefs is as mine. On
this basis, I feel that the GA PROGRAM is workable for atheists to be
able to succeed and accept all aspects of the program.

The manner in which I, an atheist, am able to accept the spiritual
steps of the recovery program is by the manner in which I have inter-
preted them.

_ Once I admitted that I was powerless over gambling and that my
life had become unmanageable, I came upon the first spiritual step.
The belief that a power greater than myself could help. I knew that I
needed help in getting over this insidious disease. When I saw the
men in the room, week after week, and reacted to their therapies, I
knew that the power that was being suggested was that of a group of
people working together toward a common goal. It was then very easy
to accept the third step to turn my will and life over to the care of
this power of which, for my recovery, I was an integral part.

After working Steps 4, 5, and 6, I came upon Step 7, which requested
that I ask "God" for his help. This I could readily accept once I under-
stood that this "God" discussed here was the same power referred to in
Steps 2 and 3. I most certainly asked those in the room for help. I
called, listened, accepted advice, and in effect, leaned on this group
power for help and accepted same with humility. This was real giving,
and there was nothing mystical about it.

Upon getting to Step 11, I practiced same by seeking to improve my
conscious contact with the GA group and acknowledging the power of
this group to carry me forward in my attempts to achieve a better way
of life. This conscious contact enabled me to clear the cobwebs from
my head--enabled me to be aware of the pitfalls that might come about--
taught me that I could love my fellow human beings and at the same time
could be loved for just being and without the necessity to perform or
to give material things to buy this love--gave me a reason for being
and living.

No part of my recovery could be attributed toanything mystical. My
recovery depends upon real people; real answers, real understanding, and
real love. This I received from my family in GA, and this can only be
carried on by real people practicing the 12th step by actually doing
and not by praying for someone else to do it.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 39

X HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

FROM THE LIPS AND HEARTS OF OUR FEMALE GA MEMBERS

I had spent almost 22 years cheating, lying and doing many illegal
acts to support my addiction to gambling.

My action consisted of being at the local race track in person
every day or night. I had three trips, thoroughbreds, which gave me
a high like smoking pot. Betting on trotters was like being on LSD
and quarter horses was like getting a shot of herion. When these
four-legged animals broke out of the gate I was in another world.

The race track was a beautiful place to be. All three of my children ]
were introduced to the races before they could walk or talk. [I had a
the responsibility of raising them while my husband was working; there- |

fore, I had to bring them to the track. They still have the scars t
from my gambling. "

Today my husband still doesn't trust me with money. Maybe in
the future this will change. If it wasn't for GA a day at a time, I
wouldn't be on this earth today. I owe this program my life. Each
person who finds this program has gone through their personal Hell. a
Its great to be able to relate to others who have felt this same kind i
of pain. Thank you, GA, for giving me 34 years of a new way of life ;
free from gambling.

On September 30, 1962, I attended my first GA meeting in Downey,
California. IL happened to be the first female member in the Southern
California area. I felt rather awkward and quite alone as though I
was an intruder.

I felt and sensed a reluctance on the part of the male members ©
to include a female in their midst. Since then, I became involved
and despite the growing pains that the fellowship was and is still
going through, I managed to maintain my recovery and remain a member
in good standing.

A female compulsive gambler coming into GA today still faces
the dilemma of really belonging. Changes are beginning to take place
slowly and progress is being made.

There still remains to a certain degree a lack of affiliation
with the women in fellowships. Perhaps some day female members will
be much more readily accepted and encouraged to become in and feel a
total part of this fellowship and all its functions. Good fellow-
ships cannot exist where there are still predjudices and exclusions.

Perhaps we as individuals need to take a more positive view as
the attitudes and the awareness of applying the 12 Steps of the Unity ©
program to insure a more compatible union with all members regardless —
| of race, creed, or sex. |

| Yours with love and unity and
15 years of a new way of life

|
ko ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

There has been times I felt so alone in some GA meetings. But 3
I realize that I am there for help for myself and that GA means "God's
answer" for all compulsive gamblers, and that's me.

Thank you GA for 10 beautiful
years of a new way of life.

I was scared and hurting when I came into GA. I was just glad
to stop gambling. My strength came from the meetings and therapy.
No members called me between meetings. I guess a married male GA
member feels uncomfortable to telephone a female member. JI don't
know why. Female compulsive gamblers also need a feeling of belonging.

God Bless GA

My life for the first ten months in GA was really harder than it
ever had been before as my husband and I separated and it just got
worse. But I did not gamble, consequently,’ I did not create any more
problems. It did not take long after our separation to realize that
IT had to change my ways and not play God like I had been doing for
many years. Finally, with the help of the GA fellowship, I was able
to release myself from the resentments and the hate I had within me.
Somehow I experienced a feeling of relief and was free of the awful
hurt inside of me. I had finally turned my life over to the care
of my higher power. This does not mean dumping it all on God and not
doing some work myself. Like it is said, "You don't drop a seed in
the ground and have a loaf of bread." There is a little more to it
than that.

This program works in mysterious ways. For over a year now my
husband and I have been back together again and the understanding
between us is surely one that I had longed for and prayed it would
happen. I am grateful to all of you for giving me that feeling that
life is worth living. Thank you GA for allowing me to once again be
a wife, mother, grandmother, and a decent human being with a purpose.

How could a mere mortal have the words to describe what a beauti-
ful fellowship this is. How does one describe.my life as it is today
in comparison to what it was. In away I am glad that I am a compul-
sive gamblers; otherwise, I never would have found this life. Long
may GA be here and I pray to God that I shall always be able to say:
"Today I have not gambled, and have tried in some way to improve my
life and character, and to give away to another human being all the
wonderful things I found when I found the 'Fellowship.'"

Bless You.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

"T wish I would see more women come into this program. I
know there are a lot of them. I know because they were there when
I was in the pit."

"Please I beg of you, try to get the message to them so they will
know that GA has women compulsive gamblers that are being helped.”

Today is 1441 days since I made a bet of any kind and with God's
help and GA I will not make one tomorrow.

Thank you for my new life.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

vr ee ee) no Ce

nia:

] ‘

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

QUOTES FROM OUR GAMA-TEEN KIDS

"at Gama-teen we are taught that compulsive gambling is an emotional
disorder. We learn that we are powerless over the gambling problem and
how to detach ourselves emotionally from it and at the same time, still
show love toward our parents.

"We learn not to escape our problems through a world of fantasy
or apathy, but to face our problems. Also, to be forgiving to those
who hurt us. We learn maturity for its the ability to face unpleasant-
ness, frustration, discomfort, and defeat without complaint or collapse.
We realize that everything can't always go our way. I enjoy most of
all that I can discuss with other kids certain problems that we all
have in common. Gama-teen has helped me to be more open with others.”

 "“Gama-teen has given me the willpower I needed in the most diffi-
cult times in my life. The feelings I get when I have talked about
a problem I have makes the problem easier to bear."

"My personality as well as my attitude toward my parents have
changed a lot since I have been in Gama-teen. I have found people
with whom I can really talk out my problems much more than I could
before these meetings." |

"Before Gama-teen I could never talk to my parents about my
problems. I couldn't talk to my friends either. I always kept my
feelings inside. Now I can talk my problems out."

"Tim go fortunate to belong to a Gama-teen group. Just think
of the many people our age who have many problems and difficulties
but don't have a single person to whom they can speak freely and
get an honest response and good understanding. Gama-teen does work.
It has helped me and I know it has helped many others. Let's make
Gama-teen grow. Let's help others to help themselves."

ONE DAY AT A TIME 43

ee ee ee

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

OUR CHARACTER DEFECTS! 11 -

DEFECT REPLACE WITH

ANZOL . cccccccccvccccvevvscesepessscccceces jadesseees Patience, Love
ANRVSCY s 606d we 05 64 oN swe Haw eee elle SSP A ee ee so ee -eeeee Serenity, Calm |
APYOZANCE. wc ccc eee c creer cence esrececccevecees ~seosaie Bomiliey .
BEGOCPYs Sas des owes ode ewe be eee Y Lwhtaedess esas twed Opsenatindedness
COCR Gals « dace kb bs Ede SS SOE EES lies ae oe? LOVETT Oiiers =
Condemnation of OthersS......sccecccccessseeeeceeess Criticize Thyself Fo
DESHONGSTY). 4c acc kvs MU ee OWSE ad idee ed eee sagan n  HOMesty -
Bsotemis i. ets ae dD Fees ea kOe DME. bo3iuadiodatdau vases Unesifisimess ie
Palee Prid és vcaw dss SdaesteeiiaMiatediaeesense MOEance OE Tait
PCG P ws 6c ewww dd se de PO OS ES cee eee esocseumansvess COUTAgE
FPYrestrations ccsavenwes ah SRS TE TUTE R Eee wsene BOPSEUINESS |
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Jealousy sos waG ou cdsie see eee Oa Wade ees oie. et Uneonds tions
Inadequacy...s. CdR EOE es PEO REU EUS da swawsoaeiaeev eb OLE eames”. ae “|
TMOATLENCSs i wawstee ress Cates Pct kativesv ew tecavas CR Renee
INCTOLELP ANCES, scans eevee uews Kisle wee ‘ee eSnaeecaswreses BOPZIVINe
LADO SS « <i oe sa os he eres Se DPE SE BE eee octkene aye eos. HNergy
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REMOPSE. i ov cnc cea 66 8 SSO RT SIDS RR HES EO EER eee eneee’s Confidence
RESCTEMCTHE © «+ as oe ewe ewe oe BS Tees sos eeveccvevesseeess Not Holding Grudges
REVENEG. iw deca Sire cedars 6 ee Ew Ol aS ce beeeses in teovuce POPELVenress
SSLPISGHNSSS «ces ssccecwewes ido wew SO RH DOES SS Dee ees CEREROSITUY, Love
SClLt@PLEv ssw ces wees pees canekntdsaadteevesecasereseays DSbermingt1on
S@LP-SCSQKINS cc ki ei wees PRR E CAE e eee ne Re Ow ew RO eee. Sharing with Others
WOrTy....eee TITTLILIriLiret ceseccevcecccceceessees Hopefulness, Serenig

The most damaging defect of all for the compulsive gambler is
active gambling. We suggest that the best possible remedy for the
removal of that defect of character is abstinance from gambling via
attendance at a regular weekly meeting of Gamblers Anonymous. Ab-
stinance from gambling with the help of the GA program can open the
door to a new and rewarding way of life. To continue gambling is to
possibly sign your own death warrant. Think it over--the life you
save may be your own!

ONE DAY AT A TIME

a a ia aaa a an |
HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

MATURITY

Maturity is many things.

First, it's the ability to base a judgment on the Big Picture--the
Long Haul. It means being able to pass up the fun-for-the-minute and
select the course of action which will pay off later. One of the char-
acteristics of infancy is the "I want it NOW" approach. Grown-up peo-
ple are able to wait.

Maturity is the ability to stick with a project or situation until
it is finished. The adult who is constantly changing jobs, changing
friends--and changing mates--is immature. He cannot stick with a situ-
ation because he is not grown up. Everything seems to "turn sour" after
a while.

Maturity is the ability to face unpleasantness, frustration, dis-
comfort, and defeat without complaint or collapse. The mature person
knows he can't have everything his own way. Nobody wins 'em all. He
is able to defer to circumstances, to other people--and to time.

» a Maturity is the ability to do what is expected of you, and this
means being dependable and reliable. It means keeping your word. And
bound in with dependability is personal integrity. Do you mean what
you say--and do you say what you mean?

an | The adult world is filled with people who can't be counted on.
| They never seem to come through in the clutches. They break promises
: and substitute alibis for performance. They show up late--or not at
a all. They are confused and disorganized. Their lives are a maze of
; unfinished business. Such behavior suggests a lack of self-discipline--
which is a large part of maturity.

Maturity is the ability to make a decision, and then stick with

| it, riding out whatever storms may follow. This requires clear think-
ing, backed with the courage to stand by your position, once you've
fas | taken it.

Immature people spend a lifetime exploring possibilities and then
Ef ® do nothing. Action requires courage. And courage means maturity.

Maturity is the ability to harness your abilities and your energies
and do more than is expected of you. The mature person refuses to set-
tle for mediocrity. He would rather aim high and miss the mark, than
aim low--and make it. :

ONE DAY AT A TIME TS)

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH
SPONSORSHIP AND RETENTION

How to retain new members (as well as older ones). , oP

Ae

What causes a man to fall away from GA?

What keeps a man interested and coming to GA?
A.
B
C.
D
What part does participation play?

A.
B..

Use the telephone list every week. Have an individual one-on- —
one sponsor with each new member by an older member who is not>
gambling and fits the new member as close as possible to the

player, etc.

age group and type of gambler--a poker player with a poker

The older members who have strayed need constant follow up

and face-to-face calls by older members to make every effort
to bring them back into the group. Many times we make an all>
out effort on the new members but do a less creditable job on
the older member, and this is a mistake; as they are both of
equal importance.

Failure to achieve a personality change.

He does not follow the program.

He thinks he has the problem licked. However, a compulsive
gambler must realize and accept the fact that he will be a com
pulsive gambler until the day he dies but that he does not have
to gamble again if he follows the program.
By associating with the wrong people (active gamblers) and
going in or near gambling establishments.

Testing themselves by making the first small wager. This is
fatal.

Not attending meetings on a regular basis--the pattern is
always the same. Miss a few meetings...then let the intervals
become more and more infrequent--back to gambling. ‘

Becoming involved with the GA program and group.

Becoming a sponsor, helping on the publicity committee,
the budget or pressure group committee. |
Making personal calls on new perspective members--work on the
telephone committee. .

Get everyone involved with some sort of job no matter how in-
signigicant. Involvement is the key word to success. :

and/or

Tt is so important that almost everything else shrinks to in-
significance when measured against participation. a
It igs vital, obligatory, monumental, and all the other descrip
tive adjectives we can muster to point to the importance of
participation. q
Participation is the name of the game. It ig the heart of the
whole GA program.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Aa ae eo pe ey Al a Aeon a

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

on What part does Gam-Anon play in a GA member's success or failure? | |

\

A. Gam-Anon is of paramount importance and cannot be underesti-
| mated in a GA member's recovery.
| B. Communication between Gam-Anon and GA is vital, and some
members believe that an open meeting between the two groups
at least once a month is essential for the growth of all
members and a good way to keep the lines of communication
open.
However, some members are not married and still make it with-
out Gam-Anon. The road to success is harder, but it can be
achieved.

6. How important is a mants first meeting?

A. Here again it is vital to light the spark of identification
that the new man belongs.

B. Personal contact must be made with a new member prior to
attending his first meeting. Simply tell him your story

, and make sure you pick him up and bring him to his initial
meeting.

C. Do not swamp the new member and scare him to death. Do not
try to solve his financial problems the first meeting. Give
strong therapy--all members--so he can identify with the pro-
gram and its members. Identification is the key to a new
member's success.

- Tae (afd fe ee a a;
re,
Qu

Tbe

4 { r How important are phone calls?
a A. They are a key to success.
, It is a line of communication that must be kept open to new

and old members alike.

i: C. Phone calls show by example that you care. It is a part of

| involvement which every GA member can participate no matter

; { how busy he is or how much in debt or how many jobs he is

| working.
f D. Alexander Bell*ts invention is truly magic. Use it--the rewards
, to you and the other members in GA can be measured in the

success of its users.

tw

8. What responsibility do we have toward the new member (and the
old member who has fallen away)?

A. We have a responsibility of sponsorship of getting the new

j member involved. We have a responsibility to phone the new

; member and let him know we understand his problem because

i: we have been there too.

; B. We who enjoy the good life by arresting our gambling problem
need to convey our happiness to the new member and let him
know he can achieve this also through GA. The old member
fits every above category without exception. We will continue
to lose new members and old ones. However, through conclaves
such as this and a cross section of experience and helpful
ideas we will be able to cut our losses to a minimum. No one
person Knows all the answers, but no compulsive gambler can
quit on his own either. Through group participation of ideas

‘ ONE DAY AT A TIME 47

HOPE - SEUOURITY - GROWTH

and experience, we can and will work toward perfection, even
if we never attain it.

be simply stated that this is what is meant by involvement. a

4

r|

4

This paper is only my opinion and igs meant to be helpful. Tt can @ a
4

48 ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE GUY IN THE GLASS

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't a man's father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon him must pass.

The feller whose verdict counts most in his live
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest.
For he’s with you Clear up to the end.

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your firend.

You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plun,
And think you're a wonderful guy.

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache or tears,

If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

I used to believe that being married to you, a compulsive gambler,
was the worst thing in the world, and it had to happen to me! As a
regular Gam-Anon member, I am finally able to accept that it is the
best thing that has happened in my life!

AN OPEN LETTER FROM A GAM-ANON MEMBER TO HER GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MATE .
This letter is being written with the hope that it will help even | a

one compulsive gambler to better understand what one individual Gam-

Anon member has received from her participation in the Gam-Anon program. a

I truly believe that if there were nothing really wrong with my
personality, I would never have stayed with you and existed in that
"old way of life." Perhaps I would not even have been attracted to
you. So, since coming to Gam-Anon, I have found that I don't have
many of my old "sick" needs that you used to fill.

Yes, I actually enjoyed your crying and begging for money. I
had a perverted sense of power from that type of scene. That was pro-
bably because all the rest of the time I was leaning on and using your
sickness to my own advantage. I made sure to keep my eyes closed
right as possible. Lying to you out of fear was the only way I knew
to survive. Do I sound guilty? Well, I have accepted that I did many
things wrong before GA and Gam-Anon. However, I do not live with
guilty feelings. I really did not think at the time that any of it
was wrong. Also, I feel by trying to work my Recovery Program that I
can make up to you, my compulsive gambler, for the wrongs I did.

Since Gam-Anon, I must accept (if I am to be mature) the responsi-
bilities of my actions; and I cannot plead ignorance. Mistakes I will ©
make, but then I am not perfect (nor will I ever be). But that won't
stop me from trying, and please encourage me to keep going. You'll
never know how much Lt | means coming from you.

When we first came to GA, I must admit that I felt no love for j
you. But in time, as 1 began. to accept myself as a human being, I q
could look at you not as a "lousy father and husband" as I had come to
believe, but as another sick, suffering human being, who, like myselitg j

grew up never knowing there was a "better way of life.

You may feel the harshness of the reality that I try to bring inte
our marriage is painful and unnecessary. Be assured that it is as dif-
ficult for me to express as it is for you to accept. q

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

As we walk through these steps together--sometimes it seems we're
running--other times, like there is no progress at all--maybe we're
going backwards! Oh, God--it seems all progress just flew out the win-
dow! The logical thing to do is panic--or so it seems. During these
difficult or "crisis" periods, I know there are three things I can call
upon to see me through: Call upon my God to give me direction and
courage in my Program; Try to say and do the most positive things--
things that may give you the encouragement you need--or maybe to say
nothing, if that's what the situation calls for; To remember that nothing |
is forever, and "This too. snail pass." |

I can see our own self-respect replacing the old "sick dependency"
we had on each other. I now realize that it does not matter that we
take different roads. You cannot ask me to walk in your light, nor
can I ask you walk in mine. As long as we both have the same goals in
our marriage, and we keep trying to improve ourselves and our relation-
ship, how can we fail?

MY WIFE -- HER PROGRAM -- OUR MARRIAGE

UI write this trying to remember the emotional state my wife was
in when she attended her first Gam-Anon meeting. The passing of time
sometimes dulls the memory. But I shall try to describe them, as I
remember them, and then give my impressions of how my wife being a
Gam-Anon member has helped my recovery and our life.

In my case, my wife was responsible for my attendance at my first
GA meeting. It was because she had been driven to such a state of
desperation (similar to a drowning man clutching for a life preserver )
that she somehow placed a call to the GA answering service. She was
desperate, she was confused, she was beaten, but she was also cour-
ageous, aS so many wives of compulsive gamblers seem to be. She really
didn't know what to do, and she wasn't hoping for much more than sur-
vival when she reached out for the hand of Gamblers Anonymous. It is
to be noted that very few women, when they make that fateful call to
GA, are concerned with the saving or rehabilitation of their marriages.
That type of hope is only revived after regular attendance by both
people at GA and Gam-Anon meetings.

_l am aware that the basic emotions my wife brought to her first
Gam-Anon meetings were fear, bitterness, bewilderment, hate, false
pride, and many others. These were all by-products of living with a
compulsive gambler. Slowly, as she became more sincere with a desire
to help herself, those destructive emotions began to be replaced with
healthier emotions. Her Gam-Anon program enabled her to make dramatic
progress towards self-reliance, self-worth, and a new purpose in life.
She was, in essence, starting to become a different type of person.

Our GA and Gam-Anon programs made possible for the first time in
our married lives a new unity and the hope of better things to come.
How we obtained what ourprograms promised us did not come easy. Things
that are worthwhile do not come easy. Worthwhile things take invest-
ments--investments of honesty, of willingness, of patience, of not

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPPER. = SECURITY - GROWTH

giving up the good fight. They require the removal of guilt and re-
placing it with the awareness that we are put human beings who, thank
God, have a program to follow.

For recovery and a return to a more normal way of living it takes
these types of investments, and many more. But. l-can't. think of a
better place to make an investment than in ourselves. The returns can
be beautiful and rewarding ones. |

In the Gam-Anon preamble, it states, "Rarely have we seen a family
that was not greatly benefited when both husband and wife tried to
live the GA program. Working in unity for a common purpose does more

Our programs may be separate, but they have puilt a bridge to a new
life, a new meaning, and a new purpose. God bless GA and Gam-Anon|!

ONE DAY AT A TIME

i
4

than strengthen both partners individually, it also draws them together.

"

=
2
|
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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

NOTES FROM DR. ROBERT L. CUSTER'S TALK AT MIDWEST CONCLAVE - Oct, 1971 |
‘ ; 7 |
FACTS ABOUT COMPULSIVE GAMBLING (Considerable evidence to back up.) |

|

1. There is no single or multiple cause of compulsive gambling. |

& No two compulsive gamblers are exactly alike--they are not i

unique. Their personalities are the same as the general |

population.

Compulsive gambling is an illness--it is the most pure form |

of psychological addiction. |

Gamblers Anonymous is the single most effective treatment for |

a compulsive gambler. |

Compulsive gambling is a chronic, incureable disease. |

A compulsive gambler always loses in the long run.

Total abstinance is essential. Nobody makes any noticeable

progress by being in the program and continuing to gamble.

The wife does not make the SEnPuAE Ve gambler gamble, but she

can hinder his recovery.

- society perpetuates gambling--it aneante the behavior and re-
jects the personality.

10. There is a higher success rate when the wife attends Gam-Anon.

Oo © SOND & aw

PROBABILITIES ABOUT COMPULSIVE GAMBLING (Some evidence to back up.)

1. Physically, psychologically, and socially, compulsive gamblers
would cover same range of the general population.
The chief emotional problem which impedes recovery is anger
(repressed). |
Suicide rate among active gamblers (especially women) is highest ©
of all illnesses. : |
Gambling is really a survival mechanism. |
The chief areas in which to move from self-deception (active
gambling) to self-determination (recovery) are: Thinking, |
another person to get involved with (wife, another GA, Ste. js |
and a change in values. |
6. There can be no maturing (worth noticing) while gambling. A |
person begins to mature when he stops gambling.

Ui. ue.

POSSIBILITIES ABOUT COMPULSIVE GAMBLING (More study needed to determine
validity. ) .

1. Tends to be out to win -- he just happen to lose. |
2. The compulsive gambler feels that if he does not continue to |
gamble, he may die. The wife, GA, etc. becomes a threat to |
his life if they want him to stop gambling. |

3. Sleep deprivation causes the compulsive gambler to go from com-
pulsive gambling to impulsive gambling--which makes him a
stupid gambler. His judgment gets impaired over a time. (He
may have started out making better judgments about his bets.)
ij. Gambling is primarily used as a stimulant. There is an increase >
in the adrenalin, and the pulse rate is faster. The person |
| | feels better--there is somewhat of a "kick". |

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Anger is taken out on those closest to the compulsive gambler. |
Depression is extreme anger. | i

Prognosis for recovery--we must look at the individual and rate
his degree of happiness while gambling and his degree of unhap-

piness when not gambling. The most well person is happy not .

gambling. .

We are not concerned with why a person gambles--we are more con- | %

cerned with why a person does not gamble. i
Summary: Emotional problems are intense when the compulsive gambler a

stops gambling. An emergency situation arises--fear and anger are ex- . 4

treme. Pain is intense. 7

| THE LOSERS

T know a few fellows who never win. I don't mean that they win :

once in a while--never, never, never. 5

They bet the East and the North in football, and the West and the
South win. They drag their tails down to the washeteria to soak a few
clothes for the old woman, the quarter goes in the slot, and nothing
happens. They don't bang the machine, they don't curse the fates. They
knew they were going to lose that quarter. They never get their cigar-
ettes from machines-- a perfect stranger does it for them. ;

One of 'em was hilarious with joy as his horse came in at 15 to l |
odds on a TV race. He ran to his car to pick up a few cronies; they |
drank 'til dawn. Found out the next day, when he was nursing a hang-
over, that the horse had been disqualified. Smiled wryly. No lamenta- —
tions--you see while he was drinking, he knew that his happiness had
a foundation of guicksand. Name a jockey. He can tell you how the
guy lost him a race.

i}

Irony oft gets mixed in his cup of vinegar. The loser was sittings
in Section 27 of the Yankee Stadium and betting on Whitey Ford, a
lefty, to win a game he had in the bag, 3-0. Three guys got..ons, jA
lefty swinger, Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox, hit the ball in his
lap. Ordinarily, the odds against a thing like that happening must be
about 30-1. Our man knew it was going to happen. His only surprise @
was that he would wind up with the ball. It was cut! And it figured! ©

They never talk about being snake bitten. But they know that's the
case and nobody can do anything about it. Suppose they play dice--they
lose all their money--so the chaps who owe them a wad is a brother or
a deadbeat, which amounts to the same thing. They make a couple of
passes and find out they're not covered. ‘They fade a shooter and get

killed. They float a loan and the rich guys inthe game proceed to q
founder it by going to the john, tying their shoes, and remembering they
must pick up a loaf of bread for a wife who eats nothing but cake.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Losers are easy to spot. I guess they feel lucky that a building
doesn't fall on them, that they don't die when they eat something, or
drown as a drink goes down the wrong canal. They feel that, gosh darn
it, the worldts just fine. Look at the plane up there; it isn't drop-
ing anything on my head.

All they want to do is to be allowed to play. That's important.
Bar them from any action and they get sick. You see, gambling isn't
a little fun. It's a disease. And losers love diseases like ball-
players, say, like base hits.

All people, including bank presidents, like losers. They are
friendly people who will give you the right answers. Yes, the money
is being used for insurance payments. Yes, I'm fixing up the room
for the kid. Yes, my dear wife is a drunkard and I'm sending her to
an institution where she will take in washing.

The big idea is to get the dough. Then he does what he figured
he had to do--lose it. He starts all over again.

Love that 30-year-old accountant from Baltimore who stole
$1,585,800 from his firm for betting purposes. The bookies were nice
suys--called him when he didn't bet to see if he was sick or something!
Sentenced to 60 years in jail, he said, "If I had any money, I would
gladly make restitution."

Sweet fellows.

THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS TAKEN FROM A NEWSPAPER COLUMN CALLED "FOR
THE RECORD" WRITTEN BY A GIFTED AND WONDERFUL RASCAL, AL DEL GRECO.
He would appreciate our using it in this book. And if he is looking
down on us from where he is now, he might say, "Losers can become win-
ners by not gambling--I'1l be damned!"

THE PRAYING HANDS

The "Praying Hands" are much, much more
then just.a work of art,
They are the "soul's creation" of a deeply thankful heart
They are a Pricekess Masterpiece
that love alone could paint,
And they reveal the Selflessness of an unheralded saint
These hands so scarred and toilworn, tell the story of a man
Who sacrificed his talent in accordanee with God's Plan
For in God's Plan are many things man cannot understand,
But we must trust God's judgment
and be guided by His Hand
Sometimes He asks us to give up our dreams of happiness,
Sometimes we must forgo our hopes of fortune and success
Not all of us can triumph or rise to heights of fame,
And many times What should be Ours,
goes to another name

ONE DAY AT A TIME 55

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

But he who makes a sacrifice, so another may succeed,
Ts indeed a true disciple of our blessed Saviour's creed
For when we "give ourselves away" in sacrifice and love,
We are "laying up rich treasures"
in God's kingdom up above
And hidden in gnarled, toilworn hands
is the truest Art of Living,
Achieved alone by those who've learned
the "Victory of Giving"
For any sacrifice on earth, made in the dear Lord's name,
Assures the Giver of a Place in Heaven's Hall of Fame
And who can say with certainty
Where the Greatest Talent Lies,
Or Who Will Be the Greatest
In Our Heavenly Father's Eyes!
Helen Steiner Rice

THE INDISPENSABLE MAN

Sometime when you're feeling important,
Sometime when your ego's in bloom,
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're best qualified in the room;
Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave on unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions,
And see how they humble your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out, and the hole that's remaining
Is the measure of how you'll be missed,
You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore
But stop and you'll find that in no time
It, looks quite the same as before.
Tae moral in this quaint example
Is do just the best you can;
Be proud of yourself but remember--

THERE'S NO INDISPENSABLE MANI11!

A MEDITATION -
By Cardinal Newman

God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission. I may never know it in this life. _
I shall be told it in the next.

T am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.

He has not created me for nothing. I shall do good.
I shall do His work.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

i a Therefore, I will trust Him--whatever, wherever I am.
| I cannot be thrown away. If I am in sickness,
My sickness may serve Him. In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him.
He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends.
-_ He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate,
| @ Make my spirits sink, hide my future from me.
q Still He knows what He is about.

WHY BE DISCOURAGED????

; If you sometimes feel that your life has been a tough climb over
a continuing and increasingly difficult series of roadblocks, just re-
lax a little and be glad you are not the man who:

Failed in business at the age of 31,
. a Was defeated for the legislature at the age of 32,
. a Failed again in business at the age of 33,
| Was elected to the legislature at the age of 34,
| a suffered from the death of his sweetheart at the age of 35,
Had ‘a nervious breakdown at the age of 43,
i 2 Was defeated for Congress at the age of 46,
| a Was defeated for Congress at the age of 48.
a: Was defeated for the Senate at the age ‘of cea
Was defeated for Vice President at the age of 56,
3 Was defeated for the Senate at the age of 58,
Was elected President of the United States at the age of 60]

This was a man by the name of Abraham Lincoln!

| PARDOXES OF PRAYER

I asked God for strength,
that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn
humbly to obsey..<>

IT asked for health,
that I might do greater things
I was given infirmity,
that I might do better things...

I asked for riches,
that I might be happy
I was given poverty
that gh bie seh be wise.

IT asked "for ‘power,
that I might have the praise of men
I was given weakness, |
that I might feel the need of God..

I asked for all things,
that I might enjoy life
I was given life,
that I might enjoy all things...

ONE DAY AT A TIME | 57

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

I got nothing that I asked for--
put everything I had hoped £or &
Almost despite myself, my unspoken | in
prayers were answered, 7
T am among all,
most richly blessed!

JUST FOR TODAY | 4

| Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not
| tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twenty-four
| : that would appall me if I felt that I had to Keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today I will be happy. This assumes to be true what
Abraham Lincoln said, that "Most folks are as happy as they make up
their minds to be."

| Just for today I will adjust myself to what is and not try to ad-
just everything to my own desires. T will take my "responsibilities"
| as they come-and try to face them one at a time.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study.
I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I
will read something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: IT will do
somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anybody knows of Lb,
4t will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to do--
just for exercise. T will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt.
They may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as Il can,
dress neatly, keep my voice low, be courteous, criticize not one bit. ©
I won't find fault with anything nor try to improve or regulate anybody
but myself.

Just for today I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly,
but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and in-
decision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and re=
lax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a getter per-
spective of my life.

Just for today I will not be afraid. Especially I will not be
afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe that as I give to
the world, so the world will give to me.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

BRECKSVILLE TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS

Some information about the Treatment Program for Compulsive
Gamblers at the Brecksville Division of the Cleveland VA Hospitals.

What is the program like?

This is a program for veterans who admit they are compulsive
gamblers, and who wish to do something to change. It consists of
group therapy, didactic lectures and films, discussion and other
groups, and GA meetings. The day is structured and busy, giving the
patient time for active rapping, quiet thinking, and physical acti-
vity. |

Who is the program for?

The program is designed for the compulsive gambler whose thinking
is so confused he can see no way to handle his problems alone. He may
have been thinking of suicide perhaps. It is also for the person who
needs time and separation from his environment to get this thinking
straight again, so that he can use his own resources to deal with
his problems.

What doesn't the program do?

It does not take over the person's problems and responsibilities
for him, or give him "ready-made" solutions. It does give him the
opportunity and assistance to look at his problems clearly, evaluate
various possible solutions or courses of action, and to select the ones
he judges are best for him.

Why can't a person do these things without this program?

Most compulsive gamblers can, with the help of Gamblers Anonymous,
but there are some who are too depressed, anxious or confused, that
they need a little extra help to get them started in the right direc-
tion. = ;

Who is eligible?

Any veteran who is willing to admit his problem, and is motivated
to try to change his way of life.

What about programs for non-veterans?

While there are some psychiatrists and psychologists who treat
gamblers as individual’ patients, we know of no other hospital program.
There is a real need, especially on the east and west coasts. Dr. Robert
Custer is actively trying to encourage other hospitals to set up pro-
grams, and we are hopeful for the future.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 59

HOPE - SECUIRTY - GROWTH

What is the relationship of the program to Gamblers Anonymous?

The Brecksville program cooperates GA, and gets most of. Lbs |
referrals from GA groups. It also depends upon the cooperation of the i
Cleveland GA groups. While a patient is in the hospital he may bene- |
fit from the services we provide, but he gets much more if he also has
contact with GA members, and can attend GA meetings. Therefore, we _
require three meetings a week while he is in the hospital; we have EP
found this is necessary if he is to make maximum use of his stay, =
and it is good preparation for his continuing in GA when he returns
home. The friendship, example, and encouragement received by the
patients from GA members is an important part of their treatment,
and continuing recovery.

i Editor's Note: We thank Dr. Alida Glen and her staff at Brecksville
Veterans Hospital for their continuing help and understanding given
to the hundreds of compulsive gamblers who were and are being helped
because of their efforts and great insight into the problem of com-

pulsive gambling. Additional information can be had by writing:

Dr. Alida Glen, PHD Psychologist
| Brecksville Veterans Hospital
| 10000 Brecksville Road
| Brecksville, Ohio 44141

' Telephone No.: (216) 526-3030

' 60 ONE DAY AT A TIME

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TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE

Since most of our new men come via the answering service, we must
regard this important function as our lifeline. The primary aim is
for the man covering that time slot to get the new man or woman to a
meeting that night, if possible. We also receive requests for litera-
ture or men for speaking engagements. Therefore, it is essential to
keep this operation as efficient as possible.

Our group consists of 31 men, who are on anywhere from 24 hours
to 5 hours. All of these men have abstained from gambling for at
least six months and have an understanding of their responsibilities.

These are the basic instructions given to a man on telephone ser-
vice:

i. If you are on léss than 3 hours, call in at ledst every half
hour. If more, call in at least every 45 minutes. This will
prevent toll charge from the service to GA.

2. When you make contact with a new man or woman, your goal is
to get them to a meeting that night. Don't hold them for
your meetings. It is important that they get to the meeting
as soon as possible.

3. If you’are unable to attend and meet that new:man at the meet-.
ing place, be sure to let the secretary or officers of that
group know that there is a new member coming. Communication
is the name of the game. .
When talking on the telephone to new prospect, try to limit
information as the how we deal with financial problems.
Requests for literature should be handled by you. Be sure to
get name and address of those asking for literature.
Requests for speaking engagements from service should be for-
warded to Intergroup Public Relations.

If you can't make your calls at your assigned time, be sure

you ask someone on answering service to call in for you. It

is important we have experienced members covering service.

8. If a new man attends meeting, let co-ordinator know for his
records. Also, if any problems arise or you have any ideas
to improve service, please bring to co-ordinator's attention.

Now +

To help us in following up these calls, the telephone operator .
fills out a little slip every time our man calls in. On it, she puts
his name, date, and time of day. These are mailed to the co-ordinator
every week. Along with these names, she sends a form which lists
every incoming call to the service, whether it be a call for help with
a gambling problem, a request for literature, or men for speaking en-
gagements. On this form, the lists: name of person calling, day and
time of call, their telephone number, their reason for calling GA, and
which GA member answered the call.

This pracedure helps us to see how efficiently we are operating.

Also, by having this number of men involved (31), we have active
participation from every group in New Jersey.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 61

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a

WHAT IS THE N.S.0.?

The letters N.S.O. represent three very important and meaningful
words to the Fellowship of Gamblers Anonymous. NATIONAL SERVICE OFFICE--
this is an appropriate title, as it is a place of business (office)

?

which fulfills the needs (service) of all GA Groups around the United i
States, Canada, and Australia (national). 4

‘The project of starting the N.S.0. was undertaken by thoughtful a
and grateful GA members to make it possible for other compulsive gamblers)
to find what they had found through GA. These members realized that

to make this possible their fellowship would have to have a center points
which would enable all compulsive gamblers, who had a desire to stop
gambling, to unite for a common cause.

a

or

Today, after much hard work, the National Service Office is the
pulse of GA. Just as the heart in the human body has its function, so
does: our’ N.8.0.

As our Fellowship grows, the functions of the N.S.0. are becoming
more clearly defined. It is not an easy task, but it is one that is
vital to every compulsive gambler. »

Where does one start when describing the work load of the N.S.0?
As it is for the members, let us begin with the members.

There are two kinds of contributions which enable the N.S.0. to
funection--group and individual (Expediter). These are very necessary,
for, without them the N.S.O. would not exist. So, firstly, the N.5S.0O.
must keep an accurate record of all contributions. Receipts are sent
out, and contributions are recorded on permanent records. As the mem-
bership grows and more groups are formed, the N.S.O. files must be
brought up to date and changes of address recorded accurately.

All correspondence from GA Groups is handled by the N.S.O. Much
of this is seen in our GA Life Line Bulletin, under News and Views.

This monthly bulletin is sent to all GA Groups, professional
people who have a sincere interest in GA, libraries,and now, subscribers
Approximately 1,000 Bulletins a month are mailed from the N.S.O. In
reading this, our members and interested parties see what is happening
in GA through the minutes of meetings, our financial page, and our News
and Views.

Next, the N.S.O. must answer all letters of inquiry. These letters
come from individuals who need help, individuals who are curious about
GA, and professional people who are working with compulsive gamblers;
such as, lawyers, ministers, social workers, doctors, and employers.
All letters must be answered quickly. Due to some national publicity
recently, more than 1,400 letters were answered by your N.S.O. during
the month of February, 1976.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

In cases where persons, asking for help, live in areas where there
are GA Groups, they-aré given the group information, together with free
material, and then letters are forwarded to the groups for followup.

If there are no groups, they are sent our free material and informed
that there are no groups in or near their areas. We ask if they would
like to start a group. We then try to gather and count how many requests
came from one area. The people are then notified of this, and we try
to get them together to form a group. This was recently successful in
New Orleans, Louisiana. Ten people turned out for the initial meeting.

We have been notified that it is now a permanent group. The same is |

happening in St. Louis, Missouri, and, hopefully, in North Carolina.
A great deal of work is involved in this process; but, if even only one
new member was the result, then the effort would not be futile.

Of course,there are also telephone requests. Questions about our
program are answered, and literature and meeting directories are sent
out. Some calls are referred to our Publicity Chairman and others to
our Twelve Steppers.

We also prepare and mail Starter Kits in the hope that a new
group will form in a certain area. We follow up of these a few weeks
later with a letter of inquiry, asking of their progress. Included in
these Starter Kits are Introduction Letters and Spot Announcements to
help make the group known in the community. These are also sent to
established groups working on their publicity in order to attract new
members.

The N.S.O. also likes to correspond with members in areas where
there are no groups. This lends a personal touch showing the Loner
that, although he cannot attend meetings, GA cares. This included
also members who are in prison.

We give special attention to inquiries from doctors, churches,
agencies, etc., because, through their knowledge of our program, they
may direct many new members to Gamblers Anonymous.

This covers most of the work that could obviously be recognized
by our members, but there is much that goes on that keeps the office
itself running.

All office supplies are ordered, bills paid, deposits made, bank |
statements reconciled, Federal and State quarterly tax returns filed ‘lI
and, to maintain our non-profit status, a complete record of outgoing q
mail and free literature must be kept. 3 |

This generally explains the work of N.S.0O. for the Fellowship of i
Gamblers Anonymous. Now, there is a subsidiary company which we must |
not forget--GA Publishing. N.S.0O. takes care of its work, too.

The end result of the purpose of GA Publishing is easily seen--
when a group orders literature, it is received at the earliest possible
time. But what happens in the meantime?

ONE DAY AT A TIME 63

ee een a eee ee ee ee

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

First, we receive the order. This order may be for many different
items-- GA literature, GA pins, key chains , TV slides, etc. When cash
is received with the order, a receipt is written immediately. In both
cases, cash or charge, an invoice is 3 typed up for the group and then
it's on to filling the order.

There are many things to consider when mailing literature. Two
main points of concern are: cost and mailing time. As our books
usually weigh more than a few feathers, and as the Post Office has a
Special book rate, we do use the Book Rate for our GA Big Book and our
GA Recovery and Unity Book - an Explanation. This rate does not include
pamphlets or any printed material--this must. be mailed Third or Fourth
Class, depending on weight. Usually, considering the light weight and
| the possibility of needing the following items as quickly as possible,
we mail Air Mail or First Class: pins, TV slides, key chains. This
also guards against breakage.

So, you see, when a group orders, for instance, 100 Combos, 5 Big
Books, and three 1-year pins, each must be mailed separately.

Next, all records of Cash Receipts and Cash Sales must be recorded
| in our ledger. And for our forgetful orderers, we must mail statements
| on the tenth of each month.

An outstanding invoice sheet is made up for each Board of Regents © Ly
meeting so we may see how much is to be expected in Accounts Receivable. |
A strict inventory is kept so that G.A.P. never runs low on any | if
items. Supplies are ordered when they begin to run low. Thus, bills
must be paid and also deposits made. A financial page is made up
every quarter and printed in the monthly bulletin. We must file our
sales tax report with the California State Board of Equalization and
arrange for an audit at the end of the fiscal year.

This about sums up the work of the N.S.O. Some things have not
been mentioned in detail, such as mailing of the Agenda and Minutes of ©
the Board of Regents and special happenings , such as the preparation
of N.S.O, material for conclaves, group census, etc.

; i

We're kept busy here at the National Service Office, but the work |
is worthwhile for someone is always being helped through our efforts
that are all made possible through the generous contributions of our
| members.

We try our best to Keep unity within the Fellowship. We want to ©
| see Gamblers Anonymous grow and every compulsive gambler who wants |
| help, to have his desire fulfilled.

: In order for this to happen, we believe that the National Service|
Office must always exist. But it must do more than just exist--it must
thrive and be healthy. f

It's all up to you--THE GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

that one of the Trusted Servants of each group be a Public Relations

Ce ee

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Many of us in GA consider Public Relations as our Life Blood.
We are constantly trying to improve our present methods and seeking
new ways to attract the compulsive gambler as well as educate the
public as to what GA is and what we can do. Without new members,
our groups tend to become stagnant and the individual members are
prone to complacency. A complete practice of our Recovery Program
by a GA member would include Step 12, which is interpreted by many
as getting Public Relations for GA. Regardless of how one approaches
the question of Public Relations, there are several time-tried ways
and some pitfalls which will try to be covered here.

The first question raised is who should be the one selected and
what media should be used. It has been suggested in our GA handbook

representative. He should, therefore, meet whatever qualifications
any other Trusted Servant is required to have. No special talent is
necessary, but strong legs and an optimistic point of view would be
very helpful. In an area where there are several GA groups, it would
be a good idea if the Public Relations men of the groups formed a
committee so that the work could be done in a co-ordinated fashion.
It is better to concentrate on what is best for GA, not what is best
for my group. In other words, if a writer wants to come to a meeting
tomorrow, and your meeting isn't until four days from now, get him

to the meeting tomorrow. In some areas of our country, there are In-
tergroups, which are meetings of the Trusted Servants of all of the
groups in the area. If there is an Intergroup in your area, it might
be best to have the direction and co-ordination stem from there. But
in any instance, whether there is an Area Committee or an Intergroup
handling general Public Relations, each group can and should still be
able to provide "local" public relations. There are many small daily,
weekly, and monthly papers as well as many local radio and TV stations.

The best way to find out who should contact any specific newspaper
or station would be simply to see who is served by that newspaper or
station. You really can't tell a writer what to write, but we should
try to put our best foot forward and request two things from whoever
is doing the article--the first being to mention the telephone number,
and the second, the PO Box.

It has been our experience that about 85 percent of the people
calling for information are women, and over 90 percent of the letters
are from women. They have recognized their husband son, father, or
brother in one of the articles they saw, so we have to be prepared to
respond to the inquiry and that includes having an adequate telephone
staff and an adequate supply of form letters.

Every radio and television station in the United States is required
by law to provide time for Public Service Announcements. Why not ours?
The biggest reason that they are not ours is that we don't ask for
them, and when we ask for them we don't have the material available
to provide the station in the form of scripts, slides, etc. Therefore,

ONE DAY AT A TIME 65

portion of the engagements, that someone who has abstained from gambling

HOPE: = SECURITY = GROWTH

every area or group should have sample scripts and slides before they

call upon the station. These are available from NSO and ERIC. There

is no cost for the scripts and the slides are available for a small
charge. The best ethod of contacting the station is to write a pre- |.
approach letter, follow it wp with a telephone call for an appointment, ;

ae
“

and then, have two men visit the Public Service representative of the
station. He will tell you in what quantity and of what time duration BD -
he would like the radio scripts or the voice-over for the TV slide. Ef
Repitition is very important and if at all possible, we should use the |
same TV slide (with our own area telephone numbers and PO Box numbers)
the same basic scripts and the same facts, if we are requested to pro-
vide facts. Insofar as appearing personally on TV and radio programs,
one must impress upon the media that we will cooperate fully, but they
must protect the anonymity of the individual and themselves, not for
the individual's benefit, but the group's benefit. In contacting a
newspaper or magazine, the same basic approach should be followed, but
the personal stories are usually wanted by the printed media. There-
fore, we should try to get the writer to a meeting rather than listen-~
ing to what one or two people have to say. Once again, one must stress |
the anonymity and request publication of the local telephone number

and PO Box.

1
an an

ee

Speaking engagements are another form of Public Relations. It .
is best that they be individual by at least two people, one who will
give his personal story and the other who will talk about GA. It has
also been our experience that if we arrange for two people, that if
one gets sick, we are not leaving anyone without a speaker. It is
best to get as many individuals as possible doing any form of public
relations, but it should be pointed out in speaking engagements that
since questions and answers are the most interesting and time-consuming

for a period of time and who knows the program is certainly the one to
use rather than someone who has been gambling, or who has been slipping
back and forth. It is always a good idea to bring basic literature to
the speaking engagements, which should consist of reprints of an article
or two, a meeting card, but certainly not the combination of both, be-
cause this would end up costing a lot of money, and most ¢@ the people
end up throwing the things away anyway. The speakers should try to

refrain from giving their own names and telephone numbers, and if some-
one wants to contact them about having them speak at another function,
the best number to give is the GA number. There are many ways that the
GA story (the telephone number, the PO box, etc.) can be brought before
the public, but the basic ways still remain, and the best response
has been received through newspapers. The best TV and radio shows,
etc., may create interest but have not produced response. The news-—
paper article can be carried for days, weeks, months, years and can be
sent or given to friends and relatives, so concentration in that area

would produce the best response. A few simple do's and don't |

Do not give up anonymity.

Always request publication of telephone and PO box numbers.
. Tell your story--not someone else's.

Get your facts about the Fellowship straight.

Don't give up--keep trying. And above all, always send a to
you, whether you like the article, you don't like, whether it
was good or bad. Thank the people for trying to help us.

WI tw no

ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE -- SECURITY - GROWTH

THE GA SLOGANS

The slogans that GA use can be of aid as we travel on the road to
recovery. They can be of aid if we learn to do two things: First, to
understand them. Second, to use them in situations where they can help
up emotionally cope with life and the reality of non-gambling.

THINK

A beautiful word for compulsive gamblers in GA who desire to recover
from an insidious, and baffling illness. To think about our lives, ©
about our desires, about the direction we are going in, about the pro-
blems we are facing, while utilizing GA's Program and Principles to
help solve them, is the way we are encouraged to use the word think.

In reality, not to think, is to possible fall prey to the tyranny of
our past habits and negative way of thinking. So to aid your recovery
don't be afraid to THINK, THINK, THINK, THE GA WAY.

EASY DOES IT

This is a suggestion to slow down our emotional excesses. These ex-
cesses can made us impatient, intolerant, and our own worst enemy.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and before we found GA, most of us had
gambled for many pressure filled years. Remember how we used to want
what we wanted when we wanted it, well, this attitude will not help

us in our quest for recovery. Tt can only frustrate us and bring back
some of those emotional excesses. That is why the slogan "Easy Does
It" can be applied to all our problems. Easy Does It and it will get
done, without the added pressure we often bring upon ourselves. Strive
for the EASY DOES IT attitude.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

When this slogan is considered openmindedly, we will be able to see
the clear truth in its simple message. Can you return to yesterday
and relive it? Can you leap into tomorrow and challange it before it
has arrived? If you have answered NO to the previous questions; then
you are left with today. Today, that twenty-four hour period that we
can do something about. We are not saying to you--erase yesterday--no,
learn from it! Nor do we say ignore tommorow, just prepare for it!

We can do both things best by living today, one day at a time. We can
do our best and strive for the program and better way of life that GA
freely offers to Us, one thoughtful, simple and beautiful day at a
time. :

LIVE AND LET LIVE :
This slogan is the basis for true serentiy and humility. Take only your
inventory, judge only yourself, solve only your problems. Why? Because ©
that is truly all we are really capable of accomplishing. We can only
change ourselves! It is our example that will help *to change others.
Think of the people in our lives we have tried to change, for what we
thought was their betterment. Were we successful if the other person
did not want to beihelped? You can answer that question to yourself.
We find that in trying to impose our will on another human being that
there can be reprecussions. First, it keeps us from looking at ourselves
who also might need some changing, and secondly, we tempt the gods of
frustration and disappointment if the other person doesn't want to follow
our direction. Live and Let Live. Do the best you can to rebuild your
own life, and then share your example, your experience, your strength,
and your hope with others.
ONE DAY AT A TIME 67

68

HOPE - SEOURITY - GROWTH

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I

This slogan is @ simple reminder to appreciate and to value vet you

possess, but do not take it for granted that it will be yours forever.

When you see someone who has fallen, or faltered, and is suffering at
a moment when you are not, don't look down at your brother, recognize
that, "THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I," and help him to get up.
That is if you can help, and the other person wants it.

DON'T GAMBLE

This is not generally regarded as one of the GA aleeona: but it is!
Tt is also the most important slogan for a compulsive gambler in GA
who is concerned with the business of Recovery. The practice of this
slogan is the only way to reach all that GA promises, and all the
beauty and wisdom contained within the other slogans.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Se ee el ee, eee»
: + oa So a cere ep Pers =
—— 7 io a eel = = . : pas oe bas

ee, oe ee a ee oie
r
‘

SS

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

GLOSSARY OF GA TERMS

N.S.O0.

National Service Office; the heart or nerve center of the service struc-
ture of GA. It is the information outlet for all those who seek informa-
tion about, or help from, the Fellowship of GA. This is a world-wide
service. Their address is P. 0. Box 17173, Los Angeles, California,
90017.

N.E.S.

National Executive Secretary, who overseers the functioning of the
National Service Office. He is usually a member of long term absti-
nance, and he should be capable of dispatching his responsibilities
with the highest degree of perfection possible. One of his most im-
portant functions, among many, is to answer all inquiries for help
from people seeking same via GA. He also edits and distributes our
monthly Life-Line bulletin.

G.A.P.

The GA publishing company which comes under the responsibilities of

the N.S.O. It prints and distributes all GA literature. In the future
the G.A.P. will find its function growing in the area of additional
literature, periodicals, and pamphlets. Their address is P. 0. Box
17173, Los Angeles, California, 90017.

Bt.

The Board of Trustees, the only policy making body within the GA ser-
vice structure, dealing with the Twelve Steps of Recovery/Twelve Steps
of Unity. In that respect they are the guardians of the Twelve Steps
of Recovery/Twelve Steps of Unity. All decisions reached by the B.O.T.
on matters relating to GA must be guided by the precepts of the Recovery,
Unity Program. They are also the only GA service board that can add to,
or delete from the steps of Recovery/Unity of matters affecting the
fellowship as a whole. For further information on the requirements,
election of, and how many trustees can represent each geographical

area, see the GA Guidance Code.

BD, O.R.

The Board Regents, a service board composed of GA members, Bit can in-
clude two non-GA members. The sole purpose of the B.O.R. is to super-
vice the operation of the N.S.O. and to see that it is run effectively
and efficiently. (They are not a policy making body for GA as a whole,

ONE DAY AT A TIME | 69

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

in the area of the Twelve Steps of Recovery/Twelve Steps of Unity. )

| eR. LC.

| The Eastern Regional Information Center, a service board composed of
elected representatives from GA groups in the Eastern portion of the
country. Participation is open to all Eastern GA groups who wish to

| belong. Membership is now composed of members from the metrdpolitan

| New York area mainly, but other Eastern areas including Boston, Phila-

| delphia, New Haven, Washington, Albany, etc. are participants also.
The aim and purpose of E.R.I.C. is to facilitate, and deseminate in-
formation among GA groups in the East wishing same, to help new areas

| get started with GA groups, and answering requests for information from

| people interested in GA. Their address is P. 0. Box 135, New York City, ©
New York, 10001.

| INTERGROUP

| A service committee composed of elected representatives from GA groups
| in the same geographical area, who meet on a regularly scheduled basis,
to discuss ‘mutual group problems, discuss new ideas that might help
the goups function better, and to generally keep the lines of communi-
cation among the area groups open. The Intergroup can select from within
its ranks, members to form sub-committees that serve the needs of the
Intergroup in carrying the message of GA to their local area. These
comnittees areusually in the areas of Public Relations, Telephone
Answering Service, or any other committee that Intergroup would see

| fit to form. Intergroup is also guided by the precepts of the Twelve

| Steps of Recovery/Twelve Steps of Unity, in all the decisions it

makes. .

| GUIDANCE CODE
Ihe document that guides the Fellowship of Gamblers Anonymous towards
its aim and purposes. The Guidance Code can be amended, deleted, or
added to, by a majority decision of the Board of Trustees.

| PRESSURE GROUP MEETING

| To many GA members, a very important event in the progress of a new GA

member. This can also apply to any member of GA who run into difficul-

ties that a Pressure Group Meeting can help solve. The purpose of

| the Pressure Group Meeting is to relieve the pressures built up through —
living a fairly unstable life. It directs the member towards a more
prudent and purposeful path in life, based on the GA principles of
honesty, openmindedness, and willingness. This includes the financial
pressures, and pressures that have developed in our personal relation-
ships. Personal areas would include our wives, our children, our em-
ployers, our friends. The Pressure Group should not be looked at as
only a financial directive. The Pressure Group Meeting is usually
conducted by GA members who are experienced in such matters. It is
also referred as "The Moment of Truth".

ABSTINANCE |
The state of non-gambling. <A condition that represents one of GA's
primary purposes. It can be attained and secured, by belief in, and
practice of, the Twelve Steps of Recovery/ Twelve Steps of Unity, to
the best on one's ability. The desire to stop gambling is the only
requirement for GA membership. |

79 ONE DAY AT A TIME

I ; ~

a

——E—— iS
HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

TRUSTED SERVANTS

A term given to active GA members who have abstained from gambling for
a period of two years. A Trusted Servant is usually looked to for his
wisdom and experience, when there arises from time to time, the con-

troversies and differences of opinion, between other GA members. They
are truly our Elder Statesman.

PINS, ETC.

These are given to GA members by their autonomous group for abstinance
from gambling and regular attendance at their GA group meeting. This
can vary according to the wishes of each individual GA group. Some

GA groups exercise their autonomy by deciding not to give pins or any
other symbol for abstinance. We use the word symbol to indicate that
pins, etc., are not rewards, but they symbolize the attainment of a
worthwhile goal. Each individual GA member is free to accept or re-
ject these symbols as he sees fit. We have tried to explain their signi-
ficance for purposes of information only. They are not explained or
mentioned in any GA approved literature.

CONCLAVE

A gathering of GA members and Gam-Anon members at a designated site
for the sole purpose of sharing information, ideas, and problems that
relate to the aims and purposes of GA. There are three area conclaves
at the present time: The Eastern, usually held in April or May, the
Mid-West, usually hela in October, and the Far West, usually held in
May or June. Conclave is an excellent word for GA to use for its
gathering of coming together. Some of the benefits of a conclave are |
new understanding of our problems and solutions that can help solve |
them. Midwestern and Western groups traditionally refer to these |
conclaves as conferences. |

GA LITERATURE

This refers to books or pamphlets used by all GA groups for the purpose |.
of following and practicing the GA program. This literature carries
the GA approved seal. All literature used for the purposes of the fel- ©
lowship of GA is initiated and approved by the Board of Trustees. The
B.O.T. can approve other literature for the use of the fellowship. All

GA groups, being autonomous, may utilize other types of literature, bul-
letins, pamphlets, poems, articles, or any other spiritual or inspirational
material for the purpose of developing a better way and understanding of

place of GA approved literature. Any group of people who call themselves
a GA group but do not conduct their meetings guided by the literatureand

_ principles of GA primarily would seem to be violating their basic volun-

tary membership in the GA structure. There will be a need in the future
for the development of new and updated literature based on new facts and
awareness of the problem of compulsive gambling.

GAM- ANON

This refers to a separate fellowship comprised of wives, husbands, rela-
tives, and close friends of compulsive gamblers. It is not to be mis-
contrued as an auxiliary of GA. The Gam-Anon fellowship is guided by

the same steps of recovery and unity. Gam-Anon may cooperate with GA in

a mutuality of purpose but is in no way affiliated with GA. A member of
Gam-Anon does not necessarily have to have his/her compulsive gambler
actually attending meetings in order to be a member. |

ONE DAY AT. A TIME | Fk

life except where aforementioned non-GA approved literature is used in
|
|
|
HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

GAM- A-TEEN

A self-help fellowship that utilizes a 12-step recovery program.
Gam-a-teen is made up of children of compulsive gamblers who find
that meeting with children of other compulsive gamblers is help-
ful. The Gam-a-teen member can be an important part in reuniting
the family. They learn to recognize compulsive gambling as an
emotional disorder, and the powerlessness over the problem and how
to develop the ability to detach themselves emotionally from their
parents problems while continuing to love them. Information about
Gam-a-teen can be had by writing to:

Gam-a-teen
c/o NJ Gam-anon Intergroup
Py, ‘Box Als
Morganville, New Jersey O7751

72 ONE DAY AT A TIME

See a Se Se. Pe ee ee ee ee

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

THE GUIDEANCE CODE OF GA AND WHAT IT GUARANTEES TO EVERY GA MEMBER

It is doubtful if more than a small percentage of GA members have
ever seen or read the Guidance Code of Gamblers Anonymous. Is it im-
portant that every member of Gamblers Anonymous be familiar with the
Guidance Code? The opinion we wish to present is that is is vital
| for every GA member to read and know what his rights and responsibi-
lities are as outlined by the Guidance Code. The only way the indivi-
dual GA member can become aware of these rights and responsibilities
i would be to read and try to understand its importance to himself in-
; dividually and its importance to GA as a whole. The Guidance Code
outlines the aims and purposes of Gambers Anonymous. It is a state-
ment of those aims and purposes but cannot be construed as a legal
document. Our adherence to its aims and purposes are spiritual in
their mature. That is to say we have no rulers or superiors who can
enforce obedience to its principles. Honesty, sincerity, and wilTing-

ness are the true motivators that make us want to abide with its princ-..
iples.

; Let us look at the two R's--Rights of the GA member and Responsi-
bilities of the GA member.

RESPONSIBILITIES

To adhere to the primary objectives of our fellowship as follows:

1. To contact compulsive gamblers no matter where they may be
and help them overcome a gambling problem.

2. To carry the message of GA to the compulsive gambler who
still suffers by methods outlines in our Recovery and Unity
program.

3. To distribute information and literature about GA to compul-
Sive gamblers and any other psople, organizations, or insti-
tutions, which desire them.

4, To encourage interest and knowledge of the activities and
program of GA with peace officers, educational institutions,
penal institutions, judges, probation officers, parole officers,
doctors, newspapers, motion picutre companies, radio and TV
Stations, churches, charitable organizations, and service clubs
of the world.

5. To dedicate ourselves to the proposition that a structurally
sound fellowship based and granted on democratic and spiri-
tual principles will not only strengthen us but will win the
confidence, respect, and ehlp of people everywhere, as we ex-
tend a stronger hand to compulsive gamblers in every part of
the world.

6. To realize that we can build the greatest strength for ourselves
and others by believing inthe principles of the Recovery pro-
gram, the Unity program, and the Guidance Code of GA and by
practicing these principles that have been set forth for us to
the best of our ability.

7. To know more about the GA structure and the service boards and
committees that enable GA to function as a fellowship. To be
part of GA, you have to know what makes GA tick. To be apart
from GA, you don't have to.know or do anything. To be a part
of GA (involved) or to be apart from GA (non-involved) is a
question only the individual member can answer.

ONE DAY AT A TIME 13

| lt ea mi

Th

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

RIGHTS

The following are freedoms granted to every GA member:

1. You are a member when you state you are. No one grants mem-
bership.

2. No one is more important in this fellowship than the indivi-
dual member. He has no ruler or superior, but he may select
a person or group of persons to represent him and his rights
in this fellowship.

3. Whenever two (2) or more members meet together on a scheduled
basis to discuss problems resulting from their compulsive gamb- —
ling, they will be known as a group.

4, Each GA group is considered autonomous but should be guided
by the principles set forth by the program of Gamblers Anony-
mous.

5. No member of GA is considered gambling except by his own ad-
mission. This is outlined in the Guidance Code which states:
that a service board or committee member is automatically re-
moved from office for gambling by his own admission.

6. The right to his individual opinion on matters relating to
GA no matter has disagreeable those opinions might be to the
other GA members.

This paper has tried to illuminate the importance of the GA
Guidance Code for every GA member. The facts show that the Guidance
Code directs us while it protects us. Where does it directus? To-
ward recovery, toward unity, toward fellowship, toward principles
and toward freedom from gambling. Who does itprotect us from? The
answer could be eye opening--from ourselves!

In conclusion, and in answer to the title of ee paper, the word
that sums up the answer for me is-----LIFE.

ONE DAY AT A TIME
HOPE = SECURITY - GROWTH

IN SPITE OF ALL THAT THE FELLOWSHIP OF GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS PROVIDES
IN THE WAY OF RECOVERY FOR THE COMPULSIVE GAMBLER, FURTHER ATTENTION
NEEDS TO BE FOCUSED ON THE HIGH RATE OF RELAPSE AMONG THOSE WHO

HAVE EXPERIENCED INITIAL RECOVERY ONLY TO FIND THEMSELVES ONCE AGAIN
SET BACK BY THE ALTERNATIVE TO RECOVERY--RELAPSE,

RE-LAPSE (ri-laps')--Slip back into a former state, as
illness or evil ways, a recurrence
of illness, a backsliding.

RELAPSE - THE ALTERNATIVE TO RECOVERY

The purpose of this article is to investigate and understand a
condition, or reality, of our GA experience. This reality concerns
the relapse of many of our membership back into active compulsive
gambling. There are many complexities in the understanding of this
problem. Many factors enter into each given situation or relapse.
The reality we all shall have to come to accept is that our illness
can only be arrested, never cured. It, threrfore, becomes logical
and reasonable to suggest to the reader that he can mever forget
what his problem is--Compulsive Gambling--and he should consider
paying as much attention to the symptoms of relapse as he does to the
quest for recovery. Only through the understanding of the symptoms
that surface before the actual point of relapse, can we consider
ourselves not only forwarned, but more importantly, forearmed, against
the disastrous results of relapse. The greatest danger a CA member
faces is relapse.

Probably no one has yet been able to provide any reliable sta-
tistics relating to the recovery rate of the Gamblers Anonymous
program. Actually, the meaning of the term "recovery" has never been
Clearly defined as applied to compulsive gambling. There is the gray
area of improvement that needs more study. L

Is improvement lasting, or enough? Gamblers Anonymous recognizes
only total abstinance, which today seems to be the only reliable yard-
stick. We should probably not be using the world "recovery", since
the compulsive gambler never really achieves recovery--only an arrest-
ing of the active or gambling part of the disease, usually accompanied
by favorable changes in personality. The potential for return to
active compulsive gambling is always there, seemingly for life. We
have seen many members relapse after long periods of abstinance.

The overall results of relapse are yet to be learned. It would appear
that relapse may take many different directions. Some of those re-
lapsing will learn from it--redouble their efforts--get well and re-
main well. Others may suffer a series of relapses with gradual im-
provement to a new state of recovery. Still others may never recover.

‘THE REASONS FOR RELAPSE

Perhaps the best way to assess the reasons for relapse would be
to study the mechanics of recovery. A reasonable theory of compulsive

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gambling is that it is a learned, inadequate response to life's pro-
blems--so well learned that these attitudes and responses are never
unlearned. Arresting the illness comes about through learning

a whole new set of attitudes based on the 12 steps of recovery of
the GA Program, with the help and encouragement of a group of peers,
leading to what GA calls a new way of life.

Since attitude seems to determine behavior, the phrase, "as you
think, so you are" would aptly describe the personality changes in
the recovering compulsive gambler. Continued abstinance or recovery
seems to depend on keeping the new attitudes strongly reinforced by
a number of disciplines regularly practiced, in order to prevent a
re-emergence of old attitudes. "Tempting and Testing" is a GA expres-
sion describing the frame of mind of a member whose attitudes seem
now to reflect the old personality more than the new. At this point
we come to understand the statement that compulsive gambling is
"Characterized by a tendency to relapse." All indications bear out
the fact that this is true and that the tendency to relapse should
receive as much attention as does initial recovery.

There will be those who argue that there is no such thing as
a "Slip" or relapse--that "he gambles again because he wanted to
gamble" more than he wanted to remain stopped. This seems wrong
because it implies that willpower is the controlling factor. A
| more reasonable answer is that one who has recognized and admitted
his problem and has enjoyed a fruitful period of abstinance must be
temporarily insane to risk returning to the agonies of active com-
pulsive gambling again. It is true however that the individual is
solely responsible for maintaining his or her mental health by con-
stant practive of the principles and disciplines of the GA Program
on an ongoing 24-hour basis.

It may be that "he gambled because he was not willing to do
everything necessary for him to remain abstinant from gambling,"
or that he deluded himself into thinking he was different, and it was
| not necessary for him to practice all the necessary disciplines (ego
again), or because he did not even realize that he was on the way to
relapse. At any rate, many relapses result from some kind of com-
placeney, some letting down of the guard. Relpasers are often heard
to say, after the fact, "gambling never entered my mind during the
peropd prior to relapse." Probably true, but perhaps during that
period "not gambling" never entered the mind either, probably he let
up on "working his program." This type of relapse is often preceeded
by a period of time when everything is going great. The absence of
problems and some achievement towards material success often lead to
complacency. Thus the GA expression "Compulsive gamblers can't
stand success." There are many relapsers who also relate that the
| periods prior to relapse for them were marked by adverse personal or
| business problems which they could not talk about, (they thought),
| or, would not talk about in the GA therapy room. The direct result
| of this type of thinking was their inability to receive the help they

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needed from the GA room, and from their GA brothers. Many felt that
to relate even minor problems, let along serious ones, after long
periods of abstinance (5 to 10 years), would have a bad effect

upon the newer members of their group, and possibly hurt other group
members who held them in high esteem. This esteem was usually based
on their GA activities and their long-term abstinance. This type

of thinking in reality reflects a distrust of the program itself,
for the GA member who feels he can no longer receive help from the
members of his group is fooling and hurting not only himself, but is
cheating the members of his group of the benefits they could receive
from possible helping him. The GA member who reaches the point
where he can handle all his problems on his own and cannot share his
expertence, strength, hope, and problems, with others is in danger
of relapse. As our GA Combo book tells us in the section at the top
of page 13, "Will power and self-knowledge will not help in those
mental blank spots, but adherences to spiritual principles seem

to solve our problems." Those sprirtual principles are: Honesty,
Humility, Kindness, and Generosity. It is that simple.

Please remember we are not talking here about the member who
has less than 12 months in the program The members who are in the
program less than 12 months have a completely different set of re-
sponsibilities to themselves and the problem. This is not to say
that they are different in any way from any other compulsive gambler,
but that they are at a different plateau in time, and though many
ideas, possibly all ideas, in this paper can relate to their welfare,
the problems they face would be material for a separate paper.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF RELAPSE

How do we assess the consequences of relapse? GA stresses the
importance of total abstinance and rightfully honors it. This is a
good thing, but it can increase the agony of a relapse. After years
of honored abstinance in GA, the psychological impact of relapse
on the individual can be crushing. Everyone in GA knows of fellow
members who have relapsed after 3, 5, 8, 10, or even more years of
total and successful abstinance, and who have never been able to re-
turn to significant abstinance again. Their loss of pride, self-
esteem and self-confidence, coupled with remorse and guilt, seem to
prevent successful recovery again. Recovering compulsive gamblers
should recognize the importance of total abstinance, but they should
also be taught to recognize that a relapse is not the end of their
world. It's still a part of their illness. They must learn and real-
ize that living again with an active compulsion (gambling) is in-
sanity. A return to gambling and the resulting chaos and degradation
is a return to insanity after temporary recovery. It is interesting
to note that many relpased members tell us that the gambling does
not start where they left off, but almost at a point where they would
have been if they had never stopped at all. This would seem to sug-
gest that the illness even when in an arrested state, is still in
some form of progression, almost. to indicate that when it is reacti-
vated it doesn't have to worry about making up for lost time. This
possibility needs to be studied further for its authenticity. How-
ever, relapse does not occur on the spur of the moment. It comes

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after the overwhelming urge is gone. A relapse usually follows a

period of irrational thinking, lasting days, months, or even years
before the actual fall. The old advice, "Call a member before you

make a bet" usually does not work. Why? Because it is already too
late. In my almost 12 years in GA no one ever called me to ask to

be prevented from making a bet. I myself never called for help at

the threshold of relapse, probably because I did not want to be

stopped.

Clearly, the time to prevent a relapse is long before the irra-
tional] thinking has reached the final insanity of making the first
bet. Most importantly, no one has ever returned to the program after
a@ period of relapse and told a story of happiness, of peace of mind,
of good family relations, of monies accumulated and used wisely, of
freedom of the mind. The stories are always the same. Stories of
horror, of lost fortunes, of lost families, of lost identify, of
lost lives, and all the other possible insanities that occur when
we gamble again. Those stories are turly the consequences of relapse.

A CHECKLIST OF SYMPTOMS LEADING TO RELAPSE

While the individual member himself must maintain the principles
and disciplines that insure abstinance, there are ways in which others
can help. Nearly every person close to the compulsive gambler is
able to recognize behavior changes that indicate a return to the old
ways of thinking. Often these individuals and fellow GA members have
tried to warn the member, who by now may not be willing to be told.

He may consider it nagging or a violation of his privacy. There are
many danger signs. Most compulsive gamblers, if approached properly, ~
would be willing to go over an inventory of these symptoms periodically
with a spouse, or a fellow GA member, or some other confidante. If

the symptoms are caught early and recognized, the compulsive gambler
will usually try to change his thinking, to get "back on the beam"
again. A weekly inventory of symptoms might prevent some relapses.
This added discipline is one which many compulsive gamblers would

seem ‘to be willing to bry. Following is a list of common symptoms
leading to "mind bets", to possible relapse, or to what GA tells

us is the one bet we cannot afford to make...THE NEXT ONE...IF YOU
DON'T MAKE THE NEXT BET, YOU WON'T HAVE TO MAKE ANY OTHER BET, EVER!

THE SYMPTOMS

1. EXHAUSTION. Allowing yourself to become overly tired or in poor
health. Some compulsive gamblers are prone to work addictions, perhaps
in a hurry to make up for lost time. Good health and enough rest are
important. If you feel well, you are more apt to think well. Feel
poorly and your thinking is apt to deteriorate. Feel bad enough and
you might begin thinking a bet couldn't make it any worse.

2. DISHONESTY. This begins with a pattern of unnecessary little lies
and deceits with fellow workers, friends, family, and fellow GA mem-
bers. Then come important lies to yourself. This is called rational-
izing, making excuses for not doing waht you do not want to do, and
for doing what you know you should not be doing.

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3. IMPATTENCE, Things are not happening fast enough. Or, others

are not doing what they should or what you want them to.
im ARGUMENTATIVENESS, Arguing small and ridiculous points of view
indicates a need to always be right. "Why don't you be reasonable

and agree with me?" Looking for an excuse to gamble?

5. DEPRESSION, Unreasonable and unaccountable despair may occur
in cycles and should be dealt with...talked about.

6. FRUSTRATION, At people, and also because things may not be
going your way.. Remember, everything is not going to be just the
way you want it.

(. SELF-PITY, "Why do these things happen to me?"

"Why must I be
a compulsive gambler?" 1

Nobody appreciates all I am doing--(for them? ),

8. COCKINESS, Got it made--no longer fear compulsive gambling--going

near gambling situations to prove to others you have no problem. Do
this often enough and it will wear down your defenses.

9. COMPLACENCY, "Gambling was the furthest thing from my mind."

gambling was no longer a conscious thought either. It is dangerous
to let up on disciplines because everything is going well. Always to
have a little fear is a good thing. More relapses occur when things

-are going well than otherwise.

10. EXPECTING TOO MUCH FROM OTHERS,

C "I've changed, why hasn't every-
ong else?

It's a plus if they do--but it is still your problem if
they do not. They may not trust you yet, may still be looking for
further proof. You cannot expect others to change their lifestyle just
because you have. Concentrate on yourself and your recovery.

ll. LETTING UP ON DISCIPLINES, Desire, GA attendance, prayer, medi-
tation, daily inventory, involvement. This can stem either from com-
placency or boredom. You cannot afford to be bored with your program.
The cost of relapse is always too great.

de FALLING INTO OTHER COMPULSIVE TRAPS,
marital affairs, excessive spending, add any others to this list that
you want. They can all become the launchpad back to the insanity of
making the next bet. It is called indulging oneself for the noble
sacrifice that you made when you stopped gambling. Honesty with one-
self will be of value in these types of mental blank spots.

Drugs, alcohol, extra

13. WANTING TOO MUCH. Do not set goals you cannot reach with normal
effort. Do not expect too much. It's always great when good things
you were not expecting happen. And when the gambling stops that is
automatically a good thing, and keeping it stopped is another good
thing. You will get what you are entitled to as long as you do your
best, but maybe not as soon as you think you should. Be patient!
"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have."
Think about it!

Not

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14. FORGETTING GRATITUDE, You may be looking negatively on your life,

concentrating on problems that still are not totally corrected. No-

body wants to be a Pollyanna, but it is good to remember where you

| started from, and how much better life is now. Count your blessings
and be amazed by the wonderful things you may be overlooking.

15. IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME, This is dangerous thinking. Almost any-
thing can happen to you and is more likely to if you get careless.
Remember you have a progressive illness -and those who forget the
perils of the past, are condemned to repeat them.

16. OMNIPOTENCE, This is a feeling that results from a combination
of many of the above. You now have all the answers for yourself and
| others. No one can tell you anything. You ignore suggestions or

| advice from others. Relapse is\probably imminent unless drastic

| change takes place. ;

|

CONCLUS ION

Not enough can be stressed about the importance of GA in avoid-
ing relapse. We know that any person who will admit, and accept,
that they are a compulsive gambler, will eventually have to surrender
to the fact that Gamblers Anonymous is their only hope for survival.
That the continual practice of the GA principles and disciplines are
vital for the living of a sane life. There is another reason for
continuous involvement in GA. Everyone who is recovering incurs an
obligation to the source of his recovery. That source is the GA
Program with its impact on thousands and thousands of sufferers who
seek its help. Those who recognize their obligation to GA, who try
to fulfill their obligation, by loyal attendance, by 12th step work,
and by other personal involvement, are usually the ones who are en-
joying their abstinance. Without them GA would die; but with them we
have the continuation of the most effective means of recovery known
today. Abstinance may depend on sharing with others, what one has
received from others. Continued abstinance without relapse is the real
criterion of recovery. Continued recoveryis primarily the responsi-
bility of the affected person, and active involvement in GA, and its
program, is undoubtedly the most effective of the known disciplines
for maintaining abstirance from the insanity of active compulsive
gambling. For all those members who have not experienced a relapse
and who find it difficult to deal with the relapsed member after he
returns to the program, the poem on the next page is for you.

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DO NOT JUDGE TOO HARD

Pray don't find fault with the man who limps or stumbles |
along the road,
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears or
struggled beneath his load. .
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt, though
hidden away from view,
Or the burden he bears, placed on your back,
Might cause you to stumble, too.

Don't sneer at the man who's down today.
Unless you have felt the blow

That caused his fall, or felt the same
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, if dealt to you

In the self-same way at the self-same time
Might cause you to stagger, too.

Don't be too harsh with the man who sins,
Or pelt him with words or stones.
Unless you are sure, yea doubly soure,
That you have no sins of your own.
For you know, perhaps if the tempter's voice
Should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray,
"Twould cause you to falter, too.

Author Unknown

Credit must be given in the construction of this article to
Mr. George Crewe and an article he wrote entitled "A Look at Re-
lapse." There were no restrictions in using certain portions of
his article and reconstructing it for the purpose of aiding mem-
bers of the GA fellowship, many thanks to Mr. Crewe and his insights.

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TYPES OF GA MEETINGS

REGULAR THERAPY MEETING
This meeting is for GA members only and can be held in a theater style
setting, or, round table style setting. The GA literature is read
prior to the therapy portion of the meeting. All, or parts of the GA
: combo book are read, at the discretion of the chairman for that meet-
i ing. Before the therapy begins all members are reminded that whatever
is to be said in the room, must remain in the room. This is a trust
among the members that should never be violated, we are reminded if

we must repeat therapy, it should be our own. There is usually a break
{ at the half-way point in the meeting. At this time a collection is |
taken, the treasurer gives his financial report and any other announce-
; ments of importance are made. After the meeting concludes there is the
; traditional coffee, cake, and good GA conversation.

COMMENT THERAPY MEETING

same as the above meeting, but individual members have the option of
requesting comment from the other members on their therapy. The com-
ment is usually requested in reference to a problem or situation that
is confusing or troubling the member. This allows members the use of
a sounding board for problems that might cause them difficulty if they
are not able to cope with them. At the completion of therapy for the
member requesting comment, the chairman will then recognize any other
members who wish to give comment. All comments are merely suggestions
and there is no cross comment on any of the suggestions given. Any .
additional points that might need to be covered can be discussed after
| the meeting over coffee.

GA-GAM-ANON COMBINED THERAPY MEETING

A meeting, unlike an open meeting, but similar, where the GA group and
the Gam-anon group join together for the purpose of increased under-
standing between the two Fellowships. There are two chairman, one GA,
one Gam-Anon. Both GA and Gam-Anon books are read, first one, then
the other. The meeting itself is held under the exact conditions as
if they were being held seperately. There are many variables as far
as speakers are concerned. The presiding chairman can alternate
speakers, one GA, one Gam-Anon, or, two GA speakers in a row, then

two Gam-Anon speakers in a row, or, if agreed upon in advance, one
half of the meeting for GA, and the other half of the meeting for Gam-
Anon. The main purpose of the meeting is the same as any other GA or
Gam-Anon meeting, but by holding them together the individual GA and
Gam-Anon members have the opportunity to learn and understand more about
the respective Fellowships, The groups that- hold these types of meet-
ings in New Jersey do so every 6-8 weeks. |

OPEN MEETING

A group meeting where the GA members conduct their meeting inviting
the Gam-Anon group, the members of other GA and Gam-Anon groups, rela-
tives, and close friends who they wish to have knowledge of the GA
Program. (This type of meeting in New Jersey is prescheduled by the
N.J. Intergroup for the purpose of harmony among groups who have open
meetings and to decrease the possibility of two groups scheduling an
open meeting on the same date). Sometimes, open meetings have invited
guest speakers. These speakers can be GA or non-GA members.

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PANEL MEETING

The same as an open meeting in many ways. Here a group invites
guest panelists, usually GA and Gam-anon members, sometimes sel-
ected from their own group, sometimes invited from other GA
groups. The panelists in the first half of the meeting give
personal therapy. The second half of the meeting is devoted to
a question and answer period. The GA and Gam-anon audience can
ask either oral or written questions or specific members of the
panel, or, to the panel as a whole. Naturally, the answers from
the panel members to the questions only reflect their own indivi- ;
dual opinion. They are not speaking for GA or Gam-anon Fellow-

ships in any official capacity. . | a

TWELVE STEP THERAPY MEETING

This type of GA meeting that concentrates the therapy on the
Twelve Steps of Recovery. The particular meeting can preselect q
one step, a series of steps, or all steps to concentrate the |
therapy on. There are many variables to this type of meeting.

Some groups will make some mention before a regular therapy

meeting, that tonight, if you please, during your regular therapy i
you can make mention of how you interpret Step 1, Step 3, Step 5, | q
or Step 12, etc., etc. The Twelve Step Therapy Meeting we are t

referring to here is a definite prescheduled meeting where a 2
group works entirely for that night on one, some, or all of the s

twelve steps of recovery. At this time this type of meeting is
being held every 6-8 weeks by some New Jersey groups. 7

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WHY ANONYMITY?

The purpose of this article: is to explore the meaning and
principles of the llth and 12th steps of the Gamblers Anonymous
Unity Program. More precisely, to examine the word Anonymity
as it relates to every member of Gamblers Anonymous. To try to
examine the reasons why adherence to the principles of Anonymity,
and the understanding of those principles, are vital to the well
being and perpetuation of the Gamblers Anonymous Fellowship.

The basic interpretation of Unity Step 11 is very clear as
it relates to personal anonymity. "WE NEED ALWAYS MAINTAIN
PERSONAL ANONYMITY AT THE LEVEL OF PRESS, RADIO, FILMS, AND TELE-
VISION,

The essential message of the llth Unity step is clearly out-
lined on the bottom of page 80 and the top of page 8 in the G.A. Re-
covery/Unity Book. It states that our public relations policy is
not the primary thrust of Step 11, but that the primary concept of
the step involves a denial of self-seeking that applies to every
G.A. member and that the step acts as a constant reminder that per-—
sonal ambitions have no place in Gamblers Anonymous. In Gamblers
Anonymous, EACH member becomes an active guardian of our fellowship.

It is fair to state that in the 20 year history of Gamblers
Anonymous there have been very few flagrant cases of individual
members of Gamblers Anonymous violating their anonymity at the
level of press, radio, films -and television. This is an excellent
record considering that most compulsive gamblers are very emotional
personalities. Those few members who have ignored the proven sug-
gestions of this step in the Unity Program have only served to re-
mind the majority of Gamblers Anonymous members that our steps of
Unity are ever important in their wisdom and purpose and that adher-
ence to the steps are vital to both individual recovery and the per-
petuation of the fellowship. Some examples of why adherence to these
principles are important will follow later in this article.

The logical sequence of the Unity Steps lead us directly to
the 12th Unity Step. This step reinforces and explains the impor-
tance of Anonymity as the sprirtual foundation of the Gamblers
Anonymous program by the placing of principles before personalities.

THIS STEP EXPLORES and talks about, Sacrifice, The Common Good,
Sacrificial Spirit, Spiritual Substance, A Safe Path Between Extremes,
Quiet Disclosures, Self Appointed Members, Promoter Instinct, and
Humility, but the best summation comes from the words and ideas of
the Unity Program itself and the following excerpt from page 84 in
the Recovery/Unity Book says it best: "We simply couldn't take the
chance of letting self-appointed members, representing GA, present
themselves as Messiahs before the whole public. The promoter in-
stinct in us might be our undoing. If even one member publicly went

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back to gambling or was lured into using GA's name for his own pur-
poses, the damage might be irreparable. At this level (Press,
Radio, films, and Television), 100 percent anonymity was the only
answer. Here, principles would have to come before personalities,
without exception. These experiences taught us that anonymity is
real humility at work. It is an all pervading spiritual quality
which today keynotes GA life everywhere.

Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural
desires for personal distinction as GA members, both among fellow
compulsive gamblers and before the general public. As we lay aside
these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes a
part in the weaving of a protective mantle, covering the whole society
under which we may grow and work in unity. We are sure that humility
expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard Gamblers Anonymous
can ever have." |

To this point in the article we have discussed what we under-
stand as the two levels of Anonymity, the public level, and, the
spiritual level. These are the levels of anonymity that the GA
program encourages us to consider when we deal with the principles of
the program versus our own individual desires to do what we think is
right. But, there is an additional level of anonymity that has not
been touched upon or discussed and that level could be called the
Practical Level of Anonymity.

The Practical Level of Anonymity to be understood requires an
understanding of the following formula: The purposes of step 12 of
the Recovery Program, and step 5 of the Unity Program, measured
against, theprinciples of the llth and 12th steps of the Unity Pro-
gram;

Leth Recovery-5th Unity _ =e | ;
Tith Unity-l-th Unity ~*~ Practical Level Of Anonymity

At this point it would be useful to encourage every member of
Gamblers Anonymous who do not own their own copy of the G.A. Re-
covery/Unity Book or the Gamblers Anonymous Big Book, and who want
to understand what this article is talking about, to purchase their
own individual copies of the above named books. The reading of
these books and their ideas, will enable every GA member a better
opportunity to not only stop gambling, but to make stopping and
staying stopped a reasonable reality. To stay stopped from gambling
as the BOTTOM LIME of all G.A. communication.

The following questions and answers deal with the practical
level of anonymity.

Is The Word "Anonymous" In Our Name A Promise of Privacy?

Most of us do not want to cater to the cruel stigma unjustly
attached by ignorant people to the disease of compulsive gambling.

86 ONE DAY AT A TIME |

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

But we have to face the fact that the stigma exists, and that people
suffer from it. Therefore to those who have trouble with their
gambling, who feel ashamed and guilty about it, who are afraid peo-
ple will find out, we say "Come on in. We understand, because we
have been there. We'll try to help, and we promise you the private
refuge of anonymity."

How Do We Demonstrate The Promise That Your Anonymity Is
Protected?

For the press, radio, television, films, or meeting open to the
non-compulsive gambling public, we never reveal last names or any
other identifying facts about any GA member. We do not put GA on
envelopes sent through the mails. In material to be posted on GA
bulletin boards and printed GA programs which the general public
might see, we omit last names and identifying titles of all members.
Television shows and news photographs do not show GA members! faces.
In news stories, we are identified by first name and last initials
only and ficticious names are used if though advisable.

Would It Be A Good Idea To Drum Up Business For GA With Testi-
monials From Celebrities?

Occasionally someone asks, "Don't big spectacular anonymity —
breaks help 'carry the message’ , and encourage people to come into
GA?" They may. But they also keep people out. Some stay out for
fear their anonymity will be broken, too. Others hear that anony-
mity-breaker's story, then say, "I'm not that bad." Others may
not like the abstinant life or brand of GA exhibited by the anony-
mity-breaker. And, or course, if the anonymity-breaker later re-
lapses back into active gambling, how does it make GA look? Far
more people in GA keep their anonymity than break it. Thousands,
both prominent and obscure, work actively, unashamedly, and pri-
vately, in GA.

In Personal, Private, Face-To-Face Relationships With Non-
Compuisive Gamblers, Why Is It That We Are Not Ashamed To Say We
Are Recovering, Or, Arrested Compulsive Gamblers And That This Is
A Way Of Carrying The Message To Others Who Still Suffer?

This in no way violates our tradition about public anonymity.
When you tell the facts about yourself, privately, or before a
group interested in. the problem of compulsive gambling, it's not
an "anonymity break." Besides, passing on.our experience, strength,
and hope to other compulsive gamblers is too important to let any
fear of discovery or stigma stand in our way. If the founders of
GA had said, "People wouldn't understand," and hadn't passed the
message on, where would we all be?

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HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

In bringing this article to a conclusion we would like to offer
these thoughts about the different levels of anonymity:
WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO MAINTAIN OUR ANONYMITY AT THE PUBLIC LEVEL
WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO GROW IN HUMAN WAYS AT THE SPIRITUAL LEVEL |
WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO CARRY THE MESSAGE AT THE PRACTICAL LEVEL
!

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THE GA GROUP, IT'S PROBLEMS, HOW THEY CAN SOLVE THEM

sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a group
problem and a group blessing. Each has a way of turning into the
other as time passes, depending on who is looking at it.

Group problems are usually a sign the group is meeting the ex-
periences of life, and growing. They are often evidence of a healthy,
desirable diversity of opinion among the members. They give us a
change to learn how to "Practice these principles in all our affairs.”

Trouble has often been the soil out of which the best GA growth
has come. Three factors seem to lead to this growth:

1. Unity within the group---By practice of Unity Step 1.

2. Cooperation within the group and with other groups---By practice
of Unity Steps: 2,-4, 5,-6,/7, 8, 20,:11,° ana*12:

3. An open door for all compulsive gamblers---By practice of Unity
step 3.

By "Group Problems" are meant such common GA questions as:

i... What should the group attitude be towards those members who
relapse back to gambling?

es What guidelines do we use in our effort to carry the message
to other compulsive gamblers?

‘Sie How can we boost attendance at our meetings?

4, How do we get more prople to halp with group chores?

Ee How do we work more effectively with Intergroup boards and
National boards and offices?

6. Why can't we hold more newcomers in our group?

‘( Why doesn't the answering service direct more new members to
our group?

8 How do we cooperate more effectively with the separate fellow-
ship of Gamanon?

0% How can we become more disciplined about starting and ending

meetings on time?
10. What can we do about an Anonymity breaker?

lil. How do we handle a GA profiteer?

12. How can we learn to respect differing points ov view relating
to GA matters?

13. Why can't we get more longtimers to "Share their experience"
to help solve group problems?

14. How can we tell who knows what's best for GA--Our group of the
other group?

15. How do we convince the "clique" that they can't run the whole
show? .

16. How do we know that the group who coesn't use our meeting
format is a GA group?

ONE DAY AT A TIME | 89

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

This list could go on and on. Even King Solomon might have
hesitated over some of the tangled knots GA groups have had to
untie. The answers to these questions and many others may not be
found here. But, most GA groups have decided issues like these
and worse. The story of how they did can be found in the steps of
Recovery and Unity, in the Gamblers Anonymous Big Book, in articles
in the N.S.O. bulletin, and in the Guidance Code of Gamblers Anony-
mous. In addition, to solve any problem a member or group can look
to their local Intergroup board, to the local area National Trustee
or his alternate, or to the National Service Office in California.
These are some of the tools we use to solve our problems.

Often group problems (or area problems handled by the local
intergroup) are simply misunderstandings easily thrashed out in dis-
cussion. Or they may involve members trying to change other members!
behavior or opinions. Maybe two people mean different things by
the same word. Or, maybe members agree on a goal but simply have
varied opinions on how to reach it.

Sometimes group--or even intergroup--problems concern honest
disagreement between two sincere, well meaning sets of members.
They may be of equally good hearts and intentions, but feel differently
as to who can perform certain GA services better, or which: methods
to use, or which group has the stronger "right" to perform the jobs.
In most cases GA's traditions and past experiences have guided the
way to harmony in such matters, and the result can be even better
services than either faction had dreamed of.

No problem has to lead to drastic trouble for any group, set
of groups, or for that matter any individual member, since GA ex-
perience shows that goodwill, honesty, selflessness, and a spirit
of love and service prevail against all difficulties if we make an
honest effort to place "principles before personalities,"

In addition, a good sense of humor, cooling off periods, patience,
tolerance, courtesy, willingness to listen and wait, a sense of fair-
ness, and trust in a "power greater than ourselves" have been found
far more useful than legalistic arguements or personal accusations.

Yes, it does take a degree of maturity and spiritual values to L
consider the above mentioned alternatives when solving the problems a
of growth and direction within the Fellowship Of Gamblers Anonymous.
But consider the alternatives of not caring about anyone but our- i
selves, and the "if it's not my way--then, it's no way" attitude. 7
Before GA it was always "I", with GA it has to be "WE".

90 ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

So, the next time you, or your group, or your intergroup, or |
your service board, or the fellowship as a whole, faces a serious
problem or situation, think of it as an opportunity to grow and ma-
ture by the upholding of the principles outlined in the GA Recovery
and Unity programs, and most important to use them as a guide in

the solving of all our GA problems,

MAY ALL OUR PROBLEMS BECOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNITY AND GROWTH, AMEN.

ONE DAY AT A TIME gL

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

In the Beginning

In September, 1957, I watched the Paul Coates show on TV,
which had our founder, Jim W., and another man being interviewed
about Gamblers Anonymous.

My wife wrote into the TV station, and her letter, along zi
with many others, was forwarded to Jim W. He wrote everybody
a letter, calling a meeting for Friday, September 13, 1957,
at 1501 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. My wife
and I attended that meeting. There were 13 people in attendance. | 2
Seven were compulsive gamblers, and the others were Jim W.'s
wife, my wife, and four friends of Jim W., who were members of
AA. :

I gambled for the next three days following that meeting,
but on September 16, 1957, at 11:50 P.M., I made my last bet. It
has, as of this day, been 13 years, 7 months, and 24 days since I
made my last bet.

ae ee ae

I started to attend the meeting every Friday night. About
the third meeting, I suggested that we obtain a post office box.
The next week, I signed up for the box and received Box No. 17173,
which is now our N.S.O. number. —

: On February 5, 1958, our group held its first business meeting.
We decided on writing our own steps, which would be called "Eleven
Points of Recovery." Jim and I wrote these steps, but after three | |
or four meetings, the group conscience would not accept them, so :
we went back to our original 12 Steps of Recovery, which we still |
have. |

Following Jim W.'s term as secretary, I was elected secretary
to serve for one year. We had no such thing as a National Executive
Secretary then. However, the secretary of the Mayfair group also
had the job of picking up the mail and answering any letters re-
ceived throughout the nation.

In July, 1958, Mary R. (wife of Larry R. of San Francisco)
attended our meeting. She had left Larry the week before because
of his compulsive gambling and took their two children and moved
to her mother's home near Los Angeles. Mary asked us if we
would call a special meeting if she could get her husband, Larry,
to come to Los Angeles. We arranged to have a meeting at the
KNX radio studio in one of their rooms. My wife and I picked
Mary up Saturday p.m., and we drove to the airport at Burbank and
met Larry, who had flown down from San Francisco. We held the
meeting at KNX which was taped by a GA member, Fred, an employee
of KNX. Ironically, 13 people attended this meeting.

92 ONE DAY AT A TIME > :

| ‘

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Mary and Larry made up, and they went back to San Francisco.
Larry was very enthused about starting a GA chapter in San Fran-
cisco. In early August of 1958, I wrote to Larry and told him my
wife and I were coming up to San Francisco to visit them and
that we expected him to have a GA group going by that time. Larry
immediately got some publicity but didn't have his first meeting
until the following week after we visited him in August.

d In January, 1959, Jim W. appeared on the Art Linkletter TV
: show, which resulted in many letters being sent for information
| of GA.

wrote GA in Los Angeles and said he was going to get some publicity
for a GA meeting in Las Vegas.

Jim W., myself, and two other members drove to Las Vegas in
my car. The meeting was held on January 18, 1959. At that meet-
ing, was a fellow by the name of Frank G. who later became secre-
tary of the Las Vegas group.

;
| In January, 1959, Rev. Donald R. O'Connor, a Methodist minister,
+

|

.

In February, 1959, Frank G. got some publicity in the Las
Vegas paper. A New York paper picked this up and immediately sent
a writer to see Frank G. in Las Vegas to write up a story about
q GA. The story broke in all the leading papers throughout the United
3 States.

we eee a
L .

| Immediately, hundreds and hundreds of letters came into our
= | post office box 17173. Being the secretary at that time, it was
my job to answer all the letters. I put my wife to work typing
letters.

One of the fellows in New York, Harold DeV., whom I corre-
sponded with, finally got together with some others and called
for a meeting. This was the start of GA in New York.

I Larry R. and his members in San Francisco offered to write a
f pamphlet on how to start a GA group and conduct a meeting. They called

4 it "How We Did It." This was mailed to all interested people who
| had written in. Following this, the New York group was formed.

5 _ Also, early in 1960, a member by the name of Joe A. and my-
f self drove 130 miles south of Los Angeles and started a new group
in San Diego.

In February, 1960, I had considerable correspondence with Frank
B. in Miami, Florida. He founded the Miami group in March, 1960.

| In July, 1961, I made the first 12 Step Call on a prison. A
- fellow b the name of William C. wrote to us in GA asking for help.
I made the call and besides talking to William C., I talked to
Mr. E. Reimer, Associate Superintendent of the prison, which even-
tually resulted in conducting regular meetings at the California
Institute for Men.

ONE DAY AT A TIME | — 93

A

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

ce ene eae

Our member, Big Steve P. (who later became our National Exe-
cutive Secretary) made the arrangements for their first meeting
and continued arranging meetings for years. Big Steve P. and
Bernie P. of New York were very responsible for getting GA's
first meetings in prisons. Later, Hugo N. of Detroit and others
were instrumental in getting GA groups started in prisons.

——————— a

In July, 1960, an AA friend of Jim W.'s was going to Phila-
delphia. Jim asked him to attend an AA meeting there and asked
if anyone was interested in starting a GA in Philadelphia.

This resulted in Jack D. of Philly, who not only had a drinking
problem but a gambling problem as well, starting a GA group in
Philadelphia.

si i

Next, groups started up in the New England states-- Boston,
Lynn, Massachusetts. Following this, groups started springing up
all over the United States, Canada, England, and Australia.

a

“as

oe 2 a —

9h ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH |
|
Western Conferences |
Year City Theme
1959 Fresno i
1960 Fresno
1961 Fresno
1962 Fresno |
1963 Fresno
1964. Fresno
1965 Fresno |
1966 Fresno |
1967 Fresno i
1968 Santa Barbara "Recovery, Retention,
- Une"
1969 Long Beach "GA and its function"
1970 Long Beach "Involvement"
1971 Paim ‘Springs "Discovery and Re-
| covery"
1972 san Mateo
1973 San Diego "Maturity & Growth"
1974 San Mateo "Retention"
1975 San Diego "Education in Involve- —
ment is key to
Success"
1976 Palo Alto "Learn to live"
1977 First International Conference of GA in Chicagos; Theme: Twenty
Years of Hope, Security, and Growth.

First Western Conference was on June 28, 1969, in Fresno. Nine members
attended.

ONE DAY AT A TIME | 95

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Eastern Conclaves

Year City Theme

1962 ~~ Philadelphia

1963 Washington, DC

1964. Boston

1965 Yonkers

1966 Albany

1967 West Orange

1968 Cranston "A way of life"

1969 Atlantic City "HOw"

1970 S. Fallsburg "Participation"

1971 Toronto "Welcome to a better
way of life

1972 Atlantic. city "Growth with & For GA"

1973 Atlanta "Togetherness"

1974 Miami “Your keys to Peace of
Mind

1975 S. Fallsburg "Admission, Acceptance
Assignments , and

Awareness
1976 Cherry Hill "Suecess in Unity"

1977 First International Conference of GA in Chicago; Theme: Twenty
Years of Hope, Security, and Growth.

First Eastern Conclave was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1962,
and 21 GA members attended.

96 | ONE DAY AT A TIME

8 eee

= ao) lad SS

‘ }

ele

ee ee
S iv

1966
1967
1968

1969
1970

fal.

1972

1973
1974
1975
1976

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH ~

Great Lakes Conferences

(Midwest Groups)

-

city

Toledo
Cleveland
Detroit

CincinateL
Chicago

Pittsburgh

Cleveland

Detroit
Cincinatti
Toronto
Pittsburgh

‘Theme

"Retention"
"Responsibility - GA and

You"

"To have and to hold”
"Compulsion - Understanding

& Solution through GA"

"ACTION = Acceptance
Compassion
Tolerance
Involvement
Open mind
Never-ending

desire

"Total committment -

GA the winning way
paige, boo wrew }
"Lest we forget"

"Sharing is caring"

"GA -Someplace special"

1977 First International Conference of GA in Chicago; Theme: Twenty

years of Hope, Security, and Growth

First Great Lakes Conference was held in Toledo (where there was no
group at that time) and co-hosted by Cleveland and Detroit.

Approximately 70 people from GA and Gam-anon attended.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

97

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

Census of GA Groups

Year GA's Year Number of Groups
Igor a it
1960 — | 3 16
1965 8 ta
1968 11 89
19770 L3 130
‘1971 14 155
1972 “cleo ive
197i? 20 | 320

(At this date, GA has approximately 5,600 members. )

GA can be found in the following lands outside the USA: Australia,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, Ireland, Belfast North Ireland,
Israel, Scotland, Whales, and Puerto Rico.

The GA combo booklet is printed in English, French, and Spanish.

98 ONE DAY AT A TIME

HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

CONCLUS ION

The hope and wish we would like to convey for all GA members and
non-GA members alike, who now, or in the future will read this book,
28 this:

If one word, if one sentence, if one paragraph, if one article
has made some contribution to your Knowledge and understanding of
Gamblers Anonymous and the illness of compulsive gambling, then we
have succeeded in what we started out to do.

There were many people who contributed to this book. There were
also many people who could have contributed with as much desire and
Sincerity as those who did. There will be other books and literature
developed by other GA members in the future. And hopefully there
will be contributions by non-GA members who are interested in the
problem of compulsive gambling.

The problem of compulsive gambling will require all the thought
of all the people who are aware of the nature of the problem. The
problem at its apex has the capacity to be one of the most destructive |
forces known to mankind.

We, of all people, realize how destructive and degrading the
illness of active compulsive gambling can be, not only to ourselves,
but to our Loved ones also. We were enslaved by its powerful grip,
but in GA we learned we had a choice, we did not have to remain |
slaves, we were set free. We will remain free as long as we keep our |
desire not to gamble alive. |

We have to become willing to share with others the knowledge and
understanding we have gained as a result of our being freed from the
yoke of active compulsive gambling. We cannot deny either ourselves, |
or others, what we now know about compulsive gambling. That is what
this book is all about.

A special thanks to New Jersey Intergroup for the many articles |
that were reprinted from their Eleventh kastern Conclave Booklet that |
appears in this book. |

If any word, any sentence, any paragraph, or any article in this
book was disagreeable to you, please forgive it, or us. To borrow
a phrase from one of the articles in the book: "Chalk it up to the
absurdities of some people in the midst of their recoveries." |

GOD BLESS YOU ALL |

First International Conference
Committee

,
ONE DAY AT A TIME 9. %
HOPE - SECURITY - GROWTH

100 | ONE DAY AT A TIME

pease

&

TEA mY