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FORWARD

Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of over four
thousand men and women who have joined together
to do something about their own gambling problem
and to help other compulsive gamblers do the same.

This pamphlet represents an effort by its members
to answer some of the specific questions that have been
asked about the nature of compulsive gambling and
the G.A. Fellowship.

After reading this pamphlet you may have further
questions that seem unanswered in this brief summary.
If there is a G.A. group close to you we suggest you
contact its members for additional information. If no
G.A. group ts near you, please feel free to write to...

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS
P.O, Box 17173
Los Angeles, Calif. 90017

G.A. Publishing Co.
Los Angeles, Calif.

First Edition June 1962 - Rev. March 1967

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COMPULSIVE GAMBLING
AND GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS

What is Compulsive Gambling?

There are many and varying interpretations of
compulsive gambling. The explanation that seems
most acceptable to G.A. members is that compulsive
gambling is an illness, progressive in its nature,
which can never be cured, but can be arrested.

Before coming to G.A. many compulsive gamblers
thought cf themselves as morally week — or at times
— just plain “no good”. The G.A. concept is that the
compulsive gambler is really a very sick person who
can recover if he or she will follow, to the best of
his or her ability, a simple program that has proved
successful for hundreds of other men and women with
a similar problem,

What is the First Thing a Compulsive Gambler

. Ought to do In Order to Stop Gambling?

He or she needs to be willing to accept the fact
that he or she is in the grip of a progressive illness
and ought to have a desire to get well. Our experience
has shown that the G.A. program will always work
for any person who has a desire to stop gambling.
However, it will seldom work for the man or woman
who cannot, or will not, squarely face the facts about
this illness.

How Can I Tell if I am a Compulsive Gambler?

Only you can make that decision. Most people turn
to G.A. when they become willing to admit that
gambling has them licked. Also in G.A. a compulsive
gambler is described as a person whose gambling has
caused growing and continuing problems in any de-
partment of his life.

Many G.A. members went though terrifying experi-
ences before they were ready to accept help. Others
faced with a slow, subtle deterioration which finally
brought them to the point of admitting defeat.

Can a Compulsive Gambler Ever Gamble
Normally Again?

The first small bet to a problem gambler is like
the first small drink to an alcoholic. Sooner or later
they fall back into the same old destructive pattern.

Once compulsive gamblers have crossed the invis-
ible line into irresponsible uncontrolled gambling, they
never seem to regain control. After abstaining a few
months, some of our members have tried some small
bet experimentation, always, with disastrous results.
The old obsession inevitably returned.

Our G.A, experience seems to point to these alterna-
tives: To gamble, risking progressive deterioration,
or not to gamble, and develop a spiritual way of life.

Does This Mean I Can’t Even Participate in a
Little Penny Ante Game or a World Series Pool?

It means exactly that a stand has to be made some-
where and G.A. members have found the first bet is
the one to avoid even though it may be as little as
matching for a cup of coffee.

Why Can’t a Compulsive Gambler Simply Use
His Will Power to Stop Gambling?

We believe that most compulsive gamblers, if they
are honest, will recognize their lack of power to solve
certain problems. When it comes to gambling, we have
known many problems gamblers who could abstain for
long stretches, but caught off guard — and under the
rigrt set of circumstances —- they started gambling
without thought of the consequences. The defenses
they relied upon through willpower alone gave way
before some trivial reason for placing a bet. We have
found that willpower and self-knowledge will not help
in those mental blank spots, but adherence to spiritual
principles seem to solve our problems. Most of us feel
that a belief in a Power greater than ourselves is neces-
sary in order for us to sustain a desire to refrain from
gambling.

Do G.A, Members Go into Gambling Places to
Help Former Members Who Are Still Gambling?

Often, families and friends of there people have
asked us to intercede but we have never been able
to be of any real help. Actually, sometimes we felt
we retarded a member’s eventual recovery by giving
him this unsolicited attention. It all goes back to the
basic principle that a gambler ought to want help
before he is approached by us.

I Only Go on Gambling Binges Periodically.
Do I Need G.A.?

Only you can determine whether or not, or how
much, you need G.A. However, most periodic gamblers
who have joined G.A. tell us that, though their gam-
bling binges were periodic, the intervals between were
not periods of constructive thinking. Symptomatic of
these periods were nervousness, irritability, frustra-
tion, indecision and a continued breakdown in personal
relationships. These same people have often found the
G.A. program the answer to the elimination of char-
acter defects and a guide to spiritual progress in
their lives.

If I Join G.A. Won’t Everyone Know I Am a
Compulsive Gambler?

Most people made quite a name for themselves as
full-fledged gamblers by the time they turned to G.A.
Their gambling was not usually a well kept secret.
It would then be unusual if the good news of their
abstinence from gambling did not cause comment.
However, no disclosure of any affiliation with G.A.
can rightfully be made by anyone but the member
himself. Even then, it should be done in such a way
that will work no hardship on the G.A. fellowship.

If I Stop Gambling Won’t It Make It Difficult for
Me to Keep Some Desirable Business and
Social Contacts?

We think not. Most of the world’s work of any
consequence is done without the benefit of monetary
wagering. Many of our leaders in business, industry
and professional life have attained great success with-
out knowing one card from another or which way the
horses run around the track. In the area of social
relationships, the newcomer will soon find a keen
appreciation of the many pleasant and stimulating
activities available — far removed from anything that
is remotely associated with gambling.

How Does a Person Stop Gambling Through
the G.A. Program?

The compulsive gamblers do this by creating a pro-
gressive personality change within themselves. This
can be accomplished by having faith in — and following
— the basic concepts of the G.A, Recovery Program.

There are no short cuts in gaining this faith and
understanding. To recover from one of the most
baffling, insidious, compulsive addictions will require
diligent effort. Honesty, Open-mindedness and Will-
ingness are the key words in our recovery.

Can a Person Recover by Himself by Reading
G.A. Literature or Medical Books on the Problem
of Compulsive Gambling?

Sometimes, but not usually. The G.A. program
works best for the individual when it is recognized
and accepted as a program involving other people.
Working with other compulsive gamblers in a G.A.
group, the individual seems to find the necessary
understanding and support. They are able to talk of
their past experiences and present problems in an area
where they are comfortable and accepted. Instead of
feeling alone and misunderstood, they feel needed and
accepted.
Does G.A. Look Upon Compulsive Gambling
as a Moral Vice?

No.

Is Knowing Why We Gambled Important?

Not as a rule. Of the many G.A, members who
have had extended psychiatric treatment, none have
found a knowledge of why they. gambled to be of
value insofar as stopping gambling.

What, However, Are Some of the Factors
That Might Cause a Person to Become
a Compulsive Gambler?

_G.A. members, in considering this perplexing ques-
tion, feel these are some of the possible reasons:

1. INABILITY AND UNWILLINGNESS TO AC-
CEPT REALITY. Hence, the escape into the dream
world of gambling.

2. EMOTIONAL INSECURITY. Here, a compulsive
gambler finds he or she is emotionally comfortable
only when “in action”. It is not uncommon to hear
a G.A. member say, “The only place I really felt like
I belong was sitting at the poker table. There I felt
secure and comfortable. No great demands were made
upon me. I knew I was destroying myself; yet, at the
same time, I had a certain sense of security.”

3. IMMATURITY. A desire to have all the good
things in life without any great effort on their part
seems the common character pattern of the problem
gamblers. Many G.A. members accept the fact that
they felt they could avoid mature responsibility
through wagering on the spin of a wheel or the turn
of a card; the struggle to escape responsibility finally
became a subconscious obsession.

Also, compulsive gamblers seem to have a strong
inner urge to be a “big shot” and need to have a feel-
ing of being all powerful. They are willing to do any-
thing (often of an anti-social nature) to maintain the
image of themselves that they want others to see,

Then, too, there is a theory that compulsive gam-
blers subconsciously want to lose to punish themselves.
There is some evidence among G.A. members that
seems to support this theory.

What is the Dream World of the
Compulsive Gambler?

This is a rather common characteristic of compul-
sive gamblers. They spend a lot of time creating
images of the great and wonderful things they are
going to do just as soon as they make the big score.

ec nn it

They often see themselves as quite philanthropic
and charming people. They may dream of providing
their family and friends with new cars, mink coats
and other luxuries. They picture themselves leading
pleasant, gracious lives made possible by the huge
sums of money they will accrue from their “system”.
Servants, penthouses, charming friends, nice clothes,
yachts, and world tours are a few of the wonderful
things that are just around the corner when they
finally make the “big killing”.

Pathetically, however, there never seems to be a
big enough winning to make even the smallest dream
come true. When compulsive gamblers succeed, they
gamble to dream still greater dreams. When they
fail, they gamble in recklnes desperation and the
depths of their misery are fathomless as their dream
world comes crashing down. Sadly, they will struggle
back, dream more dreams, and of course suffer more
misery. No one can convince them that their great
schemes will not someday come true. Compulsive
gamblers believe they will; without this dream world,
life for them would not be tolerable.

Isn’t Compulsive Gambling Basically
a Financial Problem?

No, compulsive gambling. seems to be an emotional
problem. People, in the grip of this illness, create
mountains of apparently insolvable problems. Of
course they do create financial problems, but they also
find themselves facing martial problems, employment
problems, or problems involving themselves with the
law. The compulsive gamblers find friends have been
lost and relatives have rejected them. Of the many
serious difficulties they create for themselves, the
financial problems seem the easiest to solve. When
they enter G.A. and quit gambling, their income is
usually increased, there is no longer the financial drain
caused by their gambling, and, soon, financial pres-
sures begin to disappear.

The most difficult and time consuming problem
that they will be facing is making that personality
change within themselves. Most G.A. members look
upon this as their greatest challenge.

Does G.A. Want to Abolish Gambling?

No. The question of abolishing gambling is a con-
troversial issue, about which G.A. has no opinion.
Who Can Join G.A.?

Anyone who has a desire to stop gambling. There
are no other rules or regulations concerning G.A.
membership.
How Much Does It Cost to Join G.A.?

There are no assessments in connection with G.A.
membership. The newcomer signs nothing and pledges
nothing. However, we do have expenses relative to
our group meeting and our G.A. service facilities.
Since G.A. has traditionally been fully self supporting
and declines outside contributions, these expenses are
met through voluntary financial support by the mem-
bers. Experience has shown that acceptance of these
financial responsibilities is a vital part of our individ-
ual and group growth process.

How Does G.A. Support Its Service Centers?

These facilities receive their support from groups and
from individual members. The National Headquarters
Office, because it is a national service center, is sup-
ported by groups and members from all over the
country. Local services are supported by groups and
members in the areas which are served.

Who Runs G.A.?

G.A. is a unique spiritual movement having no
central government and but little formal organization.
There are no officers or executives who wield author-
ity over the fellowship or the individual. Even though
G.A. is an informal organization, certain jobs have to
be done. In the local group someone has to be respon-
sible for the meeting place, keep an accounting of the
group finances, arrange for refreshments and keep in
touch with local and national service centers. This
means that a group needs responsible pecple to per-
from these duties. In accepting these responsibilities
a member may acquire a title, but titles in G.A. are
used only to designate areas of service. Those who
accept these responsibilities are directly accountable
to those they serve.

.Are There More Compulsive Gamblers in
Certain Occupations Than in Others?

Among G.A. members there seems to be a predom-
inance of outside salesmen which is probably due to
the fact that this type of employment has the least
amount of personal supervision. Obviously this allows
more freedom to gamble. The job backgrounds of the
balance of our membership are extremely varied. It
seems safe to say that compulsive gambling has noth-
ing to do with the kind of work the individual does to
earn a living. The problem apparently arises from an
inner inbalance, not external factors.

How Many Compulsive Gamblers Are There
In the United States?

A recent estimate by the United States Department
of Public Health puts the figure at six million.

What Is the G.A. Recovery Program?

When a compulsive gambler applies the twelve-step
recovery program in his life, his disintegration stops
and his unification begins. Since these steps are basic-
ally spiritua! in their concept, their practice can be-
come a hghly rewarding experience. These are the
steps which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1 We admitted -we were powerless over gambling

—-that our lives had become unmanageable.

2 Came to believe that a Power greater than our-
selves could restore us to a normal way of think-
ing and living.

3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over
to the care of this Power of our own _ under-
standing.

4 Made a searching and fearless moral and fincial
inventory of ourselves.

5 Admitted to ourselves and to another human being
the exact nature of our wrongs.

6 Were entirely ready to have these defects of char-
acter removed.

7 Humbly asked God (of our understanding) to
remove our shortcomings.

8 Made a list of all persons we had harmed and
became willing to make amends to them all.

9 Made direct amends to such people wherever pos-
sible, except when to do so would injure them or
others.

10 Continued to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11 Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God as we understood
Him, praying only for Knowledge of His will for
us and the power to carry that out,

12 Having made an effort to practice these principles
in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message
to other compulsive gamblers.

No one claims thesesteps are in any way original
with G.A. They reflect practical experience and appli-
cation of spiritual insights as recorded by thoughtful
men in many ages. Their greatest importance lies in
the fact that they work. They enable us and thousands
of others to lead happy productive lives. They repre-
sent the foundation upon which our society has been

built. They were given to us freely, for which we
are grateful.
What Is the Unity Program?

Unity is the most precious quality our society
posses. Our lives and the lives of .all to come depend
squarely upon it. Yet unity in G.A, cannot automatic-
ally sustain itself. Like personal recovery it demands
honesty, open mindedness, and above all, vigilance.
In the words of the great patriot Benjamin Franklin,
“We must hang together, or assuredly we shall all
hang separately.” So there can be no sacrifice too
great if it will strengthen our essential unity. In
maintaining unity we have begun to traditionally
practice the following principals:

1 Our common welfare should come first; personal
recovery depends upon G.A. unity.

2 Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not
govern.

3 The only requirement for G.A. membership is a
desire to stop gambling.

4 Each group should be self-governing except in
matters affecting other groups or G.A. as a whole.

5 G.A.’s primary purpose is to stop gambling and
to carry our message to the compulsive gambler
who still suffers.

6 G.A, ought never endorse, finance or lend the G.A.
name to any related facility or outside enterprise,
lest problems of money, property and prestige
divert us from our primary purpose.

7 Every G.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting,
declining outside contributions.

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

9 G.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we
may create service boards or committees directly
responsible to those they serve.

10 G.A. has no opinion on outside issues; hence the
G.A. name ought never be drawn into public
controversy.

11 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.

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

Why Are G.A. Members Anonymous?

Anonymity has great practical value in maintaining
unity within our fellowship. Through its practice at
the level of press, radio, films and television we have
eliminated the possibility of fame and recognition
being given to the individual member; hence, we have
not been faced with any great internal struggles for
power and prestige which would prove highly detri-
mental to our essential unity.

Anonymity also has great value in attracting new
members who initially might feel there is a stigma
attached to the problem. Therefore, we guarantee the
newcomer as much anonymity as he chooses.

More importantly, we are beginning to realize that
anonymity has tremendous spiritual significance. It
represents a powerful reminder that we need always
place principles above personalities.

Our survival as individuals demands that we re-
nounce personal] glorification . ..so our G.A. move-
ment not only advocates but tries to practice true
humility and it is through greater humility that we
will be able to live in peace and security for all the
years to come.

Is G.A. a Religious Society?

No. G.A. is composed of people from many religious
faiths along with agnostics and atheists. Since mem-
bership in G.A. requires no particular religious belief
as a condition of membership, it cannot be described
as a religious society. The G.A. recovery program is
based on acceptance of certain spiritual values but
the principal member is free to interpret these prin-
ciples as he chooses.

As it is Used in G.A., What is the Meaning
of the Word Spiritual?

Simply stated, the word can be said to describe that
characteristic of the human mind which is marked
by the highest and finest qualities such as generosity,
honesty, tolerance and humility. Inasmuch as the
G.A. fellowship advocates acceptance of these prin-
ciples as a way of life, it can thus be said that G.A.
is a spiritual fellowship.
GAMBLERS

ANONYMUUS

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT THE. PROBLEM -OF
COMPULSIVE GAMBLING AND
THE G. A. RECOVERY PROGRAM

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