Thankful for our families

Always remember that Our Families work so hard to help us recover.  Gam-Anon is not easy, we are not easy, but together with our GA family and our individual family, we can overcome this disease.

Remember to thank your family today for their love and support.
 
Gam-Anon was established as a support group for spouses and other family members to help them deal with the consequences of their problem gambler’s behavior. It is based on 12 steps that are similar to the steps of Gamblers Anonymous and is a road map to personal change and self improvement through the belief in a Higher Power.

12 Steps for Gam-Anon

1. We admitted we were powerless over the problem in our family.

 

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to a normal way of thinking and living. Gam-Anon states that a belief in a Higher Power along with an honest look at themselves will help to resolve their fears, worries and suspicions.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of this power of our own understanding. Step three is the willingness to accept the will of a Higher Power and to let go of self-will. Self-will is said to be at the very root of bitterness, worries and unhappiness among Gam-Anon members.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. This can be a very difficult step since most Gam-Anon members have been blaming the gambler for his or her own shortcomings. Gam-Anon provides a list of personal assets and liabilities to use as a guideline when working on step four.

5. Admitted to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. In this step one seeks out a person who can be trusted to share the information from his or her fourth step inventory. As the person “unloads” his or her past, a feeling of freedom and piece of mind enables him or her to continue growing in recovery.

6. Were entirely ready to have these defects of character removed. Recognizing and owning personal character defects in steps four and five now allow members to bring about positive change. Gam-Anon states that many of their members begin working on self-pity and resentment towards their long-term goal, which is peace of mind.

7. Humbly ask God (of our understanding) to remove our shortcomings. After becoming well aware of one’s shortcoming, help is now required in order to change. Having made a decision to turn one’s will over to a Higher Power in step three, it is time to humbly ask Him to remove one’s shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Step eight asks for a list to be made of all those harmed. Early on it can be difficult to realize how one has harmed so many people. Harsh punishment, misdirected anger and criticizing others can be common reasons for harming family, friends or co-workers.

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others. Making amends to those harmed is an opportunity to bring about change in the spirit of love, kindness and general well-being. Step nine also states that one should be careful not to hurt anyone in the process of making amends.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Complacency can lead back to old feelings and behaviors. Step ten asks to reflect on oneself on a daily basis to evaluate one’s own progress or shortcomings. Step ten also requires the person to admit to any wrongdoing immediately. Following this step will lead towards spiritual growth and serenity.

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. This step will open the door to a new and more spiritual way of living. It is suggested to start each day with a prayer or thought of one’s Higher Power to make each day a better day.

12. Having made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message to others. Having had some measure of success in working through the other steps, it is now time to carry out the main purpose of the Gam-Anon program, which is to help others who are still suffering from the gambling problem in their home.

Give Faith, Get Faith

April 30 - We're taught that "faith without works is dead."  How true this is for the compulsive gambler.  For if we fail to perfect or enlarge our spiritual lives through work and self-sacrifice for others, we're not equipped to survive the trials and low spots ahead.  If we don't practice the Gamblers Anonymous Program, we'll surely return to gambling; and if we return to gambling, we'll likely die.  Then faith will be dead indeed.

Do I believe, through my faith, that I can be uniquely useful to those who still suffer?

Today I Pray:  May my faith in my Higher Power and in the influence of GA be multiplied within me as I pass it along to others who are overcoming the compulsion to gamble.  May I be certain that my helping others is not simply repaying my debts; it is the only way I know to continue my spiritual growth and maintain my own abstinence.

Today I Will Remember:  The more faith I can give, the more I will have.

Live for Today

April 29 - As I grow in the Gamblers Anonymous Program - sharing, caring, and becoming more and more involved - I find that it's becoming easier to live in the NOW.  Even my vocabulary is changing.  No longer is every other sentence salted with such well-used phrases as "could've," "should've," "would've," or "might've".

What's done is done and what will be will be.  The only time that really matters is now.  Am I gaining real pleasure and serenity and peace in the Program?

Today I Pray:  That I may collect all my scattered memories from the past and high-flown schemes and overblown fears for the future and compact them into the neater confines of today.  Only by living in the NOW may I keep my balance, without bending backwards to the past or tipping forward into the future.  May I stop trying to get my arms around my whole unwieldy lifetime and carry it around in a gunny sack with me wherever I go.

Today I Will Remember:  Make room for today.

The Power of Choice

April 28 - I will resolve to observe with new interest even the commonplace things that happen today.  If I learn to see everything with a fresh eye, perhaps I'll find I have countless reasons for contentment and gratitude.  When I find myself trapped in the quicksand of my negative thoughts, I'll turn away from them - and grab for the lifesaving strength of sharing with others in the Program.

Do I carry my weight as an all-important link in the worldwide chain of Gamblers Anonymous?

Today I Pray:  I pray that God will open my eyes to the smallest everyday wonders, that I may notice and list among my blessings things like just feeling good, being able to think clearly.  Even when I make a simple choice, like whether to spend my leisure time in a sport, at a concert, or getting together with abstinent friends, may I be reminded that the power of choice is a gift from God.

Today I Will Remember:  I am blessed with the freedom of choice.

Unlimited Resources

April 27 - Am I so sure I'm doing everything possible to make my new life a success?  Am I using my capabilities well?  Do I recognize and appreciate all I have to be grateful for?  The Gamblers Anonymous Program and its Twelve Steps of Recovery teach me that I am the possessor of unlimited resources.  The more I do with them, the more they will grow -- to overshadow and cancel out the difficult and painful feelings that now get so much of my attention.

Am I less sensitive today than when I first came into the Program?

Today I Pray:  May I make the most of myself in all ways.  May I begin to look outward to people and opportunities and wonderful resources around me.  As I become less ingrown and understand myself better in relation to others, may I be less touchy and thin-skinned.  May I shrug off my old "the world-is-out-to-get-me" feeling and see that same world as my treasure-house, God-given and boundless.

Today I Will Remember:  My resources are unlimited

A Healthy Laugh

April 26 - When I first came to Gamblers Anonymous, I was stunned by the constant sound of laughter.  I realized today that cheerfulness and merriment are useful.  Outsiders are sometimes surprised when we burst into laughter over some miserable, even tragic, experience from the past.  But why shouldn't we laugh?  We have been shown the way to recovery, as well as the way to help others like ourselves.  What greater cause could there be for rejoicing than this?

Have I begun to regain my sense of humor?

Today I Pray:  May God restore my sense of humor.  May I appreciate the honest laughter that is the background music of our mutual rejoicing in our abstinence.  May I laugh a lot, not the defensive ego-laugh that mocks another's weakness, not the wry laugh of the self-put-down, but the healthy laugh that keeps situations in perspective.  May I never regard this kind of laughter as irreverent.  I have learned, instead, that it is irreverent to take myself too seriously.

Today I Will Remember:  A sense of humor is a sign of health.

Attitude of Gratitude

April 25 - I have much more to be grateful for than I realize.  Too often, I don't remember to give thought to all the things in my life that I could enjoy and appreciate.  Perhaps I don't take time for this important meditation because I'm too preoccupied with my own so-called woes.  I allow my mind to overflow with grievances; the more I think about them, the more monumental they seem.  Instead of surrendering to God and God's goodness, I let myself be controlled by the negative thinking into which my thoughts are apt to stray unless I guide them firmly into brighter paths.

Do I try to cultivate an attitude of gratitude?

Today I Pray:  May God lead me away from my pile-up of negative thoughts, which make for detours in my path of personal growth.  May I break the old poor-me habits of remembering the worst and expecting the most dire.  May I turn my thoughts ahead to a whole new world out there.  May I allow myself to envision the glory of God.

Today I Will Remember:  Keep an attitude of gratitude.

Some Reasons Why Seniors Gamble

Boredom: Due to an overabundance of leisure time after retirement, limited availability of other social activities, general physical limitations.

Loneliness: Often caused by relocation after retirement or the loss of a spouse, child or lifelong friend.

Escape: Usually stemming from an inability to cope with loss or other emotional and physical traumas associated with the later stages of life.

Excitement/Social interaction: Many seniors find gambling an exciting activity at a time when excitement may be very limited. Others find it an opportunity to socialize.

Safety and convenience: The casino provides transportation and a facility with guards and other watchful eyes.

Pass It On

April 24 -- Reflection of the Day: We come to know in the Gamblers Anonymous Program that there is no deeper satisfaction and no greater joy than in a Twelfth Step well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness to light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, and above all to watch them awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives--these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry the message of the Program.

Am I learning through Twelfth Step experiences that gratitude should be forward, rather that backward?

Today I Pray: May my Twelfth Step be a wholehearted and as convincing and as constructive as others' Twelfth--Stepping has been for me. May I realize that the might of the Program and its effectiveness for all of us come through "passing it on." When I guide someone else to abstinence, my own abstinence is underlined and reinforced. I humbly ask God's guidance before each Twelfth Step.

Today I Will Remember: To pass it on.

New Gam-Anon page

Welcome Readers...I added a new Gam-Anon page.  More resources forthcoming so keep checking back.  Thanks for all your support and following the blog!

Also, feel free to sign up for daily email updates of website posts. You'll get a day at a time emails and other timely posts right to your inbox! It's all anonymous. Just enter your email address on the right of the page, and click submit!

Another Chance

Fellow gambler, take my hand; 

I'm your friend, I understand. 

I've known your guilt, your shame, remorse; 

I've borne the burden of your cross.

 I found a friend who offered ease;

 He suffered, too, with this disease. 

Although he had no magic cure, 

He showed me how we could endure. 

We talked together side by side; 

We spoke of things we had to hide. 

We told of sleepless nights and debts; 

Of broken homes and lies and threats. 

And so my weary gambler friend; 

Please take this hand I now extend. 

Take one more chance on something new; 

Another gambler helping you.

Give Thanks

April 23 -- Reflection of the Day: No matter what it is that seems to be our need or problem, we can find something to rejoice in, something for which to give thanks. It is not God who needs to be thanked, but we who need to be thankful. Thankfulness opens new doors to good in our life. Thankfulness creates a new heart and a new spirit in us.

Do I keep myself aware of the many blessings that come to me each day and remember to be thankful for them?

Today I Pray: May God fill me with a spirit of thankfulness. When I express my thanks, however fumbling to God or another human being, I am not only being gracious to God or that other person for helping me, but I am also giving myself the greatest reward of all- -a thankful heart. May I not forget either the transitive "to thank," directed at someone else, or the intransitive "giving thanks," which fills my own great need.

Today I Will Remember: Thank and give thanks.

Grateful for GA?

April 22 -- Reflection of the Day: As I attend meetings of the Gamblers Anonymous Program, may my eyes open wider and wider. Other people's problems make mine look small, yet they are facing them with courage and confidence. Others are trapped in situations as bad as mine, but they bear their troubles with fortitude. By going to meetings, I find many reasons to be grateful. My load has begun to lighten.

Do I expect easy solutions to my problems? Or do I ask only to be guided to a better way?

Today I Pray: Make the GA Program my way of life. Its goals are my goals. Its members are my truest friends. May I pass along the skills for coping I have learned there. May my turnabout and the resulting transformation in my life inspire others. As others have inspired me.

Today I Will Remember: May I be grateful.

Sunshine and Rain

April 21 -- Reflection of the Day: Can I be wholeheartedly grateful for today? If so, I'm opening doors to more and more abundant good. What if I can't be thankful for the "rain" that has fallen in my life--for the so-called bad times? What then? I can begin by giving thanks for all the sunshine I can remember, and for every blessing that has come my way. Perhaps then I'll be able to look back over the rainy periods of my life with new vision, seeing them as necessary; perhaps then, hidden blessings I've overlooked will come to my attention.

Am I grateful for all of life -- both the sunshine and the rain?

Today I Pray: May I be grateful for all that has happened to me, good and bad. Bad helps to define good. Sorrow intensifies joy. Humility brings spirituality. Disease turns health into a paradise. Loneliness makes love, both human and Divine, the greatest gift of all. I thank God for the contrasts that have made me know God better.

Today I Will Remember: I am grateful for the whole of life.

Gam-Anon: How to help a parent

1. Help yourself first. Do not take on the burden, financial or emotional, of the addict. Give yourself permission to step back. Offer support to your parents, and encourage them to get help, but do not blame yourself.
2. Don't do it alone. Seek the support of others who have gone through the same thing or see a therapist to sort out your own feelings.  Gam-Anon is a fellowship for loved ones of problem gamblers. The organization's website has a list of meeting schedules by state.  If your parents are open to getting help for themselves, refer them to Gamblers Anonymous, which offers free help through the 12 Steps recovery program.
3. Set money management boundaries. Ensure that your own finances are not at risk. You can also offer to take control of the gamblers' finances until they are rehabilitated.  If the gambler refuses to give up control of finances, let it go. Let them know that you are willing to listen and offer support when and if they are ready. You cannot force them into giving up control of their finances or into quitting gambling. Be clear that you are there for them if they want to talk in the future, but you will not loan them money for gambling.
4. Decide how you will handle requests for money. Problem gamblers often become good at manipulating loved ones into giving them money to support their addiction. Have a plan in place so you will not enable the gambler or demean yourself or your finances.  If your parents approach you for money, tell them directly how you feel. For example, "I won't lend you money or lie for you to cover your losses, but I can help you find support for your problem."

Bury the Giants, Hide the Hobgoblins

April 20 -- Reflection of the Day: "If a person continues to see only giants," wrote Anais Nin, "it means he is still looking at the world through the eyes of a child." During this twenty-four-hour period, I won't allow myself to be burdened by thoughts of giants and monsters--of things that are past. I won't concern myself about tomorrow until it becomes my today. The better I use today, the more likely it is that tomorrow will be bright.

Have I extended the hand of caring to another person today?

Today I Pray: God, may I please grow up. May I no longer see monsters and giants on my walls, those projections of a child's imagination. May I bury my hobgoblins and realize that those epic dream-monsters are distortions of my present fears. May they vanish with my fearfulness, in the daylight of my new serenity.

Today I Will Remember: I will put away childish fears.

Find Happiness

April 19 -- Reflection of the Day: As we continue to make these vital choices and so move toward these high aspirations, our reality returns and our compulsion vanishes. We learn in the words of Plutarch, that, "A pleasant and happy life does not come from external things. Man draws from within himself, as from a spring, pleasure and joy.

Am I learning to "travel first class" inside?

Today I Pray: The grace of God has showed me how to be happy again. May the wisdom of God teach me that the source of that happiness is within me, in my new values, my new sense of self-worth, my new and open communication with my Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember: Happiness comes from within.

Will Power vs Willingness

April 18 -- Reflection of the Day: We in Gamblers Anonymous know full well the futility of trying to overcome our addiction by will power alone. At the same time, we do know that it takes great willingness to adopt the Program's Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to a normal way of thinking and living. No matter how severe our addiction, we discover with relief that choices can still be made. For example, we can choose to admit that we're personally powerless over compulsive gambling; that dependence upon a Higher Power is a necessity, even if this is simply dependence upon our group in the Program.

Have I chosen to try for a life of honest and humility, of selfless service to my fellows and to God as I understand Him?

Today I Pray: Got grant me the wisdom to know the difference between "will power" (which has failed me before) and "willingness" to seek help for my gambling, through God and through others who are also recovering. May I know that there are choices open to me as there are to my fellow sufferers in the foggiest stages of addiction. May I choose the kind of life God wants for me.

Today I Will Remember: Willingness, more than will power, is the key to recovery.

Never Forget but Never Torment

April 17 -- Reflection of the Day: The Gamblers Anonymous Program teaches me to remain on guard against impatience, lapses into self-pity, and resentments of the words and deeds of others. Though I must never forget what it used to be like, neither would I permit myself to take tormenting excursions into the past--merely for the sake of self-indulgent morbidity. Now that I'm alert to the danger signals, I know I'm improving day by day.

If a crisis arises, or any problem baffles me, do I hold it up tot the light of the Serenity Prayer?

Today I Pray: I pray for perspective as I review the past. May I curb my impulse to upstage and outdo the members of my group by regaling them with the horrors of my addiction. May I no longer use the past to document my self-pity or submerge myself in guilt. May memories of those miserable earlier days serve me only as sentinels, guarding against hazardous situations or unhealthy sets of mind.

Today I Will Remember: I cannot change the past.

Copyright © 1994 Hazelden Foundation

Mind is the Slayer of the Real

April 16 -- Reflection of the Day: I once heard it said that "the mind is the slayer of the real." Looking back at the insanity of those days when I was gambling, I know precisely what that phrase means. One of the Program's important fringe benefits for me today is an increasing awareness of the word around me, so I can see and enjoy reality. This alone helps diminish the difficulties I so often magnify, creating my own misery in the process.

Am I acquiring the sense of reality that is absolutely essential to serenity?

Today I Pray: May I be revived by a sharpened sense of reality, excited to see--for the first time since the blur of my worst moments--the wonders and opportunities in my world. Emerging from the don't-care haze of addiction. I see objects and faces coming into focus again, colors brightening. May I take delight in this new-found brightness.

Today I Will Remember: To focus on my realities.

Copyright © 1994 Hazelden Foundation

Complete 12 Step Journal

Download your Journal now and start the steps.  This journal is meant to be used along side the Gamblers Anonymous, Working the Steps pamphlet.
Download now

Also available in the literature page.

Embezzlement and Gambling

Interesting article on how women whom embezzle likely have a gambling addiction.

Click here to read article

Why?  One psychologist states that: 

Unlike other female criminal defendants, almost none of these women had previous criminal charges, drug/alcohol problems or major mental illness other than depression, anxiety and PTSD. A significant number were motivated by “higher loyalties,” primarily related to meeting a variety of needs of their families (e.g., shelter, medical care) or responding to direct requests or indirect pressure from a male partner, spouse or boyfriend (none of whom were indicted) in order to preserve that relationship. Two other relevant motivational factors have emerged in this group of women charged with embezzlement: their involvement in problem gambling and the behavior of compulsive spending, often to purchase items and pleasurable activities (e.g., vacations) for themselves and their families to distract themselves from psychological problems and distress. Even though relationship problems were not as predominant in these women, they were often in the background. In all of the cases of women charged with embezzlement, results of the forensic psychological evaluation were used either for plea negotiations, sentencing or both.

These are our mothers, sisters, aunts, friends...the givers of life.  This disease breaks so many.  We can pray they find us.

Restore Normality

April 15 -- Reflection of the Day: Rare are the practicing compulsive gamblers who have any idea how irrational they are, or, seeing their irrationality, can bear to face it. One dictionary defines sanity as "soundness of mind." Yet no compulsive gambler, rationally analyzing his or her destructive behavior, can truly claim soundness of mind.

Have I come to believe, as the Second Step suggests, that a Power greater than myself can restore me to a normal way of thinking and living?

Today I Pray: May I see that my own behavior as a compulsive gambler could be described as "abnormal" or "insane." For those still actively addicted, admitting to "insane" behavior is well-nigh impossible. I pray that I may continue to abhor the insanities and inanities of my addictive days. May others like me recognize their problems of addiction, find help in Gamblers Anonymous, and come to believe that a Higher Power can restore them to a normal way of thinking and living.

Today I Will Remember: He restoreth my soul.

Awakening

April 14 -- Reflection of the Day: Every man and woman who has joined Gamblers Anonymous and intends to stick around has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn’t it true that, in all matters related to their gambling, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of the Program? So already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the addiction in favor of those suggested by the Program. If this isn't turning one's will and life over to a new-found "Providence," than what is it?

Have I had a spiritual awakening as the result of the Steps?

Today I Pray: For myself, I pray for a God-centered life. I thank God often for the spiritual awakening I have felt since I turned my life over to Him. May the words "spiritual awakening" be a clue to others that there is a free fund of spiritual power within each person. It must only be discovered.

Today I Will Remember: I will try to be God-centered.

Copyright © 1994 Hazelden Foundation

Reach, Not Preach

April 13 -- Reflection of the Day: Any number of compulsive gamblers are bedeviled by the conviction that if they ever go near the Gamblers Anonymous Program--whether by attending meetings or talking one-to-one with a member--they'll be pressured to conform to some particular brand of faith or religion. They don't realize that faith is never an imperative for membership in the Program; that freedom from gambling can be achieved with a an easily acceptable minimum of it; and that our concepts of a Higher Power and God--as we understand him--afford everyone a nearly unlimited choice of spiritual belief and action.

Am I receiving strength by sharing with newcomers?

Today I Pray: May I never frighten newcomers or keep away those who are considering coming to GA by imposing on them my particular, personal ideas about a Higher Power. May each discover his or her own spiritual identity. May all find within themselves a link with some great universal Being or Spirit whose power is greater than theirs individually. May I grow, both in tolerance and in spirituality, every day.

Today I Will Remember: I will reach, not preach.

Steps to remember

New to GA?  So glad you are here...

1. Attend as many meetings as possible, but at least one full meeting per week.  Meetings Make It.  For a list of meeting times and locations, click here. 
2. Telephone other members as often as possible between meetings.  Use The Telephone List.
3. Don't test or tempt yourself.  Don't associate with acquaintances who gamble.  Don't go in or near gambling establishments.  Don't Gamble For Anything.  This includes the stock market, commodities, options, buying or playing lottery tickets, raffle tickets, flipping a coin or entering the office sport pool.
4. Live the Gamblers Anonymous Program One Day At A Time.  Don't try to solve all your problems at once.
5. Read the Recovery and Unity steps often and continuously review the Twenty Questions.  Follow the steps in your daily affairs.  These steps are the basis for the entire Gamblers Anonymous Program and practicing them is the key to your growth.  If you have any questions, ask them of your Trusted Servants and Sponsors.
6. Be patient!  The days and weeks will pass soon enough, and as you continue to attend meetings and abstain from gambling your recovery will really accelerate.

What Works For You

April 12 -- Reflection of the Day: If we attempt to understand rather than to be understood, we can more quickly assure a newcomer that we have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired. All of us, whatever our race. Gender, creed, color, or ethic heritage, are the children of a living Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms--as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

Do I know the difference between sympathy and empathy. Can I put myself in the newcomer's shoes?

Today I Pray: May I try to love all humanity as children of a living God. May I respect the different ways through which they find and worship God. May I never be so rigid as to discount another's path to God or so insensitive that I use the fellowship of the group as a preaching ground to extol my religious beliefs as the only way. I can only know what works for me.

Today I Will Remember: We are all children of God.

Copyright © 1994 Hazelden Foundation

Inner Strength

April 11 -- Reflection of the Day: I came to believe, Gamblers Anonymous has enabled me to learn that deep down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of a God. It may be obscured by pomp, by calamity, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves and miraculous demonstrations of that Power in human lives are facts as old as man himself.

How well do I share my free gifts?

Today I Pray: I pray that I may continue to look for-- and find--the Godliness that is in me and in every other person, no matter how it is obscured. May I be aware that the consciousness of a Higher Power has been present in man since he was first given the power to reason, no matter what name he gave to it or how he sought to reach it. May my own faith in a Higher Power be reinforced by the experience of all mankind--and by the working of God's gracious miracles in my own life.

Today I Will Remember: God is in us all.

Change is Power

April 10 -- Reflection of the Day: Change is the characteristic of all growth, from reckless action to thoughtfulness, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from childish dependence to adult responsibility--all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. Only God is unchanging; only God has all the truth there is.

Do I accept the belief that lack of power was my dilemma? Have I found a power by which I can live--a Power greater than myself?

Today I Pray: I pray that the Gamblers Anonymous Program will be, for me, an outline for change--for changing me. These days of transition from compulsive gambling to abstinence, from powerlessness to power through God, may be rocky, as change can be. May my restlessness be stilled by the unchanging nature of God, in whom I place my trust. Only God is whole and perfect and predictable.

Today I Will Remember: I can count on my Higher Power.

Internet gambling cafes in MI ordered to shut down...

Well...that's a good step. Even though the orders are not for those that popped up in GR, it's just a matter of time.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/michigan_attorney_general_bill.html

8 possible new casinos in MI???

It could be on the November ballot...oh hell!

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2012/04/voters_would_approve_local_cas.html

New Michigan casinos face uphill battle

BIG BUSINESS: Michigan has 25 casinos, including 22 owned by Native American tribes. They form a nearly $3 billion industry in the state.

VOTER VOICE: In 2004, Michigan voters approved a measure that requires most types of gambling expansion to be approved by statewide and local votes. The measure was supported by casino owners and tribes that already owned gambling ventures in the state, making it difficult for their competition to set up shop.

COMPETITION: Two separate campaigns want voters to authorize new casinos this November. They would have to collect nearly 323,000 signatures to make the ballot.

Read link below for recent article on how a proposed 15 new casinos could end up in Michigan...
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2012/04/michigan_casino_campaigns_face.html

Share Your Faith

April 9 -- Reflection of the Day: Faith is more than our greatest gift; sharing it with others is our greatest responsibility. May we in the Gamblers Anonymous Program continually seek the wisdom and the willingness by which we may well fulfill the immense trust which the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands.

If you pray, why worry? If you worry, why pray?

Today I Pray: Our God is a mighty fortress, a bulwark who never fails us. May we give praise for our deliverance and for our protection. God gives us the gift of faith to share. May we pass it along to others as best we know how and in the loving spirit in which it was given to us.

Today I Will Remember: God will not fail us.

Take Inventory

April 8 -- Reflection of the Day: Time after time, we learn in Gamblers Anonymous, newcomers try to keep to themselves "shoddy facts" about their lives. Trying to avoid the humbling experience of the Fifth Step, they turn to a seemingly easier and softer way. Almost invariable, they slip. Having persevered with the rest of the Program, they then wonder why they fell. The probable reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock.

Have I admitted to myself and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs?

Today I Pray: That I may include all of the sleaziness of my past, my cruelties and my dishonesties, in a complete moral and financial inventory of myself. May I hold back nothing out of shame or pride, for the "exact nature" of my wrongs means just that--a thorough and exact recounting of past mistakes and character flaws. We have been provided with an appropriate "dumping ground." May I use it as it was intended. May all my throw-aways, the trash and outgrown costumes of the past, be foundation "fill" on which to build a new life.

Today I Will Remember: Trash can be a foundation for treasures.

Remain Teachable

April 7 -- Reflection of the Day: Our spiritual and emotional growth in the Gamblers Anonymous Program doesn't depend so deeply upon success as it does upon our failures and setbacks. If we bear this in mind, a relapse can have the effect of kicking us upstairs, instead of down. We in the Program have had no better teacher that Old Man Adversity. Except in those cases where we refuse to let him teach us.

Do I try to remain always teachable?

Today I Pray: May I respect the total Program, with its unending possibilities for spiritual and emotional growth, so that I can view a relapse as a learning experience, not "the end of the world." May relapse for any one of our Fellowship serve to teach not only the person who has slipped, but all of us. May it strengthen our shared resolve.

Today I Will Remember: If you slip, get up.

Learning from Others

April 6 -- Reflection of the Day: What do we say to a person who has slipped, or one who calls for help? We can carry the message, if the person is willing to listen; we can share our experience, strength and hope. Perhaps the most important thing we can do, however, is to tell the person that we love him or her, that we're truly happy he or she is back, and that we want to help all we can. And we must mean it.

Can I still "go to school" and continue to learn from the mistakes and adversities of others?

Today I Pray: May I always have enough love to welcome back to the group someone who has slipped. May I listen to that person's story-of-woe, humbly. For there, but for my Higher Power, go I. May I learn from others' mistakes and pray that I will not re-enact them.

Today I Will Remember: Abstinence is never fail-safe.

Online gambling addiction leads to ruin for many

Online gambling addiction leads to ruin for many:

According to one online addiction website, the total revenue from online gambling topped $29 billion last year.

Gambling is not about the money...

Interesting survey that confirms gambling addiction is about escaping negative feelings and life difficulties. Please comment anonymously on ways you better cope...

Read article on what studies show about gambling addiction

Feel the Blessings of Today

April 5 -- Reflection of the Day: Still another common thread we invariable see among slippers is that many of them felt dissatisfaction with today. "I forgot we live one day at a time,: or "I began to anticipate the future," or " I began to plan results, not just plan. They seemed to forget that all we have in NOW. Life continued to get better for them and, as many of us do, they forgot how bad it had been. They began to think, instead, of how dissatisfying it was compared to what it could be.

Do I compare today with yesterday, realizing, by that contrast, what great benefits and blessing I have today?

Today I Pray: If I am discouraged with today, may I remember the sorrows and hassles of yesterday. If I am impatient for the future, let me appreciate today and how much better it is than the life I left behind. May I never forget the principle of "one day at a time."

Today I Will Remember: The craziness of yesterday

Dear Abby on April 1st...

DEAR ABBY: For years I have heard about players winning thousands of dollars on casino slot machines. But every time I try to win one, I run out of cash before hitting it. How can I win a jackpot before I go broke? Hurry your answer because my money is running out.--UNLUCKY IN JERSEY

DEAR UNLUCKY: Slot machines are not called "one-armed bandits" for nothing. While I can't advise you on how to win a jackpot, I can tell you how not to go broke. Try this: Don't gamble!

Follow our blog by email

Feel free to sign up for daily email updates of website posts. You'll get a day at a time emails and other timely posts right to your inbox! It's all anonymous. It is suggested you do not use a work email address. Just enter your email address on the right of the page, and click submit!

Work The Steps

April 4 -- Reflection of the Day: Another common denominator among those who slip is failure to use there tools of the Gamblers Anonymous Program---the Twelve Steps. The comments heard most often are, "I never did work the Steps," "I never got past the First Step," "I worked the Steps too slow," or "too soon." What it boils down to is that these people considered the Steps, but didn't conscientiously and sincerely apply the Steps to their lives.

Am I learning how to protect myself and help others?

Today I Pray: May I be a doer of the Steps and not a hearer only. May I see some of the common mis-Steps that lead to a fall: being too proud to admit Step One: being too tied to everyday earth to feel the presence of a Higher Power; being overwhelmed by the thought of preparing Step Four, a complete moral and financial inventory; being too reticent to share that inventory. Please God, guide me as I work the Twelve Steps.

Today I Will Remember: To watch my Steps.

2012 GA Area 9 Annual Mini Conference Registration

August 3 - 4, Livonia.  Golf Outing, Tigers Baseball, plus much more!

Click below for more information...
Registration flier for 2012 Mini Conference

Attend Meetings

April 3 -- Reflection of the Day: In almost every instance, the returned slipper says, "I stopped going to meetings," or " I got fed up with the same old stories and the same old faces," or "My outside commitments were such that I had to cut down on meetings," or " I felt I'd received the optimum benefits from the meetings, so I sought further help from more meaningful activities." In short, they simply stopped going to meetings. A saying I've heard at Gamblers Anonymous hits the nail on the head: "Them that stops going to meetings are not present at meetings to hear about what happens to them that stops going to meetings."

Am I going to enough meetings for me?

Today I Pray: God keep me on the path of the GA Program. May I never be too tired, too busy, too complacent, too bored to go to meetings. Almost always those complaints are reversed at a meeting if I will just get myself there. My weariness dissipates in serenity. My busyness is reduced to its rightful proportion. My complacency gives way to vigilance again. And how can I be bored in a place where there is so much fellowship and joy?

Today I Will Remember: Attend the meetings.

Keep Coming Back

April 2 -- Reflection of the Day: What causes slips? What happens to a person who apparently seems to understand and live the Twelve Step way, yet decides to go out gambling again? What can I do to keep this from happening to me? Is there any consistency among those who slip, and common denominators that seem to apply? We can each draw our own conclusions, but we learn in the Gamblers Anonymous Program that certain inactions will all but guarantee an eventual slip.

When a person who has slipped is fortunate enough to return to the Program, do I listen carefully to what he or she says about the slip?

Today I Pray: May my Higher Power show me if I am setting myself up to gamble again. May I glean from the experiences of others that the reasons for such a lapse of resolve or such an accident of will most often stem from what I have not done rather than from what I have done. May I "keep coming back" to meetings.

Today I Will Remember: Keep coming back.

Peggy might need GA too

Women and Compuslive Gambling

Online sports betting is illegal

Hoping you've made it through the Madness that is March!  Just one more day of games and you can breath, hopefully at peace with not betting.  Let basketball just be about basketball!

Under the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the online operator of a betting site is committing a crime by accepting money from U.S. residents to fund their betting accounts.  In some states, it's even a felony!

CNN Money article on Sports Betting

Ignore, Shut Out, and Shun!

April 1 -- Reflection of the Day: If we can't want to slip, we'll avoid slippery places. For the gambler, that means shunning poker parties and race tracks and anywhere that gambling is taking place. For me, certain emotional situations can also be slippery places; so can indulgence in old ideas. Such as a well-nourished resentment that is allowed to build to explosive proportions.

Do I carry the principles of the Gamblers Anonymous Program with me where I go?

Today I Pray: May I learn not to test myself too harshly by "asking for it," by stopping in at the casino, the Bingo hall, or the track. Such "testing" can be dangerous, especially if I am egged on, not only by a craving for the old object of my addictions, but by others still caught in addiction whose moral responsibility has been reduced to zero.

Today I Will Remember: Avoid slippery places.