Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group
Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others rather...
Good Afternoon Folks
Took me awhile to figure out how to get back into the site.
I am not computer wise.But am back and I am going to start
posting the GA Reflection for the Day again and hope to catch
up with my old recovery friends and to meet some new people.
If you are interested I visit a new site called Gamtalk that is run
out of Montreal Canada and it has 24/7 chat room and on Friday
at 3pm est we have a group Topic Session.Today's topic is Step 9.
God Bless
Ken L GRCG
March 22 Reflection for the Day
Once in a great while, I find myself thinking perhaps things werent quite so bad as they seemed to be. At such moments, I force myself to realize that my illness is talking to me, trying to tempt me into denying that I am, in fact, afflicted with an illness. One of the key action steps of the Gamblers Anonymous Program is that we give our illness to God, as we understand Him, accepting our powerlessness in the face of His greater Power.
Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
Today I Pray
May I know that much of our lives depends on faith. For we cannot know the limits of space and time or explain the mysteries of life and death. But when we see God working through us and through others who have found new life in the GA Program it is all the evidence we need to know that God exists.
Today I will Remember
The Big Wheel runs by faith.
Took me awhile to figure out how to get back into the site.
I am not computer wise.But am back and I am going to start
posting the GA Reflection for the Day again and hope to catch
up with my old recovery friends and to meet some new people.
If you are interested I visit a new site called Gamtalk that is run
out of Montreal Canada and it has 24/7 chat room and on Friday
at 3pm est we have a group Topic Session.Today's topic is Step 9.
God Bless
Ken L GRCG
March 22 Reflection for the Day
Once in a great while, I find myself thinking perhaps things werent quite so bad as they seemed to be. At such moments, I force myself to realize that my illness is talking to me, trying to tempt me into denying that I am, in fact, afflicted with an illness. One of the key action steps of the Gamblers Anonymous Program is that we give our illness to God, as we understand Him, accepting our powerlessness in the face of His greater Power.
Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
Today I Pray
May I know that much of our lives depends on faith. For we cannot know the limits of space and time or explain the mysteries of life and death. But when we see God working through us and through others who have found new life in the GA Program it is all the evidence we need to know that God exists.
Today I will Remember
The Big Wheel runs by faith.
It was far easier for me to accept my powerlessness over gambling than it was for me to accept the notion that some sort of Higher Power could accomplish what I had been unable to accomplish myself. Simply by seeking help and accepting the fellowship of others similarly afflicted, the craving left me. And I realized that, if I was doing what I was powerless alone to do, then surely I was doing so by some Power outside my own that was obviously greater.
Have I surrendered my life into the hands of God?
Today I Pray
May God erase in me the arrogant pride that keeps me from listening to Him. May my unhealthy dependence on gambling and my clinging dependence on those nearby be transformed into reliance on God. only in this kind of dependence/reliance on a Higher Power will I find my own transformation.
Today I Will Remember
I am God-dependent.
I understand that, when I allow myself to dwell on the problem, the problem will worsen. But when I dwell on the solution, the situation will improve. My problems with money today have much less significance when I focus on my recovery and continued abstinence rather than spending my time wishing I had no debts. My past grand illusions of debt-free wealth are today just that: illusions. My happiness today depends on my acceptance of the financial burdens I have created and the plans I have to repay them in some reasonable fashion.
Do I understand that my patience in these matters is an important ingredient of my recovery?
Today I Pray
May I remember that my life took many turns for the worse over a long period of time. My recovery will follow a similar process in reverse, taking many turns for the better over a long period of time.
Today I Will Remember
My shortcomings are long only if I let them linger.
JANUARY 21 Reflection for the Day
Every person is a part of the Divine economy. We are all children of God, and it is unlikely that He intends to favor one over another. So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a deep humility. We need always to bear in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary as a means of reducing us to a state in which we would be ready for the gift of positive attitudes through the conversion experience.
Do I accept the fact that my addiction and the bottom I finally reached are the bedrock upon which my spiritual foundation rests?
Today I Pray
May I know that from the first moment I admitted my powerlessness, God-given power was mine. Every step taken from that moment of defeat has been a step in the right direction. The first Step is a giant step. Though it is often taken in despair, may I realize that I must be drained of hope before I can be refilled with fresh hope, sapped of willfulness before I can feel the will of God.
Today I Will Remember
Power through powerlessness.
JANUARY 22 Reflection for the Day
In a very real sense, we are imprisoned by our inability or unwillingness to reach out for help to a Power greater than ourselves. But, in time, we pray to be relieved of the bondage of self, so that we can better do Gods will. In the words of Ramakrishna, The sun and moon are not mirrored in cloudy waters, thus the Almighty cannot be mirrored in a heart that is obsessed by the idea of me and mine.
Have I set myself free from the prison of self-will and pride that I myself have built? Have I accepted freedom?
Today I Pray
May the word freedom take on new meanings for me, not just freedom from my addiction, but freedom to overcome it. Not just freedom from the slavery of self-will, but freedom to hear and carry out the will of God.
Today I Will Remember
Freedom from means freedom to.
We must never be blinded by the futile philosophy that we are just the hapless victims of our inheritance, of our life experience, and of our surroundings that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for us. This is not the road to freedom. We have to believe that we can really choose. As addictive persons, we lost our ability to choose whether we would pursue our illness. Yet we finally did make choices that brought about our recovery.
Do I believe that in becoming willing I have made the best of all choices?
Today I Pray
May I shed the idea that I am the worlds victim, an unfortunate creature caught in a web of circumstances inferring that others ought to make it up to me because I have been given a bad deal on this earth. We are always given choices. May God help me to chose wisely.
Today I Will Remember
God is not a puppeteer.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you traverse through this health challenge. Just as it is with our GF journey, we must realize to meet it one day at a time, making wise choices when faced with decision making.
I, too, thank you for your untiring resolve to post the daily GA reflections for all to ingest. I've dusted off my blue book - your diligence with these posts have reinforced the importance of me incorporating these reflections back into my daily routine. I'm still in the GF fight for the long haul (a little over 21 months thus far), but of late, feeling tempted.
thank you for reminding me that daily "vitamins" are an essential component of our conviction to live a healthy life.
Wishing you a speedy recovery-I know you can and will work through this and become that much stronger a person than what you've already shown us you are!
Well wishes, my friend,
Love Tagg
Quick update on my health. Heart rate back to normal mid 6o's compared to 160 plus. Going to have a day procedure call an ablation non-surgical procedure used to treat certain kinds of heart rhythm problems. Special kinds of energy (radio frequency waves, cryoablation) are used to burn part of your heart's electrical system, which is causing the problem.
Day procedure is scheduled for Feb 7th so if you are so inclined please say a prayer or two or three for me
Among the many gifts that we are offered in the Gamblers Anonymous Program is the gift of freedom. Paradoxically, however, the gift of freedom is not without a price tag; freedom can be achieved only by paying the price called acceptance. Similarly, if we can surrender to Gods guidance, it will cost us our self-will, that commodity so precious to those of us who have always thought we could and should run the show.
Is my freedom today worth the price tag of acceptance?
Today I Pray
May God teach me acceptance the ability to accept the things I cannot change. God also grant me courage to change those things I can. God help me to accept the illness of my addiction and give me the courage to change my addictive behavior.
Today I Will Remember
Accept the addiction. Change the behavior.
JANUARY 25 Reflection for the Day
Even with a growing understanding of the Gamblers Anonymous Program and its Twelve Steps, we sometimes may find it difficult to believe that our new way of life leads to personal freedom. Suppose, for example, I feel imprisoned in an uncomfortable job or troublesome personal relationship. What am I doing about it? In the past, my reflex reaction was to try to manipulate the things and people around me into being more acceptable to me. Today, I realize that happiness cant be won that way.
Am I learning that freedom from despair and frustration can come only from changing in myself the attitudes that are perpetuating the conditions that cause me grief?
Today I Pray
May I be given clear eyes to see and then to stop myself when I am manipulating the lives of those around me, my daily associates, friends, family. May I always be aware that change must begin within myself.
Today I Will Remember
Change from the inside out.
Personal freedom is mine for the taking. No matter how close the ties of love and concern that bind me to my family and friends, I must always remember that I am an individual, free to be myself and live my own life in serenity and joy. The key word in this realization is personal. For I can free myself from many involvements that seem necessary. Through the Gamblers Anonymous Program, I am learning to develop my own personality.
Am I reinforcing my personal freedom by leaving others free to control their actions and destinies?
Today I Pray
May I find personal freedom, by reevaluating associations, establishing new priorities, gaining respect for my own personhood. May I give others equal room to find their own kinds of personal freedoms.
Today I Will Remember
Take the liberty; its yours.
January 27 Reflection for the Day
I can attain real dignity, importance, and individuality only by a dependence on a Power that is great and good, beyond anything I can imagine or understand. I will try my utmost to call on this Power in making all my decisions. Even though my human mind cannot forecast what the outcome will be, I will try to be confident that whatever comes will be for my ultimate good.
Just for today, will I try to live this day only, and not tackle all my life problems at once?
Today I Pray
May I make no decisions, engineer no change in the course of my lifestream, without calling upon my Higher Power. May I have faith that Gods plan for me is better than any scheme I could devise for myself.
Today I Will Remember
God is the architect, I am the builder.
Now that I am in Gamblers Anonymous, I am no longer enslaved by the compulsion to place the next bet. Free, free at last from fabricating the elaborate alibis and hoping they wont unravel. Free from the guilt and shame. Free from the worry about bookies and loan companies. Free from the ever-burgeoning mountain of debt.
Do I treasure my freedom from compulsive gambling?
Today I Pray
Praise God that I am free from the urge to gamble. This is my first freedom, from which other freedoms will develop freedom to appraise my behavior sanely and constructively, freedom to maintain relationships with others on a sound basis. I will never cease to thank my Higher Power for leading me away from my enslavement.
Today I Will Remember
Praise God for my freedom.
JANUARY 29 Reflection for the Day
I used to imagine my life as a grotesque abstract painting: a montage of crises framed by end-upon-end catastrophes. My days all were grey and my thoughts greyer still. I was haunted by dread and nameless fears. I was filled with self-loathing. I had no idea who I was, what I was, or why I was. I miss none of those feelings. Today, step by step, I am discovering myself and learning that I can be free to be me.
Am I grateful for my new life? Have I taken the time to thank God today for the fact that I am clean and alive?
Today I Pray
May calm come to me after the turmoil and nightmares of the past. As my fears and self-hatred dissipate, may the things of the spirit replace them. For in the spiritual world, as in the material world, there is no empty space. May I be filled with the spirit of my Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember
A clear morning scatters nightmares.
Have I gained freedom simply because one day I was weak and the next day I became suddenly strong? Have I changed from the helpless and hopeless person I once seemed to be simply by resolving, from now on, things will be different? Is the fact that I am more comfortable today than ever before the result of my own will power? Can I take credit for pulling myself up by my own bootstraps? I know better, for I sought refuge in a Power greater than myself a Power that is still beyond my ability to visualize.
Do I consider the change in my life a miracle far beyond the working of any human power?
Today I Pray
As the days of abstinence lengthen, and the moment of decision becomes farther behind me, may I never lose sight of the Power that changed my life. May I remember that my abstinence is an ongoing miracle, not just a once-in-a-lifetime transformation.
Today I Will Remember
Life is an ongoing miracle.
One of the most constructive things I can do is to learn to listen to myself and get in touch with my true feelings. For years, I tuned myself out, going along, instead, with what others felt and said. Even today, itsometimes seems that they have it all together, while Im still stumbling around. Thankfully, Im beginning to understand that people-pleasing takes many forms. Slowly but steadily, Ive also begun to realize that itspossible for me to change my old patterns.
Will I encourage myself to tune in to the real me? Will I listen carefully to my own inner voice with the expectation that Ill hear some wonderful things?
Today I Pray
I pray that I may respect myself enough to listen to my real feelings, those emotions that for so long I refused to hear or name or own, emotions that festered in me like a poison. May I know that I need to stop often, look at my feelings, listen to the inner me.
Today I Will Remember
I will own my feelings
The longer Im in the Gamblers Anonymous Program, the more clearly I see why its important for me to understand why I do what I do, and say what I say. In the process, Im coming to realize what kind of person I really am. I see now, for example, that its far easier to be honest with other people than with myself. Im learning also that were all hampered by our need to justify our actions and words.
Have I taken an inventory of myself as suggested in the Twelve Steps? Have I admitted my faults to myself and to another human being?
Today I Pray
May I not be stalled in my recovery process by the enormity of the Program's Fourth Step taking a moral and financial inventory of myself or by admitting these shortcomings to myself and to another human being. May I know that honesty to myself about myself is all-important.
Today I Will Remember
I cannot mend if I bend the truth.
FEBRUARY 2 Reflection for the Day
Looking back, I realize just how much of my life has been spent in dwelling upon the faults of others. It provided much self-satisfaction, to be sure, but I see now just how subtle and actually perverse the process became. After all was said and done, the net effect of dwelling on the so-called faults of others was self-granted permission to remain comfortably unaware of my own defects.
Do I still point my finger at others and thus self-deceptively overlook my own shortcomings?
Today I Pray
May I see that my preoccupation with the faults of others is really a smokescreen to keep me from taking a hard look at my own, as well as a way to bolster my own failing ego. May I check out the whys of my blaming.
Today I Will Remember
Blame-saying is game-playing.
FEBRUARY 3 Reflection for the Day
Gamblers Anonymous enables us to discover two roadblocks that keep us from seeing the value and comfort of the spiritual approach: self-justification and self-righteousness. The first grimly assures me that Im always right. The second mistakenly comforts me with the delusion that Im better than other people holier than thou.
Just for today, will I pause abruptly while rationalizing and ask myself why I am doing this, and whether my self-justification is really honest?
Today I Pray
May I overcome the need to be always right and know the cleansing feeling of release that comes with admitting, openly, a mistake. May I be wary of setting myself up as an example of self-control and fortitude, and give credit where it is due to a Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember
To err is human, but I need to admit it.
Thanks, as always, for posting these!
I just wanted to say I'm hoping all is good and wanted to wish you the very best for the upcoming procedure you mentioned a while back- Godspeed!
Jay
Take Care and God Bless
Ken L YBIR
Rare is the recovering compulsive gambler who will now dispute the fact that denial is a primary symptom of the illness. The Gamblers Anonymous Program teaches us that compulsive gambling actually tells the afflicted person that he or she really isnt sick at all. Not surprisingly, then, our lives as addictive gamblers were characterized by endless rationalizations and dishonesty and, in short, a steadfast unwillingness to accept the fact that we were, without question, emotionally and mentally different from our fellows.
Have I admitted to my innermost self that I am truly powerless over my compulsion to gamble?
Today I Pray
May the First Step be not half-hearted for me, but a total admission of powerlessness over my addiction. May I rid myself of that first symptom denial which refuses to recognize any other symptom of my illness.
Today I Will Remember
Deny denial.
FEBRUARY 5 Reflection for the Day
If I am troubled, worried, exasperated, or frustrated, do I tend to rationalize the situation and lay the blame on someone else? When I am in such a state, is my conversation punctuated with, He did., She said., They did.,? Or can I honestly admit that perhaps Im at fault. My peace of mind depends on overcoming my negative attitudes and my tendency to rationalize.
Will I try, day by day, to be rigorously honest with myself?
Today I Pray
May I catch myself as I talk in the third person, He did, or They promised, or She said she would and listen for the blaming that has become such a pattern for me and preserves delusion. May I do a turnabout and face myself instead.
Today I Will Remember
Honesty is the only policy.
FEBRUARY 6 Reflection for the Day
I used to be an expert at unrealistic self-appraisal. At certain times, I would look only at that part of my life that seemed good. Then I would magnify whatever real or imagined virtues I had attained. Next, I would pat myself on the back for the fantastic job I was doing in the Program. Naturally, this generated a craving for still more accomplishments and still greater approval. Wasnt that the pattern of my days during active addiction? The difference now, though, is that I can use the best alibi known the spiritual alibi.
Do I sometimes rationalize willful actions and nonsensical behavior in the name of spiritual objectives?
Today I Pray
God help me to know if I still crave attention and approval to the point of inflating my own virtues and magnifying my accomplishments in the Program or anywhere. May I keep a realistic perspective about my good points, even as I learn to respect myself.
Today I Will Remember
Learn to control inflation.
FEBRUARY 7 Reflection for the Day
Honesty is a word I had to be reacquainted with. Before coming to Gamblers Anonymous, I bounced lies and half-truths around so often in my head that I believed they were all true. Today I strive for rigorous honesty with myself and with others. Above all, I must always remain honest with myself about where the credit for my recovery belongs with my Higher Power and the Fellowship of GA.
Have I accepted the fact that self-deception can only damage me, providing a clouded and unrealistic picture of the person I really am?
Today I Pray
May God allow me to push aside my curtain of fibs, alibis, rationalizations, justifications, distortions, and downright lies and let in the light on the real truths about myself. May I meet the person I really am and take comfort in the person I can become.
Today I Will Remember
Hello, Me. Meet the real Me.
FEBRUARY 8 Reflection for the Day
When we first stopped gambling, it was an enormous relief to find that the people we met in the Gamblers Anonymous Program seemed quite different than those apparently hostile masses we know as they. We were met, not with criticism and suspicion, but with understanding and concern. However, we still encounter people who get on our nerves, both within the Program and outside it. Obviously, we must begin to accept the fact that there are people wholl sometimes say things we disagree with, or do things we dont like.
Am I beginning to see that learning to live with differences is essential to my comfort and, in turn, to my continuing recovery?
Today I Pray
May I recognize that peoples differences make our world go around and tolerate people who rub me the wrong way. May I understand that I must give them room, that some of my hostile attitudes toward others may be leftovers from the unhealthy days when I tended to view others as mobilized against me.
Today I Will Remember
Learn to live with differences.
FEBRUARY 9 Reflection for the Day
The slogan Live and Let Live can be extremely helpful when we are having trouble tolerating other peoples behaviour. We know for certain that nobodys behaviour no matter how offensive, distasteful, or vicious is worth the price of a relapse. Our own recovery is primary, and while we must be unafraid of walking away from people or situations that cause us discomfort, we must also make a special effort to try to understand other people especially those who rub us the wrong way.
Can I accept the fact that, in my recovery, it is more important to understand than to be understood?
Today I Pray
When I run headlong into someones unpleasant behaviour, may I first try my best to understand. Then, if my abstinence from gambling seems threatened, may I have the courage to remove myself from the situation.
Today I Will Remember
Live and let live.
yes,
making better choices and using better coping skills.
I must keep recovery in the forefront and
take myself out of situations that could affect my recovery.
thank you Ken.