Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a self-supporting, international
organization geared toward helping men and women with a
compulsive gambling problem. Modeled after the spiritual
program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), GA members meet regularly
at designated locations to share with other members their
experiences with compulsive gambling, and steps they subsequently
have taken to cope with accompanying problems. The only
requirement for membership, in which everyone’s identities
are protected through usage of a person’s first name
and last initial only, is the goal of eventually becoming
abstinent from gambling. However, even those who continue
to gamble are encouraged to keep attending. The act of freely
talking about one’s problems in a group setting often
has a positive therapeutic effect which can help arrest
compulsive gambling behavior for both speaker and listener.
For more information, including meeting locations in your
area, contact:
Gamblers Anonymous International
Service Office
Los Angeles:
P.O. Box 17173
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Tel: 1-213-386-8789
Fax: 1-213-386-0030
E-mail: isomain@gamblersanonymous.org
URL: www.gamblersanonymous.org
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont:
Tel: 1-617-338-6020
E-mail: info@newenglandga.com
URL: www.newenglandga.com
Bettors Anonymous (Eastern
Massachusetts only)
Similar to Gamblers Anonymous, Bettors Anonymous (BA) is
also a self-supporting organization whose mission is to
help members arrest a compulsive betting problem. Members
meet regularly to “share their experience, strength
and hope with each other that they may solve their common
problem and help others recover from a gambling problem.”
Unlike Gamblers Anonymous, BA literature adheres more closely
to the language used in the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous.
For more information, including meeting locations in Massachusetts,
visit: www.bettorsanonymous.org,
or call 1-978-988-1777 or 1-781-662-5199
Gam-Anon (For those affected
by a loved one’s gambling)
Gam-Anon is a self-supporting national organization of men
and women who meet regularly at designated locations to
help manage problems created by a loved one’s gambling.
Modeled similarly after Al-anon (a self-help group for those
impacted by a loved one’s excessive drinking), Gam-Anon
members learn how to take responsibility for their own lives
by distinguishing those areas over which they have control
from those over which they do not. As in many other addiction-based
self-help groups, Gam-Anon members remain anonymous by using
only first names and last initials. There is believed to
be great therapeutic value in talking about one’s
inner thoughts and experiences within a group setting. Many
Gam-Anon members have benefited significantly from attending
meetings.
For further information contact:
Gam-Anon International Service Office, Inc.
PO Box 157
Whitestone, NY 11357
Tel: 1-718-352-1671
return
to Resources Overview page
