Anger toward Gambler's Anonymous

or...toward ALL currently available resources.

I see a lot of that.

Some of what I see is…people who have tried to stop gambling…have attended gambler’s anonymous and the program hasn’t worked for them.

Then…suddenly….they find something else….a way out.

When we finally DO find a way out…we seem to think “WOW!! So THIS is the secret!!...THIS is what one has to do in order to overcome addiction! If only I’d known SOONER!!”

Then….some people get angry….

They may be angry because they feel like people at g.a. had information that might’ve helped them….but it wasn’t offered freely…..

or it could be that they were told things (like g.a. is the only solution to this problem) that they have since discovered to be false….

maybe they just need to be angry at someone…..

The thing is…

When we DO find a way out..and we think “WOW!! So THIS is the secret!!...THIS is what one has to do in order to overcome addiction! If only I’d known SOONER!!”

We sometimes fail to realize that this was OUR way out.

We start thinking…that the existing establishments (g.a., etc.) have it all wrong…or at least, are lacking something – and that we need to FIX those things…so that people can get the help they need! (remove the emphasis on God in g.a., for example)

What we fail to realize is….

G.A. *IS* the answer for many people…..the people who are successfully overcoming addiction in 12 step programs…they tried other things (I imagine very few people show up at a meeting without trying, at least, to stop on their own)….other things DIDN’T work for them….then….when they finally ‘got’ it….and broke free…they thought “WOW!! So THIS is the secret!!...THIS is what one has to do in order to overcome addiction! If only I’d known SOONER!!”…so NOW….they are trying to save OTHER’s the same grief that THEY went thru……they think…THEIR way is THE way.

Some people get everything they need from internet sources….and/or from networking with other people in recovery….or maybe they just do it all by themselves…

And then…they think…THEIR way is THE way…and that they must…SHOW people ‘THE’ way….

Why can’t we see….that….when we do that…when we think that way…*WE* are doing the exact same thing that we are angry at *THEM* for doing.

G.A. is fine just like it is….it is helping people…it is saving lives…..it is helping the people who need g.a. to recover.

The different internet sites….they are fine just like they are….they are saving lives…..each is helping the people who need THAT particular type of site to recover.

If *YOU* have found something that works for *YOU*…that is WONDERFUL!!!!!

Find a way to reach out to others that may be LIKE YOU….there are many people who are NOT helped by current available methods….SOME of those people….might need the information that you have to offer them….
(maybe hang out at some of those internet sites..to offer your experience to people who are still searching for their solution).

But.…what you have discovered will NOT work for some….

And that is OK

But….the existing resources have their place….’as is’.

Ummmm…all except for the “If you don’t work THIS program you are doomed to remain in the addiction” attitude…which, by the way…is not in any of the (12 step) literature….that comes from PEOPLE….who, as we all know…are not perfect.

g.a. is helping people
gamcare is helping people
safe harbor is helping people
gettingpastgambling is helping people
gordon house, smart recovery, rational recovery...there are MANY resources that are helping people....

if something is missing....if something else should be offered....OFFER SOMETHING ELSE.

Related posts:
Pushy People in Recovery
What About G.A.?
Paths to Recovery