FREEDOM!
What does this word mean to you? Often, we talk about celebrating freedom but does the average American citizen experience the celebrating aspect of freedom? Actually, the focus of this entry takes another look at freedom: this time with the recovery-eye view. And celebrating is truly heart-felt!
Many of my friends in recovery talk about freedom as the opposite of oppression. Their new lives, sans the active throws of addiction, no longer experience the domination of fear, explosive anger, deceit, remorse, shame, and/or blame. Preoccupation with having to gamble, ordering their days around the time of mail delivery, or creating alibis for absences at important events: all gone now ... and what a relief!
Indeed, what kinds of oppression does a compulsive gambler experience, in addition to the obvious pressure to obtain more and more money with which to gamble? Interestingly, the Twenty Questions, included within the Gamblers Anonymous Yellow Combo Book, reveal many different forms of oppression in the lives of problem and pathological gamblers.
Take a look at the below questions and see how each could keep an individual held in a personal prison of oppression.
- Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
- Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
- Did gambling affect your reputation?
- Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
- Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
- Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
- After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
- After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
- Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
- Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
- Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
- Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
- Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
- Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
- Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom or loneliness?
- Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
- Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
- Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
- Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
- Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?
NOTE!
According to GA literature, most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.
Recovering compulsive gamblers in Gamblers Anonymous testify to new found freedom ... freedom to think clearly, to enjoy friendship and encouragement, to speak the truth without fear, to care for others and to care for themselves, and to grow spiritually.
For more information on Gamblers Anonymous go to http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/
Also, check out http://www.gam-anon.org/ for Gam-Anon, the support organization for loved ones of problem gamblers.
For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, go to http://www.grmumc.org/
Rev. Janet Jacobs
Director, Gambling Recovery Ministries
