Sunday, December 16, 2018


Post 112

JOY!

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, God of love;

Joys are flowing like a river since the Comforter has come; 

The Joy of the Lord is my strength; 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come …



JOY!  We see and hear this word often during the weeks before Christmas:  crocheted on pillows,  large-letters on fireplace mantles, expressions in cards, spoken within sermons, and today – the third Sunday of Advent – proclaimed while a candle (pink usually) is lit. During the four weeks approaching December 25, Christian worship centers upon the concepts of HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE in preparation for the birth of Jesus, the Christ … the Promised Messiah. 

Within past GRM Blog Posts, I have spoken much about HOPE but hardly at all about JOY.  I preached on joy this morning and would like to share some thoughts on this very topic.

If the question were asked:  what is JOY OR  define JOY … we may hear “happiness”  as an immediate answer.  Other replies might be “excitement”  OR  “thrilling”.   However, none of these were in the above song lines.  I thought, also, of other expressions such as exhilaration, delight, intense pleasure, elation. 

As I take another look at this list, it appears to me that they describe more of a surface response to something very positive – a special happening on a human level … nothing wrong with that – as long as it’s a healthy situation, of course!  A person wins an award, attains recognition, experiences a particularly happy event, receives a gift … happy situations, indeed. 



But let’s dig deeper … with JOY.  The late Henri Nouwen, theologian and priest, speaks of JOY in his book entitled, Bread for the Journey and he places this article under the title of  “Choosing Joy”.  To be sure, humans do not react to the same circumstances in the same way: a comedy may not be perceived as humorous; a compliment could be taken as a slight; disappointing turns in a relationship bring a sense of freedom.  One response may be devastation while another looks deeper and asks, God, where are You in this? What is Your plan for me now?   



With the assurance that God knows each one of us completely and intimately,  JOY comes from our holding on to God’s promise of  His divine presence that will accompany us, no matter what.

God knows us through and through: God knows our bodies, our minds, our emotions, and our spirits … and still, God loves us through and through.  God WILL NOT leave us alone – though we may feel differently.  JOY then, comes to us – and becomes a living part of us – when  we openly receive the peace God is offering in order for us to accept and respond, in trust, to God’s wisdom and divine plan for us. 



JOY is found in what I’ll call our “heart-memories”  … our recall of times when we know that we know  that God spoke to us … when, by divine mystery, God lifted the veil between heaven and earth - and we experienced a glory that could never be explained in human terms.  JOY reassures that the divine is real - and the Risen Christ is present  for  us. 



It is at those times and circumstances when we can meet Christ in our midst – in sickness, in health, in sorrow, in normal everyday times.  Practicing the presence of God anytime – anywhere, ushers in the divine – and the depth of God’s nearness, care, love, strength, and peace.   IT  IS JOY when we behold and recognize this!!



There is still another aspect of JOY:  I have read true-life accounts and spoken with persons who have experienced unthinkably sad, unfair, and/or devastating tragedy.  Yet these folks, as well, have encountered God in unexpected, empowering, and even miraculous ways.  To hear their stories and to see the expressions on their faces of peace and joy re-presents the work of God within human life.       



If we regard JOY as a gifted presence of the divine in our individual lives, then, is it not wondrous that the Triune God: Father/Son/Holy Spirit also experiences JOY when we do?!!   

Think of this:  when JOY comes to us through a recalling of a heart-memory  OR  a present happening, God is sharing this same JOY with us!  In other words, we are at-one with God.  We are experiencing the same  JOY together!



Recall … Recognize … Reveal!



JOY comes when we recall and recognize God;



and



JOY comes when we experience God’s revealing God’s JOY with  us!



May you experience the true blessings of joy: God-with-us!



Rev. Janet Jacobs, CCGSO

Founding Director

Gambling Recovery Ministries






For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, visit:                                                                                                                                                       

































Monday, November 12, 2018


Post 111

GIVING - THANKS  SCREEN:  MODEL # 3



As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, my reviewing-the-year-thoughts have started in earnest.  Asking myself what progress has been made on personal goals and new year’s resolutions (made months ago), the idea to reformat a diagnostic tool into a Giving-Thanks Screen began to take shape.

That was seven years ago – 2011 – and there was very positive feedback from the recovering community.  Last fall, in Post 100, I wrote, “Recently, it has crossed my mind that being thankful, as well as proactively looking for reasons to be thankful, provide very effective antidotes for maintaining recovery-strength and serenity.”  Indeed, gratitude is recognizing both the little (immediate) and the big (wider range) pictures.  Being thankful keeps us balanced between an ever-present search for satisfaction/comfort/happiness and a perpetual sense of fear/anger/hopelessness. 

At the Mid-Central Disordered Gambling Symposium held last month in Indiana, the focus was on the family.  Over two days, we continued to hear not only recovery testimonies from gamblers but also from family members, who have their own recovery journeys. Now with Thanksgiving Day rapidly approaching, I offer a third Giving-Thanks Screen. 

This time, the inspiration for such a model comes from lessons-learned and wisdom-gained by veteran Gam-Anon members.  Definitely, the loved ones, friends, and associates of persons with disordered gambling are impacted, as well, by the controls of a world caught in and ruled by another’s addiction.  Obviously, finances need to be addressed and restructured.  However, self-image, lifestyle, and personal responses can, also, become severely affected.  Still, the good news is that there is hope and there is real help for recovery too! 

Thus Model #3 of the Giving-Thanks Screen tests the responses of those impacted by another’s gambling addiction.  Realistically, being co-dependent with a disordered gambler calls for serious recovery work … but it is do-able!  Gam-Anon members share encouragement and ways to find strength, peace, confidence - and yes, security and stability. 

Once more, the following items are formatted as thankfulness questions.  As I have said before: prayerfully, each will not only provide progress-assessments, but also measurable reasons to give  thanks!

1.      Do you give thanks for having recognizable – and do-able – priorities?

2.      Are you thankful for days and nights not controlled by fear?

3.      Are you grateful for Gam-Anon Meetings wherein you can learn from others and share your own lessons-learned, as well?

4.      Do you, thankfully, practice letting go of the things you cannot change?

5.      Are you thankful for the growing relationship you have with your Higher Power? 

6.      Is your day spent in a mode of thanks-living now that you are experiencing a better sense of balance and control in your life?

7.      Do you experience thankfulness for new-found ways of honestly expressing yourself and having the assurance and courage to speak your own opinions?

8.      Are you grateful for ways in which you are caring for yourself in body, mind, and spirit?

9.      Do you feel thankful for active experiences in new involvements outside of your home?

10.  Do you give thanks for moments of humor,  times of glass-full  optimism, and a growing sense of peace?

11.  Are you grateful for being able to accept the acceptance of what you can change and  what you cannot?



Once again, do you tell yourself THANK YOU!

for saying

YES to RECOVERY?

MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING

BE ABUNDANTLY BLESSED!!!



Blessings, 

Rev. Janet Jacobs, CCGSO

Founding Director

Gambling Recovery Ministries






For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, visit:                                                                                                                                                      






























Friday, October 26, 2018


Post 110



WORDS MATTER!

 to mask or not to mask

 to stigmatize or to bring hope



My favorite elementary school holiday was Halloween.  Why??  At lunch time, we would leave school – as our own selves - go home to eat, and then return to school as a completely different person/character/animal or thing.  We were to sit at any desk we desired – especially not our own!  That was the best part of the afternoon for me … my last name at the end of the alphabet no longer dictated a seat at the back of the classroom – for once!  
Then too, there was something liberating about being someone (or thing) other than ourselves.  For a short time (before the guess-who-this-is contest), we were, somehow, on a different planet; and there was a quasi-sense of equality among us.  Words and names do matter!

Recently, I have heard much about how words do matter … the choice of wording does, indeed, have power!  For worse, one can minimalize, magnetize, or characterize; however, for better, one can maximize care and understanding … and help others to realize, more clearly, the reality of conditions and actions taken.

The following is a list of contrasting terms – realistic and understanding as compared to inaccurate and/or demeaning.  


·       Person in active addiction or person with a gambling disorder

         not  addict, junkie, user, degenerate, addicted gambler, hopeless ____

·       Substance use disorder

not habit  (minimizes / ignores the medical nature of the condition)

·       Dependence, dependent

not abuse

·       Addiction free, substance free, or in remission

not clean, sober (clean may imply that the person active-in-addiction is dirty)

·       Person in long-term recovery, person in recovery, non-smoker

not ex-addict, former-smoker, ex-drug addict

·       Medication-assisted treatmenttreatment

not  on-methadone, Suboxone addict, replacement addiction

·       Recurrence, resumed

not lapse, relapse, slip



Once more, let us remember: 
                                             the choice of wording does matter –

      words can help and convey hope

 but stigma hurts and destroys.


Blessings, 

Rev. Janet Jacobs, CCGSO

Founding Director

Gambling Recovery Ministries




For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, visit:                                                                                                                                                       
www.indianaproblemgambling.org






www.pgnohio.org






Sunday, September 9, 2018


Post 109



September is Recovery Month … for the others too!



Why do I need to attend a meeting?  I’m not the one who lost our savings.  I don’t keep all hours of the night in unknown places.  I go to family gatherings and certainly don’t miss important events!  Lies, lies, lies: that’s all I hear!  Commonly, these are the thoughts and words spoken by the others – family members and friends impacted by a love one’s disordered gambling.  They are often expressed when a person attends their first few meetings of Gam-Anon – the support organization for family and friends of problem gamblers.

Of course!  Anger, fear, anxiety, denial and even guilt, sadly, have taken over those highly impacted by the addiction of a loved one or close associate.  Most likely, reality in their world is deeply changed from what it had been.  A stranger has now entered the relationship.  Communication is strained, guarded, and often filled with two-way accusations.  Addiction’s illness orchestrates their lives.  The gambler’s compulsion has to bet.  The others obsess over the known and unknown dangers of instability and distrust.  Will their lives ever return to “normal” again?

The others upon first attending the fellowship of Gam-Anon may be shocked to hear folks talking about their individual recoveries: that is, recovery from living a life filled with fear, anger, denial, and guilt.  The members speak, instead, of serenity, faith in their High Power’s wisdom, and trusting themselves.  There’s acceptance of reality – and courage to forge ahead following the 12 Steps to Recovery. Instead of denying the dangers of ever present addiction, they make tough decisions to preserve their family and their own sanity.  The “what ifs” of an anxiety-ridden world no longer reign in a new one-day-at-a-time present.  The compulsive gambler may live a secret life of addiction; but the Gam-Anon member works his/her program of serenity to deal with the concrete realities of survival and recovery.     

Gam-Anon International Service Office has a treasure trove of great reads for persons impacted by a loved one’s disordered gambling; and their 52 Gam-Anon Meditations is superb!   Check out www.gam-anon.org, email at gamanonoffice@gam-anon.org, or call (718) 352-1671.

One more recommendation:  the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling will be presenting the INDIANA FALL DISORDERED GAMBLING TRAINING EVENT  FOCUSING  ON THE FAMILY on October 24-25 at the Lawrenceburg (Indiana) Event Center.  This is a FREE event offering up to 13 CEU’s.  Keynote speaker is Bea Aikens, founder of  Lanie’s Hope, a national advocacy group dedicated to illuminating and humanizing the disease of disordered gambling.  For registration information, call (317) 632-1364 or e-mail  christinagray@indianaproblemgambling.org.  Registration will be open soon and space is limited for this excellent conference!

May this month of September be RECOVERY month for ALL!

Blessings,



Rev. Janet Jacobs, CCGSO

Founding Director

Gambling Recovery Ministries






For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, visit:                                                                                                                                                       
































    

Wednesday, August 15, 2018



POST 108


For release from the National Council on Problem Gambling:

The [United States of America] Department of Defense generates $100 million each year from the 3,141 slot machines on overseas bases. Slot machines have been outlawed on domestic military installations since 1951. The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that as many as 56,000 active duty members of the Armed Forces meet criteria for gambling disorder.



The following article details information about the H.R. 5515: John S. McCain


National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019   and the new provision that allows for Gambling Disorder screening.  I am including this for the August 2018 edition of the GRM Blog. 



Gambling Disorder Screening Provision Included in the National Defense Authorization Act 2019



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2018

CONTACT:  Cait Huble
202-360-4560



WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, August 13, 2018 President Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA) that includes a provision requiring members of the Armed Forces to be screened for gambling addiction. This has been a top legislative priority for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) for the past 16 years. Gambling disorder screening questions were included in large scale surveys of active duty personnel throughout the 1990’s until 2002, when the questions were removed. 

Section 733 of the House Armed Services Committee Report 115-874 requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to incorporate medical screening questions specific to gambling disorder in the next annual periodic health assessment conducted by the Department as well as in the Health Related Behaviors Surveys of Active-Duty and reserve component service members. The Secretary of Defense is required to submit a report to Congress on the findings of the assessment and surveys in connection with the prevalence of gambling disorder among service members.

NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte said “Previous DoD surveys have found active duty personnel are two to three times more likely to have gambling problems than civilians. Better detection of gambling problems improves overall health and reduces social costs. Undetected gambling addiction exacerbates substance use disorders, depression and suicidal behavior.”

Whyte continued “NCPG strongly believes military personnel need and deserve effective gambling addiction prevention, education, treatment, enforcement, research, responsible gaming and recovery services. With the provision requiring members of the Armed Forces to be screened for gambling addiction, championed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, we take a vital step to improving the lives of service members and their families.”

The DoD generates $100 million each year from the 3,141 slot machines on overseas bases. Slot machines have been outlawed on domestic military installations since 1951. The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that as many as 56,000 active duty members of the Armed Forces meet criteria for gambling disorder.



About the National Council on Problem Gambling

NCPG is the national advocate for problem gamblers and their families. NCPG is neutral on legalized gambling and works with all stakeholders to promote responsible gaming. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit  www.ncpgambling.org/chat  for confidential help.

To schedule an interview with Keith Whyte, please contact Cait Huble at 202-360-4560 or CaitH@ncpgambling.org .
                                                                ###

After reviewing this information, I have one very basic question: If gambling disorder is indicated [and obviously from previous statistics, it will be], what are the next  nonpunitive  steps to be taken by the Department of Defense?
In other words, what responsibility/obligation will the DoD assume and implement to care for and assist personnel into recovery?  

Blessings,

Rev. Janet Jacobs, CCGSO
Founding Director
Gambling Recovery Ministries


For more information on problem gambling and recovery issues, visit: