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      paul315
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      Page 17,
      TO ALL GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY THE NEW GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS:
       
      1. Attend as many meetings as possible per week. MEETINGS MAKE IT.
      2. Telephone other members as often as possible between meetings. USE THE TELEPHONE LIST!
      3. Don’t test or tempt yourself. Don’t associate with acquaintances who gamble. Don’t go in or near gambling establishments. DON’T GAMBLE FOR ANYTHING.
      4. Live the Gamblers Anonymous Program ONE DAY AT A TIME. Don’t try to solve all your problems at once.
      5. Read the RECOVERY and UNITY steps often and continuously review the Twenty Questions. Follow the steps in your daily affairs. These steps are the basis for the entire Gamblers Anonymous Program and practicing them is the key to your growth. Get involved and be of service. If you have any questions, ask them of your Trusted Servants and Sponsors.
      6. GET A SPONSOR, IT IS DIFFICULT TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN. Sponsorship gives an opportunity for members to work on a one-on-one basis to achieve recovery by sharing, practicing and working the 12 steps of recovery.
      7. A pressure Relief Group meeting may help alleviate legal, employment ,financial or personal pressures. Adherence to it will aid in your recovery.
      8. BE PATIENT! The days and weeks will pass soon enough, and as you regularly attend meetings, abstain from gambling and follow the guidelines on this page, you will experience continued recovery.
                                                            – 17-
       
      The above reprint of part of the GA Yellow Book begins my using a new topic to voice my thoughts on the different ways and means I follow to work and practice my recovery and life gambling free. Paragraph 8 reminds us that to be able to experience continued recovery, we need to "follow the guidelines of this page". For me, following the guidelines is done to the "best of my ability" and is governed not only by my understanding of them, but by my actual living the more normal and better way of life that being gambling free provides. The guidelines are a course to follow and are not the only suggestions or advice that are helpful to stop gambling.
      I would also like to stress that I reconizize that being a member of GA may not be the right program for everyone — however, it is the right program for me, and I think that it will work for others, but only when they face squarely the facts about the illness, and are willing to work the program; it works if your work it, it don’t if you wont. Nevertheless, I think that the principles and guidelines of the GA program are a good outline to follow with any program.
      Now my thoughts: 
      Page 17, para 1:    Attend as many meetings as possible per week. MEETINGS MAKE IT.
      Attending meetings for me include going to GA meetings, my visits and participation in GT, reaching out to others, my reading and searching out other information concerning gambling and recovery, and my daily meditations. Meetings do make it and if not for all the different sources available to me I would not benefit from "meetings". These other types of meetings do not however take away or replace a need for live meetings with other fellow gamblers and the strength that is gained by making the extra effort, or even the sacrifice at times, to attend a live meeting.
      GA suggest that new members "attend 90 meetings in 90 days", and other CGs actually do this and need the actual meetings everyday in their recovery — finding the time should not be a problem for most, after all many found time to gamble everyday. A problem in finding a meeting may be a problem though and put a damper on this need — meeting sites and times are not as available or promenade as the 24-hour gambling venues, so broadening the definition of a meeting can help fulfill the need for contiounious meetings and provide for advancement in our early stages. I know that my use of these "other" meetings has allowed me to attend a meeting everyday of my recovery, not just the first 90 days.
      Page 17, para 8:   BE PATIENT! The days and weeks will pass soon enough, and as you regularly attend meetings, abstain from gambling and follow the guidelines on this page, you will experience continued recovery.
      The first and last paragraphs of Page 17 allows for the room needed for the remaining six to take place. Attending meetings and being patient do go hand and hand, and I think that if the sequence of these 8 paragraphs were based on need, being patient would be a good contender for being first.
      When we start our recovery we expect instant change and an immediate end to the control our addiction has over us; we expect the program to do all that is necessary without us doing anything — this is even one of the characteristics of being a compulsive gambler; "A desire to have all the good things in life without any great effort on our part". This is not the case, we have to work on recovery and change, and these things take time.
      One Day At A Time applies to many of the aspects of recovery, e.g.; taking the time and having patience to solve both the problems that were caused by our gambling, and the everyday problems that we will continue to experience even as we live gambling free; being patient in our recovery from the loss of monies and other material things; and being patient in having trust and acceptance restored to us by those we hurt. Everything that is needed to make our lives better takes time. The only immediate things that will change is that we will not have to deal with any additional problems brought about by more gambling, and the better feeling that we have in doing something about our situation.
      Recovery takes time and effort, doing this requires patience.
       
      This ends today’s journaling, I will share my thoughts on the other six para grafts in the days to come. If others have any views or suggestions concerning the subject, "TO ALL GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY THE NEW GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS", I would appreciate hearing from you.Larry

      Thanks to my Higher Power, My 3G’s – God, GA, and GT,  "Day Two Is Another Day Behind" and with the help from all , I will continue to remain gambling free.
      God’s speed. Stay strong. Keep aware. — 10/8/2011 12:53:03 AM: post edited by paul315.

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