Does Gamblers Annonymous work?

smitch124 · 03-02-09, 12:18 AM

I've rarely seen it work before someone bottoms out unfortunately...

chet · 03-02-09, 12:19 AM

it worked for chet.

Nicky Santoro · 03-02-09, 12:25 AM

I'll never forget the time i went there in 1989 when i was losing money and i had enough.. It was a monday night and i went to the group meeting and i'll never forget what happened. everyone was introducing themselves and saying what their weakness was.. and then it came my turn and i said, hi my name is Nicky, and i have a gambling problem.. everyone then said, Hi Nicky.... and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

I won that bet too.. I had Dallas over washington.. but i was banned from ever going there again after that night.

onthewhat · 03-02-09, 12:27 AM

Originally posted by Nicky Santoro

I'll never forget the time i went there in 1989 when i was losing money and i had enough.. It was a monday night and i went to the group meeting and i'll never forget what happened. everyone was introducing themselves and saying what their weakness was.. and then it came my turn and i said, hi my name is Nicky, and i have a gambling problem.. everyone then said, Hi Nicky.... and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

I won that bet too.. I had Dallas over washington.. but i was banned from ever going there again after that night.

unknown Gambler · 03-02-09, 12:33 AM

i went once years ago, i was wearing a detroit tiger baseball cap,one memeber suggested i take it off, so i replied, hahah,you don`t like the tigers he replied back i have no idea who the tigers are,but because it`s a sports team cap this might make another GA member start to gamble again, so at the smoking break when they all went out for a smoke i went to my car and took off the cap and returned with a cap that said Borgata, just to quitly make my point that no one can tell me what to wear, we`ll that didnt go down we`ll, so i grabbed 3 donoughts never to return again.

Nicky Santoro · 03-02-09, 12:37 AM

yeah they did have some great donuts at GA. i used to steal some and put them in my coat pockets.. sometimes i'd fill all my pockets with like 9 donuts, go to the car, empty them, then go back and refill some more donuts in my pockets again.. they were always fresh.. and delicious.

bobbyfk · 03-02-09, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by chet

it worked for chet.

are you Sammy's buddy?

Mudcat · 03-02-09, 01:40 AM

GA works if you work it. If you want to change and want help and are ready to put in the effort it is great. It saves lives and families.

If you're playing games it is unlikely to work.

I am guessing Nicky's story is supposed to be funny but just to be clear, it is nonsense. You don't get banned from GA for gambling. It's ridiculous - makes no sense.

Everyone there has gambled and understands. That's why it works. Everyone is in the same boat - just at different stages. If you left a meeting to place bets they would encourage you to keep coming back, preferably when you were serious.

tacomax · 03-02-09, 01:47 AM

Originally posted by Mudcat

I am guessing Nicky's story is supposed to be funny but just to be clear, it is nonsense..

What? Nicky makes a post that's complete bullshit? That's crazy talk.

frostno98 · 03-02-09, 01:57 AM

Does quit drinking beer on the Weekend works? The answers is no, not possible unless your locked up or stuck in a place or country that inhibits you from wagering.

Nicky Santoro · 03-02-09, 02:20 AM

Originally posted by Mudcat

I am guessing Nicky's story is supposed to be funny but just to be clear, it is nonsense. You don't get banned from GA for gambling. It's ridiculous - makes no sense.

I showed up again the following monday night and when he saw me, he told me to get out, and when i refused, he told me if i didn't leave, he'd call the police..

so i left, but before i left, i went to the kitchen where they had fresh donuts, and i stuffed 9 more donuts in my pockets, and 2 cans of coke and got the hell out fast.

it was worth getting thrown out. those donuts were awesome.

TPowell · 03-02-09, 02:21 AM

nicky, posts up donuts down

unknown Gambler · 03-02-09, 02:24 AM

my name is unknown and im a compulsive gambler.......................HI UNKNOWN!

Tsoprano · 03-02-09, 02:34 AM

Originally posted by Nicky Santoro

I'll never forget the time i went there in 1989 when i was losing money and i had enough.. It was a monday night and i went to the group meeting and i'll never forget what happened. everyone was introducing themselves and saying what their weakness was.. and then it came my turn and i said, hi my name is Nicky, and i have a gambling problem.. everyone then said, Hi Nicky.... and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

I won that bet too.. I had Dallas over washington.. but i was banned from ever going there again after that night.

Santo · 03-02-09, 03:15 AM

Originally posted by frostno98

Does quit drinking beer on the Weekend works? The answers is no, not possible unless your locked up or stuck in a place or country that inhibits you from wagering.

Or you have some self-control?

ijustwant2bpaid · 03-02-09, 03:36 AM

do people smoke at ga like na and aa, if so thats a great trade off....

wtf · 03-02-09, 03:51 AM

you know nicky when you left the site for a while i really missed you, because of your post like this

gambling at gamblers anonymous , holy fuk u r a hoot

jjgold · 03-02-09, 05:42 AM

Originally posted by Nicky Santoro

I'll never forget the time i went there in 1989 when i was losing money and i had enough.. It was a monday night and i went to the group meeting and i'll never forget what happened. everyone was introducing themselves and saying what their weakness was.. and then it came my turn and i said, hi my name is Nicky, and i have a gambling problem.. everyone then said, Hi Nicky.... and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

I won that bet too.. I had Dallas over washington.. but i was banned from ever going there again after that night.

Classic

GA works if you go every week, it has been proven

Chi_archie · 03-02-09, 07:40 AM

robzilla is doing his paper for school on G.A.... he said it was a joke (G.A that is) unless you are a religious nut

jjgold · 03-02-09, 08:40 AM

The guys that go back to gambling and were in the program went back because they stopped going to meetings.

mmike032 · 03-02-09, 08:47 AM

It works just like NA/ AA but you have to want to quit first. For the majority of people it takes hitting bottom before they even consider changing. Dont know what the success rate is for GA but for NA/AA the odds are against you.

robzilla · 03-02-09, 08:57 AM

My thesis is that GA is not an effective way of treating a gambling addiction.
This method doesnt work, and its been proven. Only 8% of the people that go to GA actually stop gambling.
so does it work? ya if you enjoy lame meetings that are irrelivant to anything.
A real gambler cant relate to these people. All the people at the meeting I was at were addicted to Slots (totally pathetic im my opinion). They talk like they are the most hardcore of all time, but some didnt know what a bankroll was, and none of them knew what Barrelled in meant lol. One poor bastard was addicted to scratch tickets. Anyways, with todays technology and psychology methods, there has to be a better way of treating this addiction.

pokernut9999 · 03-02-09, 09:04 AM

Originally posted by robzilla

My thesis is that GA is not an effective way of treating a gambling addiction.
This method doesnt work, and its been proven. Only 8% of the people that go to GA actually stop gambling.
so does it work? ya if you enjoy lame meetings that are irrelivant to anything.
A real gambler cant relate to these people. All the people at the meeting I was at were addicted to Slots (totally pathetic im my opinion). They talk like they are the most hardcore of all time, but some didnt know what a bankroll was, and none of them knew what Barrelled in meant lol. One poor bastard was addicted to scratch tickets. Anyways, with todays technology and psychology methods, there has to be a better way of treating this addiction.

So if someone does not know what a bankroll is or what barrelled in is that can not be a compulsvive gambler ? Maybe if you studied this subject more you would realize people can and will lose more in slots than any other form of gambling.

mmike032 · 03-02-09, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by robzilla

My thesis is that GA is not an effective way of treating a gambling addiction.
This method doesnt work, and its been proven. Only 8% of the people that go to GA actually stop gambling.
so does it work? ya if you enjoy lame meetings that are irrelivant to anything.
A real gambler cant relate to these people. All the people at the meeting I was at were addicted to Slots (totally pathetic im my opinion). They talk like they are the most hardcore of all time, but some didnt know what a bankroll was, and none of them knew what Barrelled in meant lol. One poor bastard was addicted to scratch tickets. Anyways, with todays technology and psychology methods, there has to be a better way of treating this addiction.

did you speak with any of the sponsors or old timers that had been there a while and ask them if it helped?
or did you just sit in on a meeting and conclude that it was meaningless.

robzilla · 03-02-09, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by mmike032

did you speak with any of the sponsors or old timers that had been there a while and ask them if it helped?
or did you just sit in on a meeting and conclude that it was meaningless.

I couldnt conclude that sitting around telling "war stories" would help anyone. It was boring and I fail to see how it helps anyone, espeically younger people or women. If you arent a guy and around 40, then u wont be able to relate.

robzilla · 03-02-09, 09:52 AM

Originally posted by pokernut9999

So if someone does not know what a bankroll is or what barrelled in is that can not be a compulsvive gambler ? Maybe if you studied this subject more you would realize people can and will lose more in slots than any other form of gambling.

i was obviously just joking about the barrelled in thing.
Im just saying, it's been proven it doesnt work.

obama our lord · 03-02-09, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by Nicky Santoro

I'll never forget the time i went there in 1989 when i was losing money and i had enough.. It was a monday night and i went to the group meeting and i'll never forget what happened. everyone was introducing themselves and saying what their weakness was.. and then it came my turn and i said, hi my name is Nicky, and i have a gambling problem.. everyone then said, Hi Nicky.... and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

I won that bet too.. I had Dallas over washington.. but i was banned from ever going there again after that night.

I went once a number of years ago, and when it came my turn to talk, I conveyed a number of my experiences. After I spoke, everyone else was like, I've done some stupid things, but I'm not as bad as that guy. So I felt like I helped in my own perverse way.
The meeting didn't make me want to stop gambling. In fact, hearing all these tales of putting it all on the line made me want gamble more.

pokernut9999 · 03-02-09, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by robzilla

i was obviously just joking about the barrelled in thing.
Im just saying, it's been proven it doesnt work.

Nothing is 100% , I know for a fact it has helped many people.

Just like AA, drug rehab and diets it is up to the person on how much they want to change their lives.

mmike032 · 03-02-09, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by robzilla

I couldnt conclude that sitting around telling "war stories" would help anyone. It was boring and I fail to see how it helps anyone, espeically younger people or women. If you arent a guy and around 40, then u wont be able to relate.

IDK cause I've never been to GA but I have attended NA/AA meetings before and I assume its works with the same principles. (ex the 12 steps). Again though, it doesnt work if you have no desire for it to work, which you dont.
Telling war stories is just part of the process. Did they not also work on the steps of recovery after the introduction with the war stories.? Like I said IDK cause never been but this is the structure of AA/NA.
but to say one cant relate unless their in their 40s and play slots in stupid. Thats the same as saying a guy that smokes crack cant relate to a guy that shoots herion. Its not about your personal preferences but the character defaults that result in the behavior and trying to fix them.

robzilla · 03-02-09, 10:38 AM

Originally posted by obama our lord

I went once a number of years ago, and when it came my turn to talk, I conveyed a number of my experiences. After I spoke, everyone else was like, I've done some stupid things, but I'm not as bad as that guy. So I felt like I helped in my own perverse way.
The meeting didn't make me want to stop gambling. In fact, hearing all these tales of putting it all on the line made me want gamble more.

It made me want to gamble too, and I'm not even addicted.

PuckOff · 03-02-09, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by Nicky Santoro

and then as i proceeded to tell my story, i asked the man in charge what time it was, and he said 855 pm.. and i said, oh my god, i gotta run, i got to put in my bet at a phone booth with my bookie before kickoff..

the guy freaked on me and yelled at me and said, get out of here and dont ever show your face here again.. i ran out fast.. I found a phone booth. thank god i just barely got my bet in.

You big smart ass!!

robzilla · 03-02-09, 10:47 AM

Originally posted by mmike032

IDK cause I've never been to GA but I have attended NA/AA meetings before and I assume its works with the same principles. (ex the 12 steps). Again though, it doesnt work if you have no desire for it to work, which you dont.
Telling war stories is just part of the process. Did they not also work on the steps of recovery after the introduction with the war stories.? Like I said IDK cause never been but this is the structure of AA/NA.
but to say one cant relate unless their in their 40s and play slots in stupid. Thats the same as saying a guy that smokes crack cant relate to a guy that shoots herion. Its not about your personal preferences but the character defaults that result in the behavior and trying to fix them.

I say that you wont be able to relate, because these guy all pretty much had the same circumstances. At one time had a good job and life and botched it all by blowing thier cash on gambling.

this is why i think on 8% of the people stick with it. it mixes the medical and religious view of addiction to "cure" the person. overall, it ends up being not interesting or helpful at all.