Got an 89% on my Gamblers Annon. assignment. Here it is.
Sorry to JJ and AAO. I couldn't use your interviews, because your interviews were too hardcore for this assignment. Here is my assisgnment for posters to review. I hope it helps anyone thinking of going to a GA meeting. Please do not copy or use the info in my assignment without getting my permission first. note: figures were added later.
The Effects of Gambers Anonymous on a problem gambler
By Robzilla
Abstract
This self study report examines the effectiveness of Gamblers Anonymous in the treatment of a compulsive gambler. This experiment investigates if fellowship plays a positive role in helping a gambler to abstain. By attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting I determine the efficiency of the program in the treatment of compulsive gambling, and if all forms and severities of gambling addictions can be helped by this modality.
Introduction
Gamblers Anonymous is a spiritual group meeting for people who have addictions associated with gambling. The goals of these meetings are to use fellowship and spirituality to assist with abstaining from gambling, and gambling type activities that may lead to a relapse. The two requirements needed to attend a Gamblers Anonymous meeting are: to be identified as a compulsive gambler and possess the desire to stop gambling. Gamblers Anonymous uses a 20 question assessment tool in determining if someone’s gambling is compulsive in nature.
According to Gamblers Anonymous, “Compulsive gambling is an illness, progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested” (Glatt, 1974). Gamblers Anonymous holds the philosophy that fellowship and spirituality is essential in helping individuals stop gambling. Therefore, if a compulsive gambler with a desire to stop gambling attends a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, he will find fellowship, support and acceptance from his peers.
Method
In order to be permitted to attend a Gamblers Anonymous meeting I had to determine if I fit the Gamblers Anonymous definition of a compulsive gambler. This was calculated by the completion of a 20 question assessment tool that Gamblers Anonymous provides in order to verify that an individual is a compulsive gambler. As shown in figure 1, I had successfully attained the title of compulsive gambler.
In order to find out where and when a local Gamblers Anonymous meeting was held I called Mr. G., who manages one of the meetings in xxxxxx, Ontario. Initially, Mr G. denied my access to attend the meeting based on my student status. He expressed concern regarding the impact a student might have on the member’s feelings of privacy but also the potential deterrence of new members. I assured him that I would keep personal details of the meeting out of my report and maintain a level of respect and professionalism in my interactions with the participants. After informing Mr. G. that I had answered the 20 questions, and was considered a compulsive gambler, he agreed to let me attend the meeting. He identified feeling impressed with my extensive knowledge of gambling that I have acquired during my gambling career.
The meeting took place from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm in the basement of xxxxxx xxxxx Memorial Church, xxx William Street in xxxxxx, Ontario. The 4 participants in the meeting (not including myself) were all male between the ages of 40 to 65, and were all addicted to slot machines. One of the men brought his wife, who had questions about living with a compulsive gambler.
The Meeting consisted of introductions (5 minutes), the Serenity Prayer (5 minutes), reading the Recovery and Unity program from the Gamblers Anonymous booklet (20 minutes), asking me the 20 questions in front of the group to verify that I was a compulsive gambler (10 minutes), sharing of personal gambling stories followed by questions (20 minutes) and finally, The Serenity Prayer was recited by the participants for a second time (5 minutes).
Figure 2 shows the level of my desire to stop gambling, and the level of fellowship with the group during the meeting process.
Results
The data on figure 2 shows that my desire to quit gambling was higher at the beginning of the meeting than at the end. When I spoke to Mr. G on the telephone prior to the meeting, he endorsed that I was most likely a compulsive gambler and expressed his personal ability to relate to my gambling behaviour. At that point I felt and anticipated a feeling of camaraderie between myself and the participants of a Gamblers Anonymous meeting.
Before going to the meeting I was excited about attending and left work early in order to be on time. When I arrived at the meeting I was slightly disappointed with the low number of participants. I expected that there would be more people and a greater variance in the age and addictive behaviours of the members.
The 12 steps of the Recovery and Unity Program made me feel like I was at an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting. I was confused by this his part of the meeting. The steps involved asking a power greater than ourselves to restore us to a regular way of thinking. I was confused because when I am calculating odds while playing poker or conducting research when analyzing a football game to bet on, I am thinking very clearly. I believe my confusion stemmed from the outcome of the 20 question assessment tool that identified me and the other members as compulsive gamblers. If this is true, then why can I think logically and they can’t?
When the group asked me the Gamblers Anonymous 20 questions, and labelled me a compulsive gambler based on seven or more correct responses I felt angry. I was puzzled how a group of people who have just admitted they have the inability to think logically, have the right to tell me what I am or am not. At this point I started to feel like there was no fellowship between myself and the group.
I felt sad for the members when listening to their stories, but it did not make me want to quit gambling. At this point I felt no personal association with the group and my urge to stop gambling was absent.
Conclusion
Based on the results in figure 2 it can be determined that someone will not want to stop gambling simply by attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. The various factors that contribute to someone’s desire to quit gambling can not be found solely at Gamblers Anonymous.
Gamblers Anonymous claim that there is fellowship at the meetings is true to some extent. At the meeting I attended the members present wherein the same approximant chronological age group, all males, and were all addicted to playing slot machines. There was no connection felt between myself and these individuals because I am not a slot machine player and I am significantly younger then the rest of the members. It can be concluded that Gamblers Anonymous works under very specific circumstances. Factors increasing the probability of an individuals feeling a sense of fellowship and spirituality is, similar addictive behaviour, chronological age and gender.
Discussion
These results indicate the need for additional resources in the treatment of gambling. It is not helpful to lump all gamblers into the same category and say that they all have the same problem. The problems that affect a married senior citizen who bets his pension at the racetrack are not the same difficulties affecting a single 19 year old that plays online poker. To say that these individuals are peers because they both gamble is ignorant. Gamblers Anonymous began in 1957, and it does not look like this program has advanced with the changing needs of our times. I would consider myself to be a problem gambler and it is inappropriate to treat me the same as compulsive or pathological gambler. Also, it is important to note that pathological gambling is not considered to be an addiction; rather it is an impulse control disorder (Nancy C. Andreasen, 2006). Gamblers Anonymous takes the approach that gambling is a moral weakness, and this view has been proven to be false. It has been discovered that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and education are the best paths to recovery (Coobs, 2005). Therefore, using newer modalities that link a gamblers addiction to their cognitive distortions rather then their moral beliefs is more successful in treatment.
Stanton Peels theory of “Maturing Out” does not seem to apply to a gambling addiction, because all of the members at the meeting gambled equally as much when they were young (Thombs, 2006). Education is the key to approaching this issue with maturity and understanding. Early detection of problem gambling at a young age may also be essential in the treatment and prevention of long term abuse.
References
Andreasen, N. C., & Black, D. W. (2006). Intoductory Textbook of Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Pub.
Coobs, R. H. (2005). Addiction Counseling. Routledge.
Glatt, M. M. (1974). A guide to addiction and its treatment . New York: Wiley.
Thombs, D. L. (2006). Introduction to addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford Press.
The Effects of Gambers Anonymous on a problem gambler
By Robzilla
Abstract
This self study report examines the effectiveness of Gamblers Anonymous in the treatment of a compulsive gambler. This experiment investigates if fellowship plays a positive role in helping a gambler to abstain. By attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting I determine the efficiency of the program in the treatment of compulsive gambling, and if all forms and severities of gambling addictions can be helped by this modality.
Introduction
Gamblers Anonymous is a spiritual group meeting for people who have addictions associated with gambling. The goals of these meetings are to use fellowship and spirituality to assist with abstaining from gambling, and gambling type activities that may lead to a relapse. The two requirements needed to attend a Gamblers Anonymous meeting are: to be identified as a compulsive gambler and possess the desire to stop gambling. Gamblers Anonymous uses a 20 question assessment tool in determining if someone’s gambling is compulsive in nature.
According to Gamblers Anonymous, “Compulsive gambling is an illness, progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested” (Glatt, 1974). Gamblers Anonymous holds the philosophy that fellowship and spirituality is essential in helping individuals stop gambling. Therefore, if a compulsive gambler with a desire to stop gambling attends a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, he will find fellowship, support and acceptance from his peers.
Method
In order to be permitted to attend a Gamblers Anonymous meeting I had to determine if I fit the Gamblers Anonymous definition of a compulsive gambler. This was calculated by the completion of a 20 question assessment tool that Gamblers Anonymous provides in order to verify that an individual is a compulsive gambler. As shown in figure 1, I had successfully attained the title of compulsive gambler.
In order to find out where and when a local Gamblers Anonymous meeting was held I called Mr. G., who manages one of the meetings in xxxxxx, Ontario. Initially, Mr G. denied my access to attend the meeting based on my student status. He expressed concern regarding the impact a student might have on the member’s feelings of privacy but also the potential deterrence of new members. I assured him that I would keep personal details of the meeting out of my report and maintain a level of respect and professionalism in my interactions with the participants. After informing Mr. G. that I had answered the 20 questions, and was considered a compulsive gambler, he agreed to let me attend the meeting. He identified feeling impressed with my extensive knowledge of gambling that I have acquired during my gambling career.
The meeting took place from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm in the basement of xxxxxx xxxxx Memorial Church, xxx William Street in xxxxxx, Ontario. The 4 participants in the meeting (not including myself) were all male between the ages of 40 to 65, and were all addicted to slot machines. One of the men brought his wife, who had questions about living with a compulsive gambler.
The Meeting consisted of introductions (5 minutes), the Serenity Prayer (5 minutes), reading the Recovery and Unity program from the Gamblers Anonymous booklet (20 minutes), asking me the 20 questions in front of the group to verify that I was a compulsive gambler (10 minutes), sharing of personal gambling stories followed by questions (20 minutes) and finally, The Serenity Prayer was recited by the participants for a second time (5 minutes).
Figure 2 shows the level of my desire to stop gambling, and the level of fellowship with the group during the meeting process.
Results
The data on figure 2 shows that my desire to quit gambling was higher at the beginning of the meeting than at the end. When I spoke to Mr. G on the telephone prior to the meeting, he endorsed that I was most likely a compulsive gambler and expressed his personal ability to relate to my gambling behaviour. At that point I felt and anticipated a feeling of camaraderie between myself and the participants of a Gamblers Anonymous meeting.
Before going to the meeting I was excited about attending and left work early in order to be on time. When I arrived at the meeting I was slightly disappointed with the low number of participants. I expected that there would be more people and a greater variance in the age and addictive behaviours of the members.
The 12 steps of the Recovery and Unity Program made me feel like I was at an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting. I was confused by this his part of the meeting. The steps involved asking a power greater than ourselves to restore us to a regular way of thinking. I was confused because when I am calculating odds while playing poker or conducting research when analyzing a football game to bet on, I am thinking very clearly. I believe my confusion stemmed from the outcome of the 20 question assessment tool that identified me and the other members as compulsive gamblers. If this is true, then why can I think logically and they can’t?
When the group asked me the Gamblers Anonymous 20 questions, and labelled me a compulsive gambler based on seven or more correct responses I felt angry. I was puzzled how a group of people who have just admitted they have the inability to think logically, have the right to tell me what I am or am not. At this point I started to feel like there was no fellowship between myself and the group.
I felt sad for the members when listening to their stories, but it did not make me want to quit gambling. At this point I felt no personal association with the group and my urge to stop gambling was absent.
Conclusion
Based on the results in figure 2 it can be determined that someone will not want to stop gambling simply by attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. The various factors that contribute to someone’s desire to quit gambling can not be found solely at Gamblers Anonymous.
Gamblers Anonymous claim that there is fellowship at the meetings is true to some extent. At the meeting I attended the members present wherein the same approximant chronological age group, all males, and were all addicted to playing slot machines. There was no connection felt between myself and these individuals because I am not a slot machine player and I am significantly younger then the rest of the members. It can be concluded that Gamblers Anonymous works under very specific circumstances. Factors increasing the probability of an individuals feeling a sense of fellowship and spirituality is, similar addictive behaviour, chronological age and gender.
Discussion
These results indicate the need for additional resources in the treatment of gambling. It is not helpful to lump all gamblers into the same category and say that they all have the same problem. The problems that affect a married senior citizen who bets his pension at the racetrack are not the same difficulties affecting a single 19 year old that plays online poker. To say that these individuals are peers because they both gamble is ignorant. Gamblers Anonymous began in 1957, and it does not look like this program has advanced with the changing needs of our times. I would consider myself to be a problem gambler and it is inappropriate to treat me the same as compulsive or pathological gambler. Also, it is important to note that pathological gambling is not considered to be an addiction; rather it is an impulse control disorder (Nancy C. Andreasen, 2006). Gamblers Anonymous takes the approach that gambling is a moral weakness, and this view has been proven to be false. It has been discovered that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and education are the best paths to recovery (Coobs, 2005). Therefore, using newer modalities that link a gamblers addiction to their cognitive distortions rather then their moral beliefs is more successful in treatment.
Stanton Peels theory of “Maturing Out” does not seem to apply to a gambling addiction, because all of the members at the meeting gambled equally as much when they were young (Thombs, 2006). Education is the key to approaching this issue with maturity and understanding. Early detection of problem gambling at a young age may also be essential in the treatment and prevention of long term abuse.
References
Andreasen, N. C., & Black, D. W. (2006). Intoductory Textbook of Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Pub.
Coobs, R. H. (2005). Addiction Counseling. Routledge.
Glatt, M. M. (1974). A guide to addiction and its treatment . New York: Wiley.
Thombs, D. L. (2006). Introduction to addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford Press.
