Frequently Asked Questions

Links To Questions and Answers:

Q:    What is compulsive gambling?

A:    Compulsive gambling is an illness, progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested.  Before coming to Gamblers Anonymous many compulsive gamblers thought of themselves as morally weak, or at times just plain, "no good."  The Gamblers Anonymous concept is that compulsive gamblers are really very sick people who can recover if they will follow to the best of their ability a simple program that has proved successful for thousands of other men and women with a gambling compulsive gambling problem.

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Q:    What is the first thing a compulsive gambler ought to do in order to stop gambling?

A:    The compulsive gambler needs to be willing to accept the fact that he or she is in the grip of a progressive illness and has a desire to get well.  Our experience has shown that the Gamblers Anonymous program will always work for any person who has a desire to stop gambling.  However, will never work for the person who will not face squarely the facts about the illness.

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Q:    How can you tell whether you are a compulsive gambler?

A:    Only you can make that decision.  Most people turn to Gamblers Anonymous when they become willing to admit that gambling has them licked.  Also in Gamblers Anonymous, a compulsive is described as a person whose gambling has caused growing and continuing problems in any department or his or her life.  Many Gamblers Anonymous members went through terrifying experiences before they were ready to accept help.  Others were faced with a slow, subtle deterioration which finally brought them to the point of admitting defeat.

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Q:    How does someone stop gambling through the Gamblers Anonymous program?

A:    One does this through bringing about a progressive character change within oneself.  This can be accomplished be having faith in -- and following -- the basic concepts of the Gamblers Anonymous Recovery and Unity Programs.  There are no short cuts in gaining this faith and understanding.  To recover from one of the most baffling, insidious, compulsive addictions will require diligent effort.  Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness are the key words in our recovery.

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Q:    Is knowing why we gamble important?

A:    Perhaps, however insofar as stopping gambling, many Gamblers Anonymous members have abstained from gambling without the benefit of the knowledge of why they gambled.

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Q:  What are some characteristics of a person who is a compulsive gambler?

A:    1.   Inability and unwillingness to accept reality.  Hence the escape in the dream world of gambling.
       2.    Emotional insecurity.  A compulsive gambler finds he or she is emotionally comfortable only when, "in action."  It is not uncommon to hear a Gamblers Anonymous member say: "The only time I felt like I belonged is when I was gambling.  Then I felt secure and comfortable. No great demands were made upon me.  I knew I was destroying myself, yet at the same time, I had a certain sense of security."
       3.   Immaturity.  A desire to have all the good things in life without any great effort on their part seems the common character pattern of problem gamblers.  Many Gamblers Anonymous members accept the fact that they were unwilling to grow up.  Subconsciously they felt they could avoid mature responsibility by wagering on the spin of a wheel or the turn of a card, and so the struggle to escape responsibility finally became a subconscious obsession.
                Also, a compulsive gambler seems to have a strong inner urge to be a, "big shot," and needs to have a feeling of being all powerful.  The compulsive gambler is willing to do anything (often of an anti-social nature) to maintain the image he or she wants others to see.  Then too, there is a theory that compulsive gamblers subconsciously want to lose to punish themselves.  There is much evidence to support this theory.

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Q:    What is the dream world of the compulsive gambler?

A:    This is another common characteristic of compulsive gamblers.  A lot of time is spent creating images of the great and wonderful things they are going to do as soon as they make the big win.  They often see themselves as quite philanthropic and charming people.  They may dream of providing families and friends with new cars, mink coats and other luxuries.  Compulsive gamblers picture themselves leading a pleasant gracious life, made possible by huge sums of money they will accrue from their, "system."  Servants, penthouses, nice clothes, charming friends, yachts and world tours are a few of the wonderful things that are just around the corner after a big win is finally made.
        Pathetically, however, there never seems to be a big enough winning to make even the smallest dream to come true.  When compulsive gamblers succeed, they gamble to dream still greater dreams.  When failing, they gamble reckless desperation and the depths of their misery are fathomless as their dream world comes crashing down.  Sadly, they will struggle back, dream more dreams and of course suffer more misery.  No one can convince them that their great schemes will not someday come true.  They believe they will, for without this dream world, life for them would not be tolerable.

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Q:    Isn't compulsive gambling basically a financial problem?

A:    No.  Compulsive gambling is an emotional problem.  A person in the grip of this illness creates mountains of apparently insolvable problems.  Of course, financial problems are created, but they also find themselves facing martial, employment, or legal problems.  Compulsive gamblers find friends have been lost, and relatives have rejected them.  Of the many serious difficulties created, the financial problems seem the easiest to solve.  When a compulsive gambler enters Gamblers Anonymous and quits gambling, income is usually increased and there is no longer the financial drain that was caused by gambling, and very shortly, the financial pressures begin to be relieved.  Gamblers Anonymous members have found the best road to financial recovery is through hard work and repayment of debts.  Borrowing and/or lending of money (bailouts) in Gamblers Anonymous is detrimental to our recovery and should not take place.
        The most difficult and time consuming problem with which they will be faced is that of bringing about a character change within themselves.  Most Gamblers Anonymous members look upon this as their greatest challenge which should be worked on immediately and continued throughout their lives.

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Q:   Why can't a compulsive gambler simply use willpower to stop gambling?

A:    We believe that most people, if they are honest, will recognize their lack of power to solve certain problems.  When it comes to gambling, we have known many problem gamblers who could abstain for long stretches, but caught off guard and under the right set of circumstances, they started gambling without thought of the consequences.  The defenses they relied upon, though will power alone, gave way before some trivial reason for placing a bet.  We have found that will power and self-knowledge will not help in those mental blank spots, but adherence to spiritual principles seems to solve our problems.  Most of us feel that a belief in a Power greater than ourselves is necessary in order for us to sustain a desire to refrain from gambling.

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Q:    Can a compulsive gambler ever gamble normally again?

A:    No.  The first bet to a problem gambler is like the first small drink to an alcoholic.  Sooner or later he or she falls back into the same old destructive pattern.  Once a person has crossed the invisible line into irresponsible uncontrolled gambling he or she never seems to regain control.  After abstaining a few months some of our members have tried some small bet experimentation, always with disastrous results.  The old obsession inevitably returned.  Our Gamblers Anonymous experience seems to point to these alternatives: To gamble, risking progressive deterioration or not to gamble, and develop a better way of life.

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Q:    Does this mean that I can't even participate in a little penny ante game or a world series pool?

A:    It means exactly that.  A stand has to be made somewhere and Gamblers Anonymous members have found the first bet is the one to avoid, even though it may be as little as matching for a cup of coffee.

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Q:    I, only go gambling binges periodically.  Do I need Gamblers Anonymous?

A:    Yes. Compulsive gamblers who have joined Gamblers Anonymous tell us that, though their gambling binges were periodic, the intervals between were not periods of constructive thinking.  Symptomatic of these periods were nervousness, irritability, frustration, indecision and a continued breakdown in personal relationships.  These same people have often found the Gamblers Anonymous program the answer the elimination of character defects and a guide to moral progress in their lives.

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Q:    What type of gambler are you?

A:    Below are the four types or classifications of gamblers: 

Action Gambler -- The typical "action gambler" is interested in games that require some skill. They are highly competitive individuals who often have had sports backgrounds. Their gambling histories generally start in adolescence, through the college years and into adulthood. Their gambling choices may include sports betting, casino card or dice games, racetrack or off track betting locations.

Escape Gambler -- The escape compulsive gamblers typically play games that do not require high levels of skills or knowledge such as handicapping. They tend to choose games such as slot machines, video poker, cherry masters, bingo, and keno, pull tabs, etc. The escape gambler may go into a "trance like" state and spends extensive amounts of time "lost" in their gambling.

Internet Gambler -- The action of placing wagers through on line sources while enjoying the privacy of one's own PC defines the process of Internet gambling. This type of gambling also affords 24- hour availability for gambling activity. The gambler is able to conceal activity from family members who may not even be aware of a problem. Internet gambling contributes to loss of work productivity, extended amounts of time spent on line and the potential for extensive financial losses.

Stock Market Gambler -- The high-risk behavior associated with compulsive gambling is not unlike placing wagers in a casino type setting. Impulsive day trading and "playing" the market that results in financial and emotional distress to the gambler and the family can also be classified as the impulse disorder of compulsive gambling.

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Gambling, for the compulsive gambler is defined as follows:  Any betting or wagering, for self or others, whether for money or not, no matter how slight or insignificant, where the outcome is uncertain or depends upon chance or "skill" constitutes gambling.

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