Volume No. V, Issue No. 2                                                    February 2003

A GRATEFUL EXAMPLE

No, for me it was my arrest and conviction for theft that made me quit. Reflecting on the events and circumstances that led to my conviction, I am filled with guilt and regret. Each day I struggle with those feelings.

A myriad of circumstances aided in my self destruction, but primarily it was a compulsive addition to gambling. Regardless of the circumstances, the choices I made were my own, and I have taken full responsibility for them. In 1997 I was convicted of theft involving a family member and given probation.

In the 5 years since, I have learned that dwelling on what I cannot change is futile. So I focus on my recovery, and I am filled with gratitude. Part of the terms of my probation required that I participate in the Gamblers Anonymous 12-step program.

Through the help of GA and its wonderful non-judgmental members, whom I now consider my brothers and sisters, I came to understand the behavior that resulted in my conviction. Behavior that, by the time of my arrest, had nearly cost me my family and friends and had already cost me my self respect.

One step at a time I gained back my self respect and made amends to family, friends and others whom I had hurt. Though the requirements of my probation have long been fulfilled and my debt to the court is paid in full, I continue to adhere to the philosophy of GA and strive to be a better citizen and friend.

I still attend weekly GA meetings because I want to encourage, by my example, the same changes in other lives. I know that the gift and blessing I received, when the court mandated that I attend GA, can never truly be measured or repaid. Happy Birthday to me and God bless GA.

                                                                                                                                        Loretta A., AZ

    ARE DEPRESSION AND PROBLEM GAMBLING RELATED?

To answer the above question correctly we probably need to break it down a little: Do people gamble too much because they are depressed, or does gambling too much cause depression? But we also need to ask other questions, the most important of which are: "What is depression anyway?" and "How is depression different from just feeling sad or down?"

Let's start with the last question first. Depression, as I discuss here, is different from feeling sad or down in several important ways. One way is duration. Other differences between sadness and depression relate to everyday activities, like eating and sleeping. Everyone has hours, days, sometimes even weeks of feeling low or "not right." Something bad happens, and the mood shifts to this state. But it goes away. It does not last long, and it does not result in a change in the person's overall functioning. With passing sadness, work or school still gets handled, sleep remains undisturbed, and eating is stable.

If this state continues, though, or if it worsens over time, it can evolve into a state of clinical depression. Years ago, when I was first starting out as a clinical social worker, someone suggested a pneumonic to help remember the signs and symptoms of depression: SIG E. CAPS. Pretend this is a name and go from there:

S = Has sleep been disturbed—trouble getting to sleep/staying asleep or waking very early (the most common sleep disturbance of depression)?
I = Has there been a change in initiative or has the person lost interest in usual activities? G = Has there been excessive guilt over actions or events?
E = Has the person lost all or most energy?
C = Has concentration been difficult?
A = Has there been an appetite change, either increased or decreased?
P = Has the person had more physical complaints than usual, such as headaches? S = Has the person thought about or acted on suicide ideas?

Now that we have criteria to differentiate between a "normal" feeling of sadness and clinical depression, we can move on to the original question. Is depression related to problem gambling? The answer is that it is, both as cause and effect.

A person suffering with undiagnosed depression will do almost anything to feel better. Depression is often left untreated by the sufferer, who may be afraid of psychiatry and/or medication. Unfortunately, this lack of professional treatment can result in self-medication. When compared with the anti-depressants available on the market, self-medication is not nearly as effective and is sometimes addicting. So self-medicating with gambling may help you feel better, but once you stop, the symptoms return. This scenario illustrates depression as a cause of problem gambling.

Likewise, any behavior that is addictive and/or self-destructive can result in symptoms of depression. It is clear from research into depression in the past 20 years that the brain changes are the same whether someone has a "predisposition" (i.e. inherited inclination) to depression, or whether something happens in a person's life that causes upset. The chemicals are not in balance, and symptoms occur. So, if gambling too much gets you into financial, legal, or other trouble, causing emotional upset, you can become clinically depressed. In such a case, depression is the effect of problem gambling.

Either way, there is treatment. The new categories of medications are safe, non-addicting and incredibly effective and have literally been a lifesaver for many. They are not to be feared! And psychotherapy, in combination with medication, has been shown to be the most effective treatment for symptoms of clinical depression.  

     CREATE THE GA MEETING YOU NEED

When I discovered I had a gambling problem, I lived in Yuma, a small southern Arizona town with no Gamblers Anonymous meetings. I had never even heard the expression "compulsive gambler." After several phone calls, I located a number for the Gamblers Anonymous hotline in Phoenix. When I dialed the number, a man answered, "Gambling hotline!" Much to my dismay, when I inquired about meetings he answered, "The closest meetings are in Tucson, San Diego, and here in Phoenix."

"My goodness! It's 185 miles to Phoenix. That's a long way to go to a meeting."

"And how far did you drive to gamble?" he shot back. I knew what he meant, and I knew I needed to find a GA meeting.

I moved to Phoenix to attend meetings, and after some time in the program, I was elected Trustee for our area, which encompassed Arizona and New Mexico. I considered it part of my duties to help start new GA meetings where none had existed. With other members, I traveled to new meetings in out-of-the-way locations in the neighboring states that comprised Area 3D. We even drove down to Yuma and helped them start a group. Here are some of the ideas that helped us open new meetings.

When a call came in from an area without a meeting, we encouraged the caller to contact churches or hospitals in the area and explain the need for a facility to accommodate a GA meeting. Often times we found a meeting room in a facility that housed other 12-step groups.

While we searched for a meeting place, we contacted the local newspapers and TV and radio stations and asked them to announce plans for a GA meeting. We listed the phone number of a contact person in the announcement. If the person needing the meeting felt uncomfortable having her or his phone number published, we provided the number of a recovering gambler in a nearby town.

When a location was secured, we gave the person requesting the meeting the address and phone number of the Gamblers Anonymous International Service Office (ISO) in California. Among other invaluable services, ISO provides starter kits for new meetings. The starter kit contains all the information and materials needed to open, conduct, and maintain a new GA group.

In many cases, we filled a car with a few recovering members and drove to the new meeting location to support their efforts. We strongly encouraged the new group to stay in touch with us.

Since the efforts recounted above revolve around support from established GA members, I would urge you to contact the nearest organization devoted to recovery from compulsive gambling. Most large cities and many smaller ones have GA groups. Many states have a Council on Compulsive Gambling (or Problem Gambling). Like GA members practicing Step 12, Councils are staffed with people whose mission is to help other compulsive gamblers.

Gamblers Anonymous can and will assist you in your search for support.

It's possible that an honest effort might not turn up any practical avenues of support, but that doesn't mean you can't start a meeting. You can still find a meeting place, publicize the meeting, and contact ISO for a starter kit. And please don't give up too soon if the meeting doesn't "take off" right away! If you're reading this on WHW's website, support is as near as your computer.

Betty loves to tell the story of the meeting she believes saved her from "prison, insanity or death." The meeting was small, but firmly established, when she first walked in, but she learned later that ONE compulsive gambler had sat there for almost two years—many Thursdays all by himself—before first one, then two, then many members came and STAYED.

Out of compulsive gamblers' desperation, grief and guilt, new meetings have surfaced all over the world. And as membership has grown, more new meetings have formed, when heavily attended meetings have become unwieldy. Sometimes disagreements between existing members in an established group result in a new meeting.

AA members say, "All it takes to start a meeting is a coffee pot and a resentment!" They state an important truth in this light-hearted jab at themselves. The only thing I would add is "and a starter kit." This is the way the program grows, and thank God it does!                                                                  Marilyn L., AZ

We thank our friend from Arizona for her contribution toward our printing costs.