When we first come to Gamblers Anonymous, the most common variety of self-pity begins: Poor me! Why can’t I just gamble now and then, like everybody else? Why me? Such bemoaning, if allowed to persist, is a surefire invitation for a long walk off a short pier—right back to the mess we were in before we came …
The feeling of self-pity, which we’ve all felt at one time or another, is one of the ugliest emotions we can experience. We don’t even relish the thought of admitting to others that we’re awash in self-pity. We hate being told that it shows; we quickly argue that we’re feeling another emotion instead; we go …
We learn the value of meditation in the Gamblers Anonymous Program. As the beginning of the Eleventh Step suggests, we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. One of the great values of meditation is that it clears the mind. And as the mind becomes clearer, …
Over and over, I see that those who make the best and steadiest progress in the Gamblers Anonymous Program of Recovery are those who readily accept the help of a Higher Power. Once they can do that, it’s easier for them to get out of their own way. Their problems then seem to resolve themselves …
Now that I avail myself of the letters H-O-W suggested by friends in the Gamblers Anonymous Program—Honesty, Open-Mindedness, Willingness—I see things in a new light. In ways that I couldn’t have predicted and surely never expected, I’ve come to see things quite differently than I did before coming to GA. I feel good most days. …
The slogans used in Gamblers Anonymous are seemingly clear and simple. Yet they may still have different meanings for different people, according to their own experiences and reactions to the words and ideas. Take, for example, the slogan Let Go and Let God. For some people, it may suggest that all we have to do is sidestep …
How, exactly, can a person turn his or her own will and life over to the care of a Higher Power? All that’s needed is a beginning, no matter how small. The minute we put the key of willingness in the lock, the latch springs open. Then the door itself starts to open, perhaps ever …
Today I’ll try to settle for less than I wish were possible, and be willing to not only accept it but to appreciate it. Today, I’ll not expect too much of anyone—especially myself. I’ll try to remember that contentment comes from gratefully accepting the good that comes to us, and not from being furious at …
Gamblers Anonymous has taught me that the essence of all growth for me is a willingness to change for the better. Following that, I must have further willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails, and to take courageously every action that is required. “I am and know and will; I am knowing and willing; I …
When we’re faced with some condition or situation not to our liking, how can we have faith that all things are working together for good? Perhaps we have to ask ourselves just what is faith. Faith has its foundation in truth and love. We can have faith, if we so choose, no matter what the …