Gam-Anon is a free service that provides information to the general public and the professional community about compulsive problem gambling and its effects on families and friends. It is a 12-step self-help fellowship for men and women who have been affected by a loved one's compulsive gambling.
What's great about this fellowship is that it's completely theorizing-free and has people who've struggled with this problem before and finally found a solution and are happy to share it with you.
You may have become afraid and unsure of how to deal with the compulsive gambling problem and the deterioration it has caused in your life, relationships, financial problems and debt.
Thanks to Gam-Anon, you will find your way to live normally again and get through this ordeal.
It should be noted that Gam-Anon is not a religious organization, nor is it a treatment center nor is it affiliated with any other organization to provide these services. Therefore, there are no dues or fees here. Membership here is completely voluntary and only requires that a person has developed problems due to compulsive gambling. Article prepared by gamstopnon.gamblingpro.pro.
What are the goals of Gam-Anon?
Gam-Anon aims to achieve 4 main goals, which are as follows:
- Assisting people affected by problem gambling;
- Deepen fellowship members' understanding of compulsive gambling, its impact on our lives, and the need to get rid of it;
- Share fellowship members' experience, strengths, and hopes for dealing with problem gambling;
- Use of Gam-Anon tools that encourage new members to recover.
What tools does Gam-Anon use?
After subscribing to Gam-Anon service, a meeting can be held between no more than two members or more, based on the desire of the participant himself.
The only requirement to attend the meetings is that the person has been addicted to gambling or has been affected by someone else's gambling addiction. This means that besides the gambler himself, the gambler's spouse, parent, widow, companion, divorced spouse, child or friend can apply for help from Gam-Anon.
First, communicate by phone or email. Using the phone or e-mail is a very useful way to keep in touch with the programme itself and receive daily experience, strength and hope, as well as meetings.
Second, reading. At fellowship meetings, members read from the same books, pamphlets, and sheets about the 12 steps to recovery, personal growth, and meditations, which also provides them with strength and hope.
Third, writing. Writing is a self-disclosure that is used to relieve intense feelings and is a powerful tool that gives us insight into our thoughts and decisions. Moreover, writing reveals hidden fears and the best ways to confront them. Also, writing brings to the surface a lot of long-buried emotions that you can reveal with complete honesty without fearing anyone's reaction.
Fourth, shepherds. Shepherds are Gam-Anon members who are willing and able to share their experiences, strength, and hope with newcomers. These shepherds are not theorists or people playing the role of wise men, but their role is to maintain regular contact with the newcomers at the meetings. The pastor's primary role is to listen and be as objective as possible. This gives the new member an initial sense of belonging and confidence in the fellowship.
Gam-Anon Self-help Fellowship Review
Do you suffer from, or have you been influenced by, someone with a gambling problem? Then, you should give Gam-Anon a try! This service is a completely free fellowship of men and women who want to stop the negative influence of the problem gambling of a loved one. Also, it provides its users with information about the compulsive gambling problem and its financial and emotional effects on the gamblers' families and loved ones as well.
Gam-Anon has meeting locations in Canada, around the world, and the United States and it also offers virtual meetings for people who can't come to the committee.
Gam-Anon Service Objectives
In general, Gam-Anon believes that a change in families and friend's attitudes is of boundless help to them as well as to gamblers and it aims to treat problem gambling based on 4 basic methods:
- Provide psychological support to people who have been affected by the gambling problem;
- Unify fellowship members' understanding of compulsive gambling and its impact on our lives;
- Share fellowship members' experiences and how they deal with it;
Gam-Anon Tools
You can sign up for Gam-Anon online easily through their website. After that, you can start meeting with at least one person in service centres or even online. The only requirement to attend these meetings is that you have been negatively affected by your partner or relative gambling problem.
The Gam-Anon support group uses four basic tools to solve problem gambling:
Communication
Communicate via phone call or email. If a person cannot come to one of the service headquarters, he can communicate with members and sponsors by phone or e-mail.
Reading
Reading In fellowship meetings, members can read the same books together as well as bulletins, news and information and share their thoughts on these materials, which also gives them strength and hope.
Writing
Through writing, people can relieve negative feelings. This tool will also be effective for shy people who don't want to confess to other people about their gambling insecurities and addictions.
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