PRESSURE RELIEF
You
have made a wonderful, very difficult and courageous decision in coming to
Gamblers Anonymous and reaching out for assistance. The help available, given
freely by those who have walked in your shoes, is unlimited and will aid you in
your recovery process, and guide you in a new direction. This may seem awesome or frightening at
first, but as you become open to the miracles of this program, you will hear
others share with you how they attained some peace and serenity in their lives, and you will begin to apply these same principles in
your life.
We will
show you through the “Pressure Relief Group Meeting” how to handle situations
and how to reduce and eliminate pressures.
Some of these pressures may be legal, financial, and marital, or
employment related.
A
pressure relief group meeting is a necessary start in your recovery. Step 2 of our program refers to a “
Our
experience has shown that Honesty with our loved ones, our friends, and our
creditors – everyone will be the basis for the changes necessary to start
living a normal and more peaceful life.
The pressure relief group meeting will accomplish this!
By
having a pressure relief group meeting will ease not just the financial burdens
that may be crushing you, but will immediately start the process of healing the
emotional wounds!
Gambling
blinded our judgment and did not allow us to make good judgments in our
conduct.
The
pressure relief group meeting helps us establish or reestablish priorities that
will ease and finally get rid of the many burdens caused by gambling.
The
isolation of gambling separated us from our friends, our loved ones. The pressure relief group meeting will
reestablish relationships!
Purpose of the Pressure
Group Meeting
The meeting will give the new member the
opportunity to “come clean” before his or her spouse. It is most desirable (if not a necessity)
that the spouse or another interested member of the family be in attendance at
the meeting. We have observed that the
new member cannot get up nerve to tell his or her spouse the whole truth
without other members being present. Many
problems not restricted to financial problems, could be the reason for the
Pressure Group Meeting. The four general
categories (legal, financial, employment, and
personal) will be briefly discussed.
Passing bad checks, fraudulent loan
applications, and forgery should be given prime attention as these acts may
lead to criminal prosecution. We have
formulated a general approach to the problem and it will be discussed at the
meeting under the heading “dealing with creditors.” In cases of extreme pressure stemming form an
excessively large debt or due to the frequency of the illegal act, it may be
necessary to have the new member seek legal advice.
Financial Problems
A
great pressure arises when the new member faces the fact that he or she is
unable to meet living expenses and also pay creditors on what he or she
earns. Many of us
received “instant peace of mind” when we were told that we must first provide
for our families and then what was left would go to creditors. It is surprising to learn how many members
were not making enough to meet basic living expenses, let alone pay anything to
creditors. The compulsive gambler who
cons, manipulates, steals, and lies in order to get money, can never realize
his true financial responsibility until he stops gambling. Preparation of the Financial Statement Budget
will be discussed.
Employment Problems
Pressures arise when the new member fears
that his or her employer will learn of the gambling problem from a
creditor. Generally, he or she should be
encouraged to discuss his or her problem with his or her boss before “someone
else” does it. Many of us have found
peace of mind in knowing that our jobs were secure in the event a suitable
arrangement could not be worked out with a creditor. We caution those who would readily give
advice to a new member to change jobs or seek another line of work for purposes
of increasing earnings. We are not trained
to determine the potential of a member nor are we an employment agency. On the other hand, it would be our
responsibility to caution a member whose employment brings him or her into an
atmosphere of excessive gambling.
Certainly many of us have profited by securing a part-time job. This has enabled us to meet our living expenses
and also to make monthly payments in accordance with our budget, to our
creditors. We suggest, however, that a
new member reserve as many hours as possible for his or her family. A firm beginning for continued growth in
Gamblers Anonymous is a good home life.
Personal Problems
Other pressues
on the new member could prompt a Pressure Group Meeting. He or she may request advice on how, when,
where, and if he or she should tell his or her family members about his or her
illness. Should he or she get an
unlisted telephone number? What should
he or she tell his or her friends and neighbors – if anything? Our purpose is to suggest answers to most
questions troubling the new member concerning his or her spouse: it reduces the
chance that the compulsive gambler will return to gambling. The Pressure Group Meeting can breed peace of
mind, and hope, in the compulsive gambler and his or her spouse. They now possess the knowledge that their
problem (which, to them, often appears insurmountable) can be worked out. It can create purpose, direction, and a goal
in establishing a new life for the compulsive gambler.