The Recovery and Unity Steps
The Gamblers Anonymous Recovery Program is the foundation upon which those in the Fellowship are able to rebuild their lives. The Recovery Program is outlined in 12 steps and is a plan for a better way of living. For compulsive gamblers to be fully productive members of society, they must completely abstain from gambling. By practicing the 12 Steps of Recovery, the individual is freed to fulfill his or her potential. This program also enables Gamblers Anonymous members to lead ethical lives and attain self-respect. Some of the 12 steps deal with the admission of powerlessness and/or wrongdoing. Other steps ask members to take the actions necessary to rebuild their lives. A third group of steps is spiritual in nature and is concerned with a power greater than the individual. Each step is open to individual interpretation. Because the Recovery Program is designed to be adapted to personal needs, many different interpretations of the step have arisen over the years.
The commentary that follows is a basic overview of many different interpretations of the 12 Steps of Recovery and can be considered as a starting point for more detailed discussion. The 12 Step Program is fundamentally based on ancient spiritual principles and rooted in sound medical therapy. The best recommendation for the program is the fact that “it works.” Gamblers Anonymous does not solicit members. Our intention is to highlight that gambling for certain individuals is an illness called “compulsive gambling.” Gamblers Anonymous provides the message that there is an alternative to the destruction of compulsive gambling and this alternative is the Gamblers Anonymous program.
Our ranks are filled with members who have recovered from the illness by stopping gambling and attaining a normal way of life. These members remain ready to help any individual who passes through the Gamblers Anonymous door.
In order to provide additional insight into and understanding of these twelve steps for your personal recovery, you are invited to attend any one of six meetings in the Greater Las Vegas area that are dedicated to the continuous study of these twelve steps. At these meetings, the steps are studied, one at a time. The cycle lasts twelve weeks and then it is repeated. Many members have found these meetings very helpful in supporting their recovery.
You can a more detailed explanation for each RECOVERY STEP and each UNITY STEP.