Gamblers Anonymous

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An Anonymous Gambler ( GA ) is a twelve-step program for people with gambling issues. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop gambling.

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Histori

The organization began in Los Angeles on 13 September 1957. In 2005 there were more than 1000 GA groups in the United States, and groups have been established in Mexico, UK, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Kenya , Uganda, Korea, Japan, and many other locations around the world.

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Incidence and evaluation rate

Gambling is estimated to occur in 1.6% of the adult population in the United States. GA has a list of twenty questions that can be used to self-diagnose compulsive gambling. The results of their instruments have been strongly correlated with other tests that filter for compulsive gambling (eg Total Sensation Imaging Scale, Susceptible Vulnerability, Experience Search, South Oaks Gambling Screens, and Disinhibition subscales).

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Effectiveness

Compared to problem gamblers who are not attending GA, GA members tend to have more severe gambling problems, older, higher incomes, less likely to be single, have more years of gambling problems, have larger debt, have more serious family conflicts. , and substance abuse problems that are less serious. GA may not be effective for those who have not had a significant gambling problem. GA is effective in preventing "relapse" (inability to remain abstinent from gambling), but is ineffective when helping members face the consequences of their relapse.

GA spends a lot of time and members of energy counseling on how to deal with financial and legal issues. GA supports the "pressure group" in which members take on each other's duties and encourage them to be "honest" with the people in their lives and resolve their affairs. Gamblers who can moderate their activities will not continue to attend GA meetings. GA members who stop attending meetings are more likely to consider sharing at "meaningless" meetings and more critical of GA literature. Those who feel very excited at their first GA meeting tend to continue than those who have a more balanced first impression. GA, therefore, may be best suited for heavy-duty gamblers who have no compounding issues.

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Criticism

Atrisi

Less than 8% of those who initially attended GA remained in the program and abstained from gambling for over a year. Program participation and restrictions increase if members engage in additional therapy, or if one or more of their family members are involved in Gam-Anon or Gam-A-Teen.

Sex bias

Although the possibility of attending GA is the same for men and women, GA has been characterized as a male-dominated alliance. The number of female members, however, increases and there is an increased sensitivity in GA to female attitudes. The lack of appeal of GA to women has been attributed to GA's lack of focus on the principles of spirituality in other twelve-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The causal link, however, has not been shown. GA is often described as more secular than AA.

Among the problem gamblers, it has been found that women are more focused on interpersonal problems, and that social problems are more likely to cause them to "relapse." Men more often discuss "external worries" such as jobs and legal issues, and more likely to recur because of substance abuse. Therefore, it seems reasonable to downplay the spiritual, interpersonal, and psycho-emotional problems of GA, inhibiting its effectiveness for women.

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Literature

Source of the article : Wikipedia