Gam-Anon; Families and Friends of Compulsive Gamblers

Does it hurt you seeing your loved one gamble the night away? Or do you suffer from the gambling addiction or your husband or wife? Do not worry; there are people than can help you through this difficult situation. These people can support you whenever you need it and comfort you whenever you feel like receiving it, and these people are called Gam-Anon. We will introduce you to this group where you can feel safe even if it is just for a while and to which you can seek refuge in.

Gam-Anon is a non-profit organization that was organized as a help group for people whose friends or loved ones suffer from gambling addiction or compulsive gambling. This group was established after the Gambling Anonymous group was established and their primary goal is to make the relatives and friends of compulsive gamblers feel that there is hope in their situation. Gam-Anon will not ask money from you and you can freely share your feeling because the most important rule is that every member has to be a relative or friend of a compulsive gambler. This means that everybody has been or is still going through the situation.

Gam-Anon shows you that you are not alone and you can do whatever you want in the meetings. You can cry about your situation, you can be angry about it, and you can be happy about it. The older members will give you advice and can help you cope with the situation of being around a compulsive gambler. Gam-Anon teaches you that you have to take care of yourself first and not let the compulsive gambler take over your finances and your life.

An important part of the Gam-Anon organization is that they give new members hope. You can release your worries and sorrows in Gam-Anon meetings anyhow you wish and when people will give you advice, you can go home with not only a new perspective, but a new hope and way of coping with your situation. Every meeting takes a little burden away and some day you will be strong enough to face the compulsive gambler and decide to take your life into your hands.

Gam-Anon also helps codependents, which are people who support a compulsive gambler because their happiness makes a codependent happy. The meetings teach the codependent that their behavior is even more damaging to the addiction of the gambler rather than nourishing. Gam-Anon helps people let go of their friends and loved ones who suffer from compulsive gambling and they give them a new hope and a new way of life where everything seems to be possible.