You know what you are. Your eyes burn. Your gut is in knots. You haven't slept for three days. It is only because the money ran out that you dragged yourself home and to the computer. You need help - and the computer won't tell your secrets.
I was once you. I could be you again in a Vegas minute. I'm not you right now because of other women - especially one woman, Marilyn L. She was the first recovering woman gambling addict I encountered when I knew I was in deep trouble. I read her brutally honest book, Gripped by Gambling. Her courage and acceptance were the beginning of a long and switch-backed trail to Now.
I'm heading out for a badly needed two week road trip and book mini-tour. I've been working 60+ hour weeks, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. There is the rent on my little house and the harsh reality of selling books in 2010. I look forward to hours in my own company - no music, no cell phone, no radio voices yammering. I look forward to touching down the close friends, being in my soul-homeland and working at my other heart labor - protecting wild land.
And I look forward to finally meeting Marilyn L. face to face. I'll be reading in southern Arizona. I hope our paths cross. If they don't, I hope your path crosses with her - especially if you are a woman in desperate trouble, especially if you need to know that you are not bad or immoral, especially if you need to know you are not alone. And if you are the partner, friend or family of a woman you suspect is in desperate trouble, Women Helping Women is also for you.
You might start here: http://www.femalegamblers.info/
(From the website) Marilyn L. and Betty C. met at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting in the mid-1990s. In getting to know each other, they soon discovered that they had more than a history of compulsive gambling in common. They shared an interest in writing and a passion for passing on the message that recovery from compulsive gambling is possible. With Paula Burns, Marilyn started Women Helping Women (WHW); the first issue was printed and distributed to other GA women in Arizona in April of 1999. A woman’s personal story has become a standard monthly feature of the newsletter, and Betty’s story appeared in that first issue. Due to lack of time because of other obligations, Paula was forced to give up her WHW responsibilities, but she has since contributed many articles. Betty became the # 2 member of the newsletter’s ‘staff’ in July of 1999.
While much is written in WHW of the Gamblers Anonymous Recovery Program, and many contributors speak of GA’s influence in their lives and their recoveries, the newsletter has no connection with the organization of Gamblers Anonymous.
Beginning with the first issue, and continuing to the present, the intent of Women Helping Women has been to inform and encourage women seeking true recovery from compulsive gambling. Contributions from women gamblers of their personal stories and their experiences in recovery form the backbone of the newsletter. Several gambling treatment professionals also have shared generously of their time and expertise over the years, providing the readership with many helpful, informative and uplifting articles.
May you find solace and sisterhood here.
