The Twelve Steps of Recovery
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 Twelve 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. When a compulsive gambler applies the Twelve Step Recovery Program in their life, his or her disintegration stops and recovery begins. By practicing the Twelve Steps of recovery, the individual is freed to fulfill his or her potential. This program also enables GA members to lead ethical lives and attain self-respect.
Since these steps are basically spiritual in their concept, their practice can become a highly rewarding experience. These are the steps that are a program of recovery:
We admitted we were powerless over gambling - that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to a normal way of thinking and living.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of this Power of our own understanding.
Made a searching and fearless moral and financial inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have these defects of character removed.
Humbly asked God (of our understanding) to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people, wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message to other compulsive gamblers.
No one claims these steps are in any way original with Gamblers Anonymous. They reflect practical experience and application of spiritual insights as recorded by thoughtful men in many ages. Their greatest importance lies in the fact that they work. They enable us and thousands of others to lead happy productive lives. They represent the foundation upon which our society has been built. They were given to us freely, for which we are grateful.