Sharing Recovery Through Gamblers Anonymous - First Edition
Sharing Recovery Through Gamblers Anonymous
This soft cover First Edition was published in 1984 by Gamblers Anonymous Publishing Inc.
The book is dedicated to the founder of Gamblers Anonymous, Jim Willis.
About Jim Willis and Gamblers Anonymous:
Gamblers Anonymous was officially "born" Friday the 13th in September of 1957. There were several false starts in the mid-fifties, but Jim Willis, a compulsive gambler remained undeterred. Jim, a compulsive gambler from his early teens, had taken to drinking and soon found that he suffered from alcoholism too, further exacerbating his gambling losses. Getting sober in Alcoholics Anonymous in 1946, he spent the next decade wondering why a spiritual solution could resolve his alcohol problem, yet his obsession for gambling remained. Then, in the mid 1950's, it occurred to him if he could adapt the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to gambling, and find others who suffered from the same problem, perhaps he would have a solution. Marrying Sybil (later Sybil C.) in 1951 after meeting her in the rooms of AA, he received encouragement and aid from the woman best known as the first woman to get sober in AA west of the Mississippi, and later recognized at the 1985 50th Anniversary International Convention. Bill Wilson, also a friend, offered his blessing and support and Jim set out to start a fellowship of like-minded sufferers.
With similar pitfalls and setbacks suffered by Alcoholics Anonymous as a fledgling society, Jim W was intent in his mission to solve his problem and to help others afflicted by a gambling addiction. And while Gamblers Anonymous' birthdate was in September of 1957, the only literature available for the first 7 years were 3 pamphlets written solely by Jim. Using the steps and text of Alcoholics Anonymous as a blueprint, Jim set out to "publish" a book laying out the problem, the solution, and stories from those who had solved their common problem. He opened his book with his own story, much as Bill W. had done with the Big Book. This "published" version was released in mid 1964 in a very crude form; typewritten, stapled and with a paper blue cover. This blue covered "Big Book" would be the mainstay of literature for the next twenty years until it was revised, and additional literature written for publishing in 1984.
While every member of Gamblers Anonymous today knows about Jim Willis and his recognition as the sole founder of G.A., this was not always the case. In fact, difficult times in the early days faced the fellowship of G.A. and Jim Willis alike. Jim's story has been written, and rewritten, and this package contains the draft rewriting of Jim’s Story in an over 50-page document.
Shortly before his passing, Jim Willis was acknowledged as the sole Founder of Gamblers Anonymous at the 25th anniversary convention in 1982 and was given a special plaque in recognition. All subsequent Gamblers Anonymous literature now feature a statement recognizing Jim as the sole founder in recognition of his aid to all later compulsive gamblers seeking help.
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From the Introduction to this book:
The editors believe that through the dramatic devices of fiction you will gain an enhanced awareness of the emotional and physical pain endured by compulsive gamblers and greater appreciation for the support and encouragement — required for their recovery - which the members of Gamblers Anonymous share with each other. This can be observed in Chapter II.
You will also see that Chapter VIII, the largest chapter in the book, consists of many pages of personal remembrances voluntarily contributed by members of the Fellowship and that Appendix "1" consists of a sizeable extract from the biography of Jim W., the founder of Gamblers Anonymous.
Thus, it is apparent that a considerable portion of this book is devoted to personal reminiscences and biographical sketches of compulsive gamblers telling how they started on the path of recovery through the Fellowship.
Our emphasis upon personal stories of recovery is necessary in order to correctly present the view of our members who, as pragmatic behaviorists, are more concerned with the process of recovery from compulsive gambling than they are with reasons why they became compulsive gamblers.
Consequently, this book is not a text book on psychology, theories of compulsion or systems of treatment, nor is it a polemic against recreational gambling. It has been organized in a particular order for the benefit of those who wish to read it from the beginning. But each chapter has its own internal cogency and you may choose to read chapters or sections of the book at random.
If you are a family member or close friend of a compulsive gambler you may choose first to read Chapter VI. If you wish to know more about treatment facilities turn to Chapter VII; those concerned with the therapeutic system used by Gamblers Anonymous turn first to Chapter III.
As to the personal stories, they are the shared emotional experiences which bind together the members of the Fellowship and provide the inspiration for this book. No understanding of the suffering and hopeless degradation experienced by compulsive gamblers, nor their remarkable recovery through the encouragement and direction of Gamblers Anony-mous, can be truly comprehended without reading Chapter VIII.
The process of recovery for members of Gamblers Anonymous is more than a personal mastery over the compulsive desire to gamble. The continuing recovery for each member of the Fellowship is characterized by the desire to help other compulsive gamblers. This is why the Fellowship places a high value on what is called "Twelfth Step Work," which is explained in Chapter V, but to which many references are made at other places in the text.
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This book is in good condition with some wear to the soft cover.
Please view all of the photos for the conditions.
