Gambler's anonymous

as a representive from ga i bet you $5 your local group lets you in....

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]


now, the nature of support groups is that a little bit is too much for addicts. for alcoholics and druggies, the group will not tolerate any use. in their eyes, it is impossible for one to have a beer at dinner.


[/ QUOTE ]

A full-blown alcoholic should not have a beer a dinner if s/he is serious about sobriety.

[pokerstudAA]

[ QUOTE ]
as a representive from ga i bet you $5 your local group lets you in....

[/ QUOTE ]

I will bet $10 that he doesnt go.

[stigmata]

[ QUOTE ]
A full-blown alcoholic should not have a beer a dinner if s/he is serious about sobriety.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is more to the point. I'm really not bothered by what misconceptions GA might have about poker.

More interestingly, is it be possible for a winning poker player with a gambling problem to kick the bad habits whilst continuing with poker?

[thehotspur]

I don't think that GA would be the best place for you to go with the desire to only give up one form of gambling. They tend to be quite extreme in their view (incorrect from a psychological point of view)that "addicts" cannot ever engage in the activity in a moderate fashion. If they are your only option or you cannot afford to go elsewhere then just go anyway. Personally I would advise giving poker a break while you kick the tables habit anyway though, kicking any addiction is much harder when you stay in an environment where you are surrounded by it. Good luck to you.

[mike l.]

ive thought many times about going. but i only play poker, maybe a little sports, almost all poker.

so i imagined going and then standing up and saying "im mike and im a gambling addict. ive been clean for 2 days. gambling has ruined my life. last year i won only $75,000 (or whatever) playing poker. please help me."

somehow i just dont think that would go over too well.

[Peter666]

The real question is: how to get all the participants at the meeting into your home poker game?

[Bascule]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think that GA would be the best place for you to go with the desire to only give up one form of gambling.

[/ QUOTE ]

My mother counsels people with alcohol problems. She disagrees with the AA approach of trying to stop *all* alcohol consumption. I would guess the same is true for gambling, ie the OP could get help from a non-GA source that would help with his non-poker gambling problems, acknowledging that poker is not a problem for him.

[bigfishead]

Dear Green Gambler,

Asside from the posts by "threonefour", "dustybottoms", "nut4dawgs", and "thehotspur", the posters in this thread are full of shiit. Total ignorant idiots would be a simple definition.

Allow me to elaborate on a few things from personal experience.

12 step "groups" have guidlines called "12 traditions" by which they operate so to speak. "The only requirement for GA membership is a desire to stop gambling." These principles are taken from the 12 traditions of AA, replacing GA for AA or whatever the aplicable 12 step program name is.

Nowhere does it say if you go play poker we're gonna kick you out.

Victor states: [ QUOTE ]
most in ga fail to understand gambling theory and expectation value. so, they would not be able comprehend your alleged edge and thus would certainly not accept your poker playing.


also he says; the group will not tolerate any use.

[/ QUOTE ]

Trust that there are many that understand gambling theory, expectation value, and can tell you the precise payback and EV% and hourly rate of many of the most popular video poker games with 99-100+% paybacks. As well, many know the math of every damn draw in poker far better than most 2+2ers.
Knowledge of these things does not mean one is NOT a compulsive gambler.

as for the 2nd statement of his. Refer to the "tradition", a "desire".

Freehat states: [ QUOTE ]
Listen to Victor at GA they don't want any forms of gambling at all, so they would not approve of your poker playing and would not want you to attend their meetings evn if you planned on continuing playing poker but stopped playing the table games.



[/ QUOTE ] Again talking crap. They would never NOT want you to attend their meetings. Refer to traditions, "desire". You think drunks and dope fiends get kicked out of AA or NA because the got loaded or had a drink? If that were the case it's doubtful more than 10% of their respective memberships would EVER have gotten sober.

Bascule writes; [ QUOTE ]
My mother counsels people with alcohol problems. She disagrees with the AA approach of trying to stop *all* alcohol consumption.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea, it's hard to agree with the success of 2 million+ sober and recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

I suggest to you there are no "rules" GG, as you mention in your initial post. If you feel like you have a problem go check them out. Most of all be honest with yourself and those that you meet there. Trust that you are not unique in any way shape or form and they have "been there, done that" no matter what your story is.

It is not for us here to say whether you are a compulsive gambler. Thats for you to decide. You would not be the first successful poker player that was however. There are many broke successful poker players that are most certainly compulsive gamblers. Just look around the sports books and table games of any major tournament. Many are firing hard at negative expectation games.

I wish you the best in your efforts to make a change.

if you are having adverse consequences due to your gambling, then go to a meeting. If you are not, then don't.