HISTORY
The fellowship of Gamblers Anonymous is the outgrowth of a chance
meeting between two men during the month of January in 1957. These men
had a truly baffling history of trouble and misery due to an obsession
to gamble. They began to meet regularly and as the months passed neither
had returned to gambling.
They concluded from their discussions that in order to prevent a
relapse it was necessary to bring about certain character changes within
themselves. In order to accomplish this, they used for a guide certain
spiritual principles which had been utilized by thousands of people who
were recovering from other compulsive addictions. The word spiritual can
be said to describe those characteristics of the human mind that
represent the highest and finest qualities such as kindness, generosity,
honesty and humility. Also, in order to maintain their own abstinence
they felt that it was vitally important that they carry the message of
hope to other compulsive gamblers.
As a result of favorable publicity by a prominent newspaper columnist
and TV commentator, the first group meeting of Gamblers Anonymous was
held on Friday, September 13, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. Since
that time, the fellowship has grown steadily and groups are flourishing
throughout the world.
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