STEP WORK ~ GA Guide to Workng Step One

Step One ~ We admitted we were powerless over gambling – that our lives had become unmanageable.

Step One tells us that admitting our gambling defeat is humiliating and we naturally resent this show of weakness.

1. This opposes our instincts.


2. Destruction is at hand when we gamble.


3. We are at war with ourselves when attempting to gamble denying our failure and unwilling to admit our weakness.

Discuss with your sponsor or counselor or another fellow member:
A) When did we first discover and/or sense the problem of our compulsive gambling ?

B) Describe instances that prove we can no longer gamble normally.

In GA we discover that admitting our gambling problem to others has become the foundation on which our recovery will be built.

1. Our foundation can only be as strong as our continued belief that we are powerless.


2. Our reservation about powerless over gambling (doubt), block our recovery.

Discuss with your sponsor or counselor or another fellow member:
A) Has acceptance of our “powerlessness” grown while attending meetings ?

B) Have we stopped searching for answers and causes of our gambling problem and started to deal with the problem on a daily basis ? ? Explain

Step One announces we are instinctively shocked when told that “will power” and self-knowledge will not break our obsession to gamble.

Discuss with your sponsor or counselor or another fellow member:
A) How has “will power” failed in the face of gambling ?

B) What is the meaning of the slogan “KEEP IT SIMPLE” ?

C) Have we begun to come to Gamblers Anonymous for our own personal survival - - not to satisfy others ?

Our failing brought us to GA. By admitting and accepting our problem we become willing to listen and remain open-minded.

Discuss with your sponsor or counselor or another fellow member:
A) How we learn by attending meetings regularly ?

B) Are regular meetings a chore or source of relief ?

C) Has our ability to listen improved steadily or are we bored at times ?

D) Is Gamblers Anonymous our mirror ?