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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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