As compulsive gamblers, and members of Gamblers Anonymous we realize what a miracle it is when we do not place a bet for even a single day. So, when one of our brothers or sisters surpasses the seemingly IMPOSSIBLE task of achieving 15 years since their last bet, we make a BIG DEAL out of it.
Tonight was no different. The meeting was very well attended with members showing up from as far away as Las Vegas. Granted the man who was celebrating tonight is an exceptional member and servant in our program. He sponsors over 20 people, is our current regional intergroup chairman, attends meetings all over the place, and is one of our biggest answerers of hotline calls.
But even without all that, we would still have almost as many people there at a 15 year celebration. Why? Because we all know that at any time we could be back to the lies, guilt, chaos, and all the other negative things in life that gambling afforded us. So, we DO make a big deal when someone has figured out a way to stop for this length of time.
At the same time we had a newcomer there tonight. I have commented many times how overwhelming it must be for that person's first meeting to be filled with an entire room full of happy celebratory people. Many of us tried to comfort this man while at the same time acknowledging the tremendous accomplishment of the program.
But as I shared last night, when we come into the program we often are not sure what it is we are looking for. We only know that our lives are unmanageable, and gambling continues to make it worse every day. We just want it to STOP! But, soon we meet people in the program who seem to have the kind of life we can only dream of. We latch onto these people. Tonight's celebrant is one of those people.
Thankfully for me, he was there and has been willing to share himself with me. He has been a key to my success to date. To thank him, I try to be there as possible for those that come in after me. I cannot ever imagine being as comfortable with myself as he is, but then it is the effort that counts, not the outcome. Progress, not perfection.
Good night all. I am pretty tired. I knew it was going to be a busy week, and it has not disappointed me.
John
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