Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) is a grassroots campaign that depends on the participation of NCPG state Affiliates, organizational and individual members, state health agencies, gambling companies, recovery groups, and a wide range of healthcare organizations and providers. Groups across America hold conferences, air Public Service Announcements, provide counselor training, host health screening days, run social media campaigns, and many other activities to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
The 2023 PGAM theme is “Celebrating 20 Years”#PGAM2023
The goals of this national campaign are:
To increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment & recovery services.
To encourage healthcare providers to screen clients for problem gambling.
HELP BY STATE
The National Council on Problem Gambling has developed this list as a starting point for those seeking help or information about gambling problems. Problem gambling is a rare but chronic mental disorder and is treatable. But without help, a gambling problem may get worse.
The information compiled below by NCPG is intended to be a starting point for individuals to learn more about problem gambling — it is not a complete list of information or services. We encourage you to ask questions, gather information and research the type of help most appropriate for your situation.
As an active advocate and mentor of recovery from gambling addiction for 16 years, so, please feel free to reach out to me by EMAIL at: lyonmedia@aol.com – OR CALL the Hotline Below.
National Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700 24/7 and 7 Days a Week…
From My Friends of “The National Council on Problem Gambling”…
“TODAY, Sunday, more than 50 million across the country plan to place a sports wager on Super Bowl LVII– a 61% increase from 2022.
If you choose to place a bet, make a plan, set a budget, set a time limit & play #responsibly!“
One In Every Five Problem Gamblers May Try Suicide From The Financial Hardships That Comes From Being Addicted to Uncontrollable Gambling”. . .
Advocate, Catherine Lyon
******** ********* *********
Important update from my friends at “Stop Predatory Gambling”…
Director’s Note — Winter 2023
I’m writing this note at one of the most extraordinary moments in the history of our fight to protect the 40 million Americans suffering harm because of the greed of big gambling operators. In early November, California voters overwhelmingly rejected two ballot questions that would have allowed online gambling and sports gambling across the state. They resoundingly voted No in the face of more than $600 million in campaign spending of self-interested gambling operators – demolishing the most expensive lobbying campaign in US history.
And then just two weeks later, in a front page, above-the-fold series, The New York Times published the most detailed, thorough, and revealing investigation into the commercialized gambling industry by any national media outlet in at least fifteen years. If you didn’t read the series yet, you can find the stories here: Story #1, Story #2, Story #3, and Story #4.
The Times investigation shined a powerful light upon the corrupt and deceitful lobbying campaign to push sports gambling and online gambling across the US. Predatory gambling is America’s most-neglected major problem, which is why this Times investigation is even more significant.
We are trying hard to seize this historic moment. We’ve added several accomplished and passionate national board members. We added three talented and committed staff members but urgently need several others. We’ve attracted even more national press for our work: in recent weeks we’ve been quoted on CNN,Fox National News, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered along with at least 15 different statewide media outlets from across the US.
To maximize our impact, we are narrowing our focus on what I consider the three pillars of gambling reform:
1) Restrict gambling advertising, marketing, and sponsorships to protect the health and well-being of kids and their families.
2) Cut the financial losses that citizens are suffering from commercialized gambling by 50%.
3) End the profiteering by gambling operators at the expense of citizens who have been turned into gambling addicts.
“How” we achieve these major reforms is by expanding our national reach through advocacy, litigation, and education efforts that reveal the truth behind gambling operators and their partners. Specifically, we will work to restrict gambling ads, reduce gambling losses, and dismantle the sham system of “responsible gambling” that has allowed operators to inflict severe harm on millions of Americans.
We will work with legislators and other opinion leaders on bills that achieve these goals at the federal, state, and local levels. We will partner with reform-minded attorneys to fight for these reforms through the courts.
And, we will dramatically expand our education efforts to include: a 2023 national conference in the Washington, DC area on April 28-29th (registration and more info can be found here or by clicking the image below); at least ten webinar events with the best independent experts in the world; a bigger presence on national media; and a long-overdue focus on social media.
Our members make our country a more just, loving, and merciful place. Thank you for the contributions you make to our network and to our nation.
I was reviewing an upcoming event I saw on Facebook that will be taking place here where I live in Arizona. Since I battle challenges of mental health, I am going to soon share it here on my website as it pertains to raising Mental Health Awareness through the event being held in Mesa, AZ late this month.
But as I read and research all the information? I came across an article about one of the musical guests who will be performing at the event. As read and dug deeper about the guest, Alex Boye’ who happens to be an exceptional vocalist and a singer who happens to Africanize Pop songs. I love his music as he is a very talented singer after being founded on “America’s Got Talent” years back.
Long story short, his wife is white, while Alex is black born in London, England and they have eight biracial healthy thriving children… But about 10 years ago Alex’s wife, Julie received an anonymous letter from someone that IS filled with HATE, trash talk, and heartbreak, along with being an ignorant racist.
Since February is “Black History Month,” I felt it fitting to share this letter because I applaud her answer to the person who is anonymous and actually mailed it to her home address, which is disturbing in itself. It just touched me to my core while reading HER answer in this article.
I CHEERED as I read her letter, But sadly, it also proves that we have NOT come far enough out of people still spewing hateful racist remarks and their ideology thinking of today. Sad, but true…
Perspective: What I’ve been wanting to say to the anonymous hater
My husband is Black. Our eight children are biracial. We love each other even when we are confronted by haters… By Julie Boyé Feb 202
Editor’s note: Ten years ago, the author of this essay, Julie Boyé, received an anonymous letter through the mail. The letter was riddled with expletives and racial slurs directed at Julie Boyé, who is married to British-American singer Alex Boyé, and her family. The letter states, in part, that Julie is a “disgrace to the rest of us white people,” because Julie is white and Alex is Black. The letter was signed “Concerned Parents.” In this essay, Julie Boyé is publicly responding to the letter for the first time.
___________________________
Dear “Concerned Parents,”
I’ve wanted to respond to your letter for a long time now. But I don’t want you to think that you’ve been at the forefront of my mind. Actually, you’ve been benched in the back. But every so often, I think about the day I got your letter, and I’m reminded that people like you actually do exist, which I’ll never be able to comprehend.
It was 10 years ago when I received your stamped envelope in my mailbox. The handwriting looked like a kindergartener’s penmanship, complete with backward R’s and a combination of upper and lowercase letters. You made the effort to make the handwriting unrecognizable, which I found strange.
“Who in Pennsylvania knows where I live?” I wondered.
I thought maybe it was fan mail of some kind. Sometimes people write to thank me for letting my husband, Alex Boyé, take time away from our family to perform a concert or speak. I thought it might be something like that.
It was not that.
It was a vile diatribe so profoundly disturbing that it reminded me of those described in Latter-day Saint scripture as “a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people.” Except you sat behind a computer like a coward, typed a letter berating my amazing, God-given family, got in your car, paid for a stamp, and mailed your deranged rant anonymously. At least villains of old had the courage to show their faces.
You seemed to find pleasure in name-calling. You used the N-word repeatedly. You called my family “shameless ingrates” and “mongrels.” Multiple times, you called me a prostitute. I’ve come to realize that your letter is really about you, and not about me. It’s a reflection of just how hurt you must be to write a letter like this.
Because hurt people hurt people.
Still, it’s astounding the way you choose to speak. You said you would disown your children if they were romantically involved with a person of another race, and that you’ve been telling them that since they were small. You said you would rather your kids be with a white father who abused them than with a Black father who did not.
But here’s the kicker: There is hope for your kids, and maybe for you, too. Your kids, I believe, will likely be better than you. They may well be pioneers of peace in your family, not the carriers of repugnant racist beliefs passed down from an ignorant parent.
Like my own husband, who was a victim of abuse, they may be the ones who can break the link to end a destructive chain within a family’s line. Who knows, maybe your children could be the means to open your own eyes and lead you to the love that comes on the other side of blind bigotry.
______________________
“In Loving v. Virginia, decided on June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down Virginia’s law prohibiting interracial marriages as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The appellants, Richard and Mildred Loving, of Caroline County, had married in Washington, D.C., in June 1958 and then returned to Virginia, where they were arrested. After pleading guilty, they were forced to leave the state. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed motions and appeals on their behalf beginning in 1963, and after the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled against the Lovings in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court heard their arguments.
The case came after nearly 300 years of legislation in Virginia regulating interracial marriage and carefully defining which citizens could legally claim to be white. Two U.S. Supreme Court cases, Pace v. Alabama (1883) and Maynard v. Hill (1888), upheld the constitutionality of such laws. In 1924, the Act to Preserve Racial Integrity banned interracial marriage in Virginia while defining a white person as someone who had no discernible nonwhite ancestry. It was this law that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling said denied Virginians’ “fundamental freedom” to marry. Loving v. Virginia is a landmark case, both in the history of race relations in the United States and in the ongoing political and cultural dispute over the proper definition of marriage.“
_______________________
It’s been almost 55 years since the decision in Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court case that invalidated laws banning interracial marriage. We still have a long way to go to get rid of racism in our society, but as CBS News reported, “Nowadays, you can hardly open a magazine or turn on the TV without seeing an interracial couple.” Nearly 1 in 5 marriages in the U.S. involve people of different ethnicities, nearly twice the number from just two decades ago.
In other words, ironically, you’re the aberration, not me.
February is Black History Month, and at this time each year, I’m always reminded of the heroic accomplishments of our Black brothers and sisters. The insulting names, the abuse, and the racist ladders they had to climb give me perspective on just how minuscule my own experience with racism has been.
As Alex likes to say, “It’s Black History Month every month for me. I’m still Black in March, April, May, and June.”
The scriptures teach us to turn the other cheek, but sometimes we need a little spinal adjustment and pop of the neck to help us combat the punches.
So to that end, I declare to you, “Concerned Parents”:
We, The Boyés are a thriving family of 10 in a world that otherwise criticizes us for our size. I have eight strong and resilient kids who love one another and help each other and try to be like Jesus. I have a husband who lifts me up and stands behind me when cowards like you come swingin’ (and miss). He bears me up in the moments I lose my confidence to trolls who delight in the shedding of emotional blood continually.
So thank you very much for your concern, but it’s misplaced, much like your values.
The Boyés are doing just fine.
How are your kids?
Visit Alex’s website to sample his music as a multicultural Vocalist at:https://alexboye.com/… His Ukraine Tribute and Charity Fund Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6TZD1jfMkc Julie Boyé and her husband, Alex, live in Sandy, Utah, with their eight kids and goldendoodle.
“Surf through experiences and conditions by asking what is a greater expression of life in this area? Live in that question, and waves of insight will become more available to you.” ~Michael B. Beckwith
We are going through many challenges right now as the human race, and sometimes it feels like too much to bear. Obvious climate-change weather occurrences, and so much division, and hatred between factions.
In my meditation time, I ask myself “What is a greater expression of life in this area?” And what comes to me is that through what we don’t want, we are getting clearer on what we do. All of these are conditions and experiences that shall pass and are temporary.
What we can count on is Spirit or God, infinite, steady, and omnipresent.
I am one with this ‘Presence.’ I am one with ‘All That Is.’ I am love and harmony and unity. I am peace-filled. I am replete with gratitude for the wisdom imparted to me.
Coming in January 2023 — A Zoom Book Study facilitated by Deborah Perdue, 6 weeks starting Wed. Jan 4th, 3:30-5pm U.S. Pacific time. We will be studying Tara Brach’s powerful book True Refuge, Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart. We have some committed, wonderful folks who have registered and can accept a few more. Let me know if you are interested by Email info@graceofgratitude.com …
Remember to share these daily gratitude reflections with friends. I love to add new subscribers and share my thoughts of gratitude. I welcome emails and will reply to any and all. Thank you! Sign up to receive the daily reflections at info@graceofgratitude.com
Gratitude Reflections are sent out Monday-Friday, except for major holidays.
There are certain situations that people find themselves, that it is only the hand of God that can bring them out. Divine intervention is the sudden movement of God upon your situation and challenges and when God is fighting for you as no one can harm you when under the covering of God…
~Unknown
Let me share how I work my recovery and some of my backstory, if you will, about my recovery journey within my faith.
Now, I’m not going to preach a ‘Sunday Gospel Sermon’ to you all… lol.
These are just some of my personal experiences of why I believe my recovery wouldn’t work doing so all by myself. I believe in a higher power greater and my higher power happens to be God and his Son, our Lord, and savior, Jesus Christ.
In November of 2002, my mother passed, and then my best friend, who was older than me, and was like an adopted mom passed due to cancer, and my addiction at that time got so severe I tried suicide. My gambling addiction was raging out of control. My 40th birthday was in a week, and there I was, suffering in an addictions/mental health crisis center.
I became one of the gambling addiction statistics of one in five will try suicide.
Thankfully God stepped in and helped me when I could not help myself. I ended up at an Indian Casino for hours on a bad gambling binge when I was supposed to be at my best friend’s memorial service.
All of these events and loss was too much for me to handle!
See, I had turned my back on God when I became a gambling addict. Sounds kind of corny, but I would tell myself, “how can Jesus love me when I hate myself and am deep into my addiction?” I felt he probably gave up on me anyway. I learned this was not true. But I kept on within my addiction and was deep in selfishness. I was lost, broken, and spiritually gone. Not knowing God had been with me every step of the way!
Within almost 30 days in this crisis center, I began a gambling treatment program.
I was also diagnosed with several mental health disorders and started a medication treatment and therapy plan as well. I became a dually diagnosed person and am beginning recovery. It was way more than I could handle or wrap my mind around at that time. I had a tough time accepting the fact that I had several mental disorders. And, yes, I did have another failed suicide in 2006, but that was all from the two of the medications I was on had stopped working. And, well, that is another post for another time.
Soon after my release from the crisis center, and while I was in the center, my husband started attending Church with his friends from work. It was where he drew his strength from all this chaos I created with my addicted gambling. Faith helped me shed the guilt and pain of knowing what I put my husband through. Because now I had even MORE GUILT of scaring our families and my husband with my failed suicide! My husband kept going to Church and didn’t push me to go.
See, we were both raised Catholics, but a few years into our marriage, we stopped attending mass as we both felt disappointed about all the media and news coming out about the abuse of many children at the hands of priests. We also didn’t feel right or agree any longer about “giving confession ” as it felt like it was an intrusion of our relationship, our personal relationship with God.
I finally decided to go with him to Church and we attended Calvary Chapel in late December 2002. By August of 2003, we rededicated our lives and faith to Christ by being rebaptized, still living in Grants Pass, Oregon at that time, and within the Famous Rogue River. This was a miracle for me as I had my husband on one side and the Pastor on the other. When they lifted me out of the water? I honestly felt feelings I had never had before. It was like all the bad in my life and within addiction had slipped away and been replaced by what I felt: God’s love, grace, and mercy, and I haven’t looked back since!
Courtesy Dynamic Art
I still have and feel those same feelings today.
Without my faith in my higher power, GOD, I know that I would not be sharing this with you. I genuinely am a living, breathing, walking MIRACLE of God, his power greater than myself. It has enabled me to reach 16 years maintaining my recovery path and still counting.
Do I go to Church every Sunday?
No, because as God tells us in Matthew 18:20 – –
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
So, long story short, never underestimate the power of your higher power.
It is where all your MIRACLES within recovery come from and especially through the Holidays!
Hello Recovery Friends, Supporters, and New Visitors,
I have several updates and opportunities for you! One is about an exceptional video to watch of a conference held last week about STATE LOTTERIES. It is very informative to watch. The other news is TWO opportunities to share your story and experiences with ONLINE SPORTS BETTING.
Then, the fine folks of the MA Council on Problem Gambling are looking for people willing to share their stories of gambling addiction or problem gambling and recovery exclusively for their website. See all the details below. I always enjoy keeping everyone informed and educated, including the public!
~Advocate Catherine Lyon
“Investigative journalist seeking to interview citizens who’ve suffered harm from online sports gambling“
Stop Predatory Gambling was contacted by a national investigative journalist who is seeking to interview citizens who have been harmed in some way by online sports gambling and the gambling operators behind it. The person could be anyone who developed an online sports gambling problem, a loved one or friend of an addicted online sports gambler, an employer, etc. The person can do the interview anonymously if professional or family considerations are a significant factor.
People revealing the truth about predatory gambling with these kinds of stories can make a real difference in bringing about change. Please ask your family, friends, co-workers, and website visitors if they know someone who has been harmed and is open to discussing what happened.
If they are a member of Gamblers Anonymous or Gam-Anon, any interview will not reference GA in keeping with the guidelines of those organizations.
Please call or email me as soon as possible if you know someone, and I’ll pass it on to the journalist to get them connected.
Thank you.
Best, Les Bernal Stop Predatory Gambling
Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Room 310 | Washington, District of Columbia 20002 (202) 567-6996 | les@stoppredatorygambling.org
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A Message and OpportunityFrom MA Office of The National Council on Problem Gambling:
Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health
ICYMI: “Our Tell Your Story series” is accepting submissions. No writing is required, just a brief, confidential interview on your real-life experience with gambling.
And Lastly, A Message From Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling~ STATE LOTTERIES
Catherine,
Below is the video to watch last week’s important national event, “How States’ Experiment with Lotteries Has Failed and Why It Affects You,” which featured prominent national lottery expert Dr. Jonathan Cohen, author of the important new book“For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America,”and Sean Mussenden, data editor for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland who was a key figure behind the publication of the 2022 groundbreaking national series on state lotteries, “Mega Billions: The Great Lottery Wealth Transfer.”Brief background about each speaker is below.
If you didn’t get to attend, I urge you to watch the forum. Cohen and Mussenden were engaging, highly knowledgeable, and persuasive. After you watch it, I strongly urge you to share the video with your email list and your social media networks, inviting people to learn for themselves how severe and urgent the problem of state lotteries has become and how it affects all of us, including those who rarely, if ever, gamble on the lottery.
I also strongly encourage you to share the video with every local, state, and federal official in your region, along with members of the local and state media.
The video is NOW posted to our Stop Predatory Gambling YouTube channel, and it can be watched here. You can also click on the image below.
This webinar is one of a series of events that we’re hosting, and we’d be grateful if you would please take one minute to fill out this brief survey about the event to give us your feedback.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Jonathan D. Cohen is a program officer at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is the co-editor of All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States and Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia. His new book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America” was published by Oxford University Press and can be purchased here.(Use coupon code AAFLYG6 to receive a 30% discount.)
Sean Mussenden is the data editor for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, an investigative reporting unit at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism that partners early-career journalists and veteran journalists at news organizations like the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour,and National Public Radio to produce deeply reported investigative stories.
We can fund essential events like this national webinar because of our members’ selfless financial generosity. If you support our mission to reveal the truth behind commercialized gambling operators to prevent more victims, please become a member of our national network by making a gift of any size you can afford today.
Post and Article Share Courtesy of the fine friends of https://knowtheodds.org/ – “Know The Odds,” a fantastic resource for problem gamblers and their families.
Every day, millions of individuals across the globe are recovering from addicted gambling and mental and substance abuse disorders.
Among those conditions is problem gambling, medically defined by the DSM-5 as Disordered Gambling. Problem gambling affects approximately 2 million people nationwide, with another 4-6 million at risk. During this month of understanding recovery and the disorders and addictions individuals struggle to overcome, we want to shine a light on those affected by problem gambling.
It’s a disorder that isn’t easily noticed and isn’t often talked about. We refer to it as the hidden addiction because it can be hard to recognize the signs until the disorder has begun to seriously affect the individual’s health or cause significant financial problems.
WHAT WAS RECOVERY MONTH?
National Recovery Month is celebrated by many in the addiction and recovery community throughout September, serving as a way to recognize those living with mental and substance abuse disorders and their loved ones fighting the battle alongside and behind them. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides resources, updates, and ways to get involved on their site.
Many organizations are using this month to share recovery stories, organize events and spark a dialogue about mental and substance abuse disorders. While these conversations should be happening year-round, taking a month to recognize the importance of recovery is an important place to start.
UNDERSTANDING GAMBLING DISORDER & RECOVERY
Problem gambling can happen to anyone. It’s a disorder that knows no limits of age, gender, or ethnicity. It doesn’t care about your background or the numbers on your paycheck. There are many ways to gamble, from initially low-stakes to high, and they can all end up costing the individual more than they bargained for.
It’s essential to recognize that disordered gambling tends to co-occur with other addictions, such as alcohol or drug dependence. According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), 73.2 percent of people with a gambling disorder also had an alcohol use disorder. Likewise, 31.8 percent had a drug use disorder. While co-occurring disorders aren’t always a part of gambling disorders, it’s also important to be aware of the correlation.
Experiencing multiple disorders calls for different approaches to treatment and recovery. To get the most effective treatment, it’s vital for individuals to acknowledge their gambling disorder and anything else they have recognized is affecting them.
Why is recovery so important? Problem gambling has the highest rate of suicide of all addictions.
The journey to recovery requires a bit of planning and commitment. You can cross the finish line, but you must prepare yourself for the obstacles ahead.
What are you going to do with the time you used to spend gambling?
How are you going to avoid old triggers?
Will you become dependent on another unhealthy activity or substance?
These are all real, severe questions that many problem gamblers face at the beginning of their recovery. They may be tough to answer, but thinking about them now will help you continue a successful and lasting recovery. You will need to consider your lifestyle, behaviors, and habits when embarking on your journey to be prepared for the challenges you may face. Find more tips on facing recovery in our ebook on staying safe after problem gambling.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP!
Remember, you don’t have to face this alone. You can find support in the stories of others who are experiencing similar problems from gambling, reach out to trusted friends and family members, or talk to a professional who can help you map your recovery.
If you need support or advice for dealing with problem gambling, the NYS HOPEline is available to help! You can reach them free of charge, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, by calling 1-877-8-HOPENY.
For professional support and treatment for problem gambling in New York State, our Gambling Support Directory provides a network of organizations providing services for disordered gambling.
The path to recovery can have its ups and downs, but don’t lose sight of the finish line. You can get through this, and people want to help you recover and care!
I would encourage you to visit my friends, “Know The Odds,” on their website. They have helpful resources for locals living in NYC and national resources.
Problem Gambling Resource Centers
Funded by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the New York State Problem Gambling Resource Centers (PGRCs) are the New York Council on Problem Gambling programs. The goal of the PGRCs is to address problem gambling across New York State by:
increasing public awareness about problem gambling;
connecting those adversely affected by gambling with services that can help them.
“Forward Written By 2X Super Bowl Champ Leonard Marshall.”
“Entertaining true crime meets an encouraging spiritual awakening.“
Having the right mix of encouragement and entertainment, Corbin Bosiljevac’s memoir gets to the heart of an extraordinary story told by an ordinary man. When questionable choices, addiction, and mental health consume his existence, the yearning for something larger becomes imperative.
This is a true story about a man’s struggles through a time in his life when choices led him astray. From college graduate and Fortune 1000 salesman to black-market drug dealing, crime emerged as an everyday event. Illicit drugs and illegal commerce became profitable and daunting, while the danger of these activities began to creep closer by the hour. With federal prison as the catalyst, there was a chance that he would not recover. Being a fearful time, the crippling anxiety overshadowed any hope he had left. But his life was rebuilt with a new foundation.
These changes did not come easily or quickly, but anything worthwhile never does. This is truly a story of redemption. “On to the Next Thing” is an excellent read about not giving up on life no matter how far you have fallen. Our individual journeys do not necessarily unfold as we have planned, but it is our experiences that shape our time. Unfortunately, our past doesn’t define who we are today. These experiences during this time are his real story.
Corbin Bosiljevac
ABOUT THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
Corbin Bosiljevac is an influential writer and the best-selling author of his debut memoir, “On to the Next Thing: A Memoir on Crime, Choices, and Change.” His biography reads like a real true crime story that is eye-opening but with the right mix of encouragement and entertainment. The book is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon and featured on many fine book sites in paperback, e-book, nook, and audiobook versions.
A product of the midwest, he was born in Wichita, KS, and grew up in Emporia, KS. He studied and attended the University of Kansas. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from The School of Journalism; he has spent most of his adult life in the Kansas City area.
His extensive travels around the United States mainly consist of outdoor adventures and camping, but when traveling, he enjoys discovering the history of the cities and places he visits. He also enjoys growing things, especially food. Corbin shares that “plants are good for the soul, and if they produce healthy food, then all the better!” Corbin enjoys reading, and his author influencers are David Sedaris and Simon Sinek.
Today, Corbin has been able to reform and transform his life to be health-focused; he now works with his father, Dr. Joseph Bosiljevac, in the medical field. They operate ‘New York Health and Longevity’ and ‘Flint Hills Surgical Associates.’ With the new health measures put in place during 2020-Covid, they focus on immune-boosting therapies and total body rebooting programs. The author now resides in Kansas City, MO.
A Funny, Dangerous, Sad Journey from Addiction and Drug Dealing to Recovery and Redemption.
Leonard Lee Buschel Blithely Skated Through Life with Aplomb, Good Luck and Chutzpah, High on Pot and More, A Life That Emulates the Films He Features in His Internationally Acclaimed Annual REEL Recovery Film Festival.
Leonard Lee Buschel marvels that he survived the first 44 years of his life…He still can’t believe that he didn’t get knocked off by drug dealers, thieves, or the copious amounts of drugs he himself ingested. Or locked up for life in a U.S. or international prison. And then again, there were the near-death asthma attacks, open-heart surgery and the brain tumor…
Yes, it’s a whale of tale—all true—that he writes in his acclaimed autobiography HIGH: Confessions of a Cannabis Addict.
Buschel lived to tell about it with vast humor, thrilling storytelling, and great insight. He is an Addiction Expert and California Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. He is editor/publisher of the respected weekly news source Addiction/Recovery eBulletin, director of the 14-year-old REEL Recovery Film Festival and Symposium. and co-founder of Writers in Treatment, which supports creatives who struggle with addiction and self-destructive behaviors.
But to get to that eminence, he first had to survive his profligate youth and his 25-year chosen profession as a drug dealer. Buschel’s life started skidding off the rails just weeks after his birth when his postal-worker father died of a massive heart attack on his way home from work, throwing what began as the idyllic family life of a middle-class Philadelphia Jewish family into a skid.
Raised by his mother – herself a very quirky character — alongside his older brother, Leonard learned most of his life lessons at the corner candy store under the guidance of the local bookie and a group of cigar-smoking, streetwise philosophers who thought nothing of buying hot merchandise out of the trunk of a car.
Gradually, experimentation with pot and sex unleashed a nearly life-long addiction to both — and what better way to support a cannabis habit than get into the business? Hijinks, adventure, and near-disaster across international and state lines ensued, alongside explorations of the spiritual, metaphysical, and psychedelic, oftentimes populated by personal encounters with the likes of poet Allen Ginsburg, Ram Dass, Jiddu Krishnamurti; a series of Woodstock headliners; and Hollywood luminaries including John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Stacy Keach, and others.
And close friendships with Robert Downey Sr., in particular, and Robert Downey Jr. -who was often there to lend support in challenging times. He spent much of his drug-selling proceeds to see the leading jazz artists, rock music superstars, and Broadway shows of the era—always living HIGH!
But finally, in his 50s, in the midst of an emotional breakdown over a shattered relationship, and after “smoking his breakfast, drinking his lunch and snorting his dinner” for many years, Buschel checked himself into the Betty Ford Center. It was hitting the lowest of the lows that so many addicts experience.
It was time to see what a month would be like without vodka, weed, or ecstasy. For Buschel, it was a revelation! Every moment he was struck by how alive he felt when not under the influence. For him, the power of the program there and at AA worked wonders. He has now been clean and sober for more than two decades. And while he tinkered with several careers to replace his successful but illegal profession, he finally found himself drawn to helping other addicts kick the habit and find a stable, healthy, robust sober life.
Inspired by the work, he launched the eBulletin, film festival, and organization Writers in Treatment, which he cofounded with Robert Downey Sr, which has made him a leader in the recovery field. HIGH is a fascinating read, a lively romp through a very vivid life, but it is also a cautionary tale and one that inspires. If anyone as committed to the drug life as Leonard Buschel, and can find sobriety beyond 25 years of active addiction and drug dealing, then there is hope for those who are inspired by his message that there is a better life waiting—and that they can achieve it, too.
I enjoy sharing some of my supportive friends and the resources they offer to help those who might be problem gamblers or may have a full-blown addiction to it.
My fine friends at GamTalk – https://www.gamtalk.org/ have many resources anyone can tap into to get help from gambling. Dr. Richard Wood is the founder and Ken L. is an administrator of this awesome website as they have given many a safe place and platform to share and give support to those looking to stop suffering in silence from this cunning and insidious disease.
I would encourage anyone who has a gambling problem to go join free and be with other like-minded people so you know you are NOT ALONE. I also try to share my thoughts on their community wall with empathy and inspiration to those who may be having a tough time trying to quit and how vital having an open willingness for CHANGE.
In order to change you much follow it up with ACTION. Willing to make changes within your actions is what will help you become BET FREE. Willing to change your addicted thinking, choices, bad habits, and behaviors that come with problem gambling.
It needs and takes action to work and you’ll begin a path of recovery that will be successful and gain a much better life. I’d like to share some anonymous voices so others can see just how difficult it is to change and stop gambling addictively.
Real Voices of Real People
Durr. posted: “We need to be able to survive a bad day. No matter how hard we try to live right, bad days will happen. It is wise to pray to be tough, fight through it, and believe that tomorrow will be better. When bad days happen get into your activities list and get active. Plan and prepare for war against this addiction. Have a journal and fill it with tips and articles about how to quit. Every day, add a bit more. Every day, study the key tips for you. Every day, do what you need to do to renew your mind and habits. It works.”
Pete E. posted: “New here and this day shall be known as day 1 for me…I have come to grips that I need help to stop gambling.”
Cindy R. posted: “My first post …I suppose my entry here will be quite usual. Anxiety way up, making deals with payments, and have noticed that when I’m chasing losses now for the last two months I’ve been noticeably hyper-frustrated when a scratch ticket doesn’t win.
Since I really need the win. Noticing this has prompted me to begin looking to stop or slow down. My mind is as tense as if I’ve Jenn up all night for New Year even with 5 hrs of sleep. Getting help locally is awkward since I’m a neighborhood professional. Thanks for letting me vent here…looking for a therapist whom I can trust locally here in Canada.“
Sally K. posted: “I’ve been gambling for over 12 years and it’s ruined my life. I have no hope for the future. It’s like I can’t feel anything unless I’m sitting in front of a slot machine. I’m scared to go to Gamblers Anonymous as I’m not a faith-based person. I want to find a support group; to be able to talk to and listen to other people like me. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to start?”
Kleaner31 posted: “I recently found out my 29-year-old son has a gambling problem. I’m looking for how I can help him the best.” Ken L. answered: “Hi Kleaner, The best way to help him is to suggest that he visit this site, find some counseling, and start attending GA meetings. And maybe suggest he turn his finances over to you until is finds solid recovery. I have included a link to Gam-Anon which is a Program for family and friends of the gambler. Wish you both well. https://www.gam-anon.org/meeting-directory
Dee M. posted: “Well, now, because of my undisciplined actions i.e. gambling every day, my car is being repossessed on July 8th unless I come up with the money, which I gambled away….I’m an idiot. I seriously have reached out to many agencies, but cannot find help with this. Unfortunately, I NEED my car for work, but I’m pretty much screwed.”Steve answered: “Sometimes churches have funds to help ask them for counseling and for them to take you and the payment to the bank with you.” (I ) Cat L. answered,“It is what happens when you continue to gamble and then chase your losses… You need to break the “cycle” and start also taking your financial inventory. Give your money and all cards, debit, and credit cards to your spouse or a trustworthy person to handle your money.There are many treatment options if you are ready for change.”
Jcp82 posted: “I’m so very happy I stumbled on this forum today. Day #2 of working to make a positive change in my life. It is amazing how (1) simple activity can take over a life. It hurts my insides that I cannot gamble today. But I have no choice but to push through. It will get easier I know, but wow. So happy I am here to read these stories. I am not alone in this and that is a good thing. Have a great day everyone!”
C Marie posted: “Day #3 Thanks everyone for your help. The suggested podcasts are really helping me. Little victories. Today will be a good day. If not, we will make it one. Take care out there guys!”
Cat Lyon – (Me) posted ( I wanted to share my recent amazing NEWS and Accomplishment) “Hello, Group and friends, Happy Belated Canada Day to those who live in Canada! I’m in the USA, and we are celebrating Independence Day tomorrow, but as I write this, I hear fireworks outside. I guess some wanted to start it EARLY… Awe, just the little things. I say this because I sure know I had a lot of crappy 4th of Julys when I was still deeply in my gambling addiction.
This brings me to Thanking Ken for the “Thoughts of the Day” today and tomorrow, depending on where you live. (what country) …As Ken shared, “Change is a part of the flow of life. Sometimes we’re frustrated because change seems slow in coming. Sometimes, too, we’re resistant to a change that seems to have been thrust upon us.”
For those who may be having a rough time, struggling to maintain recovery from this awful and insane addiction, CHANGE is a vital part of our humble beginnings within our recovery path and the willingness to make it.
To have a much better life for you, your spouses, your family, etc. CHANGE doesn’t have to be feared or scary. Wouldn’t it be great to have a life without this addiction dictating it? Or it sucking the life out of you. It is possible. I have been doing it BET FREE for over 15 years. I know it is possible. Was it a rocky road at first? Heck yes. But I truly was sick of being sick and tired.
It took me two failed (thank GOD) suicide attempts and two times through a crisis center and gambling recovery treatment program. No kidding. But? I NEVER GAVE UP. WHY? Because I knew I was living one bet away from death. True. I knew if stayed out there gambling I’m sure another suicide attempt would be looming and as they say, “third times a charm,” and I know I would not be here today if I kept gambling addictively. It is true that every 1 in 5 gamblers WILL try suicide. It’s a fact. And even though at that point I lost just about everything, almost my marriage, and my life, I was one HOT MESS!
Today I live a much better life than the one had before I became a gambling addict. I am very proud that I just completed and graduated from my Freedom Debit Relief program! I finally have paid off all the old debts and collections I had and it was a lot of $$$$$$… I feel so proud of myself for not only getting my financial inventory in order but being accountable for paying all those old debts off.
It IS an amazing feeling! So, never give up trying to stop if you have a gambling problem or it is a full-blown addiction. Your life is worth more than that. And you deserve to be happy and have peace in your life.
Our past doesn’t have to define us so don’t let it dictate YOUR future!
Break Free From Addicted Gambling
I think this gives some examples of how tough it can be to maintain recovery or just reach out for help and have a start somewhere and somehow. When you visit GamTalk’s website, I would also encourage you to read the “The Stories of Hope.”
We are only given one life to live while helping others along our journey. After years of addicted gambling, wasting a portion of my life, I will never again take for granted the beautiful life I have been given by GOD and will continue soar to heights I never dreamed possible from the work I have done within my recovery. . .
Author and Advocate Catherine Lyon
Advocating Out Loud At The Arizona State Capitol
My recovery journey started in 2002, and again in 2006 from my mental health challenges.
I woke up in a hospital as the result of another failed suicide attempt and then went back to an addiction and mental health crisis center for a 20-day stay. The problem wasn’t that I gambled again and relapsed; the problem was not taking my psych medications for a few weeks. I thought I didn’t need them; that I could be normal like everyone else around me, but as you read my story, you’ll see that didn’t work out too well.
I had a few severe financial crises happen, and since I had not taken my medication and had worked through all of my savings, I panicked and chose to steal from someone. What a mess! Of course, she pressed charges. I was arrested, went through the courts, and was sentenced to many hours of community service, two years of probation, and paid restitution that I’m still paying today.
My point?
You have to do the work in all areas of your recovery, including your finances. I chose to not do all the work necessary for a well-rounded recovery. Even though I was not gambling, my financial and legal troubles told me I still needed to work with a gambling addiction specialist. After my troubles occurred, I worked with a specialist for a year while I went through the legal mess I created. Why am I sharing this? Our recovery stories and words are powerful tools to help others.
After this second suicide attempt and crisis, I learned I did not have a well-balanced recovery and had a lot more work to do, and I also learned that God, my higher power, had bigger plans for me, a purpose for me that involves helping those reaching out for recovery from the cunning illness of compulsive gambling addiction. After I was released from the crisis center in 2006 and started working with a gambling specialist and got my mental health under control, I began to see the stigma surrounding those of us who maintaining recovery, and those of us who suffer from a mental illness, and we have a huge hurdle in our path.
I am a dual-diagnosed person who lives in recovery and has mental health challenges. It can make obtaining recovery a wee bit more work, as I discovered. The nasty habits, behaviors, and diseased thinking needed more correcting. Working with the gambling specialist was eye-opening.
He helped me break down the cycle of the addiction, and we also worked with tools and skills for dealing with financial problems that may arise while in recovery. I was given a fantastic relapse prevention workbook as well. Although I didn’t relapse into gambling, this workbook has helped me develop a plan for any financial or life event that may arise during my recovery journey. You need a plan before life events come.
Another tool that helped was journaling every day. I have always done this, but my specialist showed me how to relieve stress and learn more from my journaling. Those journals were used for help in writing my current published book. Writing my story and experiences in memoir form was a very healing process for me. I shared my gambling addiction and alcohol abuse, my past childhood abuse, and sexual trauma, and what it is like living with mental illness. I never dreamed I would be a published author, recovery advocate, writer, and blogger, but these are just a few of the recovery blessings I have received in my journey thus far.
By writing my book, and memoirs, and sharing it with the world, I hope to help shatter the stigma around gambling addiction, recovery, and mental and emotional health. I want to be a voice for those who are childhood sex abuse survivors. Through my book and my recovery blog, I have chosen to not be anonymous or silent any longer.
I want others and the public to know how devastating compulsive gambling addiction is and how easily one can become addicted. It truly is a real disease and illness. I want others to be informed and educated, and I raise awareness of the effects it has in our communities and in families’ lives.
The expansion of casinos, state lotteries, and now legal sports betting and online gambling venues are making gambling more and more accessible today and are now touching our youth. Currently, 1.9% of our population are problem gamblers. Through my own recovery and by writing my book, I have learned a lot. The best advice I can give? When starting recovery learn about this addiction. Work with a specialist or recovery coach to learn the cycle and then learn the tools and skills to interrupt it.
Work a well-balanced recovery that encompasses mind, body, spirit, and finances. There are many ways to recover including in or outpatient treatment and 12-step meetings. Anything and everything you can find? Do it. Only one option may not be enough for success in long-term recovery. Sadly, I learned this the hard way.
Now that I have reached and maintained 15+years of recovery from gambling addiction and alcohol abuse, I know it is my job, my purpose, to be of recovery service to others. Life today is good!
My husband and I learned that we can weather any storm together. I’m proud that my book has done so well and has opened doors for me to share what I have learned. I share as much as I can with others. I do this in many ways. My second book is almost finished, and I hope to release it in early 2023.
It will be more of a “how-to” for reaching that elusive first year of recovery. With a high percentage of people relapsing after rehab or treatment, I wanted, and my readers asked me, to share how to attain the first year of recovery. I also share my recovery and experiences in blog form here. All I can do is urge others to never give up. You are worth a better life in recovery. Sharing our experiences and our recovery story with others is just as important as the professional or clinical side of how to recover. Sharing one’s story is a powerful tool for others to listen to and learn from.
My last tip is to do something for your recovery each day. It will help keep you within your recovery, and you won’t ever become complacent on your journey.
Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered on WordPress.com 9 years ago. Thanks for flying with us “Bet Free Recovery Now!”
Keep up the good blogging.
🎉🏆🏆🏆🏆
NEWS FROM THE FOUNDER OF “STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING” ~ Catherine, 6 things to know about the fight from Stop Predatory Gambling. . .
Director’s Note: We’re working on three key priorities in 2022. Priority #1 is to move beyond the coalition model that focused on our own individual states and regions and build a vibrant national organization with a national focus in its place.
A national focus requires that we dramatically grow our organizational capacity and build a team committed to that national focus. For the first time in our history, we filled three critical roles on our team.
The first major addition was hiring part-time Director of Development, Kate Rozzi, to help us build a growing, financially-sustainable organization in the long term. Our second key addition was the addition of part-time Director of Education, Harry Levant, whose primary focus is to create high-quality content about the seriousness and urgency of our nation’s problem with commercialized gambling, which we can then widely distribute using both digital and traditional communication mediums. The third critical hire was our part-time Digital Communications Director, Eric Stamps, who will improve the way we are educating people using 21st-century technology now used to gather and absorb information.
These three new team members join Debbie Blank, our Financial Manager for the past twelve years, who has wisely and carefully managed our small budget. Her work has earned us the annual GuideStar Exchange Seal awarded to organizations that have demonstrated nonprofit transparency and accountability.
Priority #2 is to change how we measure our impact. Instead of looking at it from a lens of preventing predatory gambling expansion like we’ve done historically, we’re focused on “gaining traction” as an organization over the next 12 months. Traction is a sign that something is working. Simply put, “traction” equals growth. The way we are measuring our traction is by focusing on how many people we are reaching across the United States. Everything we’ve done over the past five months, and everything we do going forward through the end of 2022, will be guided by this mindset.
Priority #3 is to spotlight how gambling advertising is out-of-control, and at the same time, invite Americans to join us who want to protect people from these predatory business practices. This is why we’re leading a national campaign targeting commercialized gambling advertising and marketing, with a special focus on how it is affecting kids. As part of the campaign, we’re creating and distributing high-quality content such as webinars, short videos, and op-eds, to educate the public about how gambling advertising is out-of-control and millions of kids are being hurt as a result.
Our campaign also provides an opportunity for us to attract concerned citizens to engage with our organization bysigning an online petitionon our website calling for Congress to implement restrictions on commercialized gambling advertising to protect the public from further harm. It’s only because of the selfless financial generosity of our members that we are able to fund our work.
Thanks for making our mission one of your priorities in your life. Sincerely, Les Bernal, National Director
Next Up Is A Man On A Mission: Alex’s Story
My name is Alex Iler and I am a new Board Member of Stop Predatory Gambling. I would like to share the story of why I have become involved with this organization. I was a successful practicing criminal defense attorney in New Jersey for more than a decade when I first became an addicted gambler. My path toward destruction began with a big win at the blackjack table at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City.
Very quickly the Harrah’s staff went out of their way to lure me back with extremely generous comps and perks, the likes of which would make your head spin. I’ll save those details for a future story! As my gambling increased so did the depths of the oftentimes illegal perks they were using to get me to stay and return, including feeding back to me 30% of my losses on a daily basis.
As my gambling addiction grew, my personal life spun out of control and I eventually engaged in a series of thefts from my attorney trust account to try to chase and recover my losses. I was eventually arrested. I lost my law license, was divorced and sent to State Prison where I served approximately 18 months. All this while I had a six-year-old and two-year-old at home.
I am happy to say that despite this devastation I have nearly 10 years of recovery under my belt and have rebuilt or repaired my family relationships and most of my friendships. It is a difficult and dark disease to conquer. I don’t think the general public is aware of how insidious this disease is. My hopes are that through my work with Stop Predatory Gambling I can get this message out and help save at least one life before it’s too late. I look forward to serving.
-Alex Iler, Rhode Island
Notes From The Front Lines Thanks to the support of our donors, members, and successful collaborations across the country, we have accomplished much in our efforts to continue to reveal the truth about predatory gambling so far in 2022: We generated national headlines from our webinar we held with prominent experts to reveal the truth about commercialized gambling advertising.
We joined with a coalition of leading national organizations working on behalf of America’s youth and their families to send a letter to Congress calling for policy safeguards to protect children and teens online. One of our members launched a Stop Predatory Gambling Chicago chapter to oppose a casino project in that city.
We traveled to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville to educate thousands about the damage that commercialized gambling is having on families and communities across this country. We presented testimony on online gambling and commercialized sports gambling before the Minnesota legislature four times. Traveled to Philadelphia to do an interview with NBC National News about online gambling and sports gambling. Traveled to Chicago, Illinois to film an interview for a national documentary series on electronic gambling machines.
Traveled to Kentucky to speak before public officials at all levels of government about the impacts that predatory gambling is inflicting upon the citizens of the state. Met with leaders in Tennessee to help build a standing coalition in the state against predatory gambling.
“We are looking forward to working with more of our committed advocates to offer support and guidance as you fight to protect our communities. Through this work as well as working with the media, we will continue to reveal the truth behind commercialized gambling operators.”
New To Our Team Harry Levant is a public health advocate from Philadelphia who serves as Director of Education. A gambling addict in recovery who made his last bet on April 27, 2014, Levant is determined to fight for a public health response to the dangerous expansion of commercialized gambling in America.
He is specifically concerned about the risk presented by the unprecedented partnerships between gambling companies, professional and collegiate sports, media titans, and state government. Eric Stamps joins the team as Digital Communications Director with many years of experience in digital advocacy. He has degrees in Media Design from the Academy of Art University and Full Sail University.
Eric has worked on numerous political campaigns over the past 6 years and has been a former candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates. He has been actively involved in efforts in Virginia to stop casinos and the expansion of gambling across the state.
Kate Rozzi joins the team bringing over 20 years of communications, development, and advocacy experience with her as the Director of Development. She most recently served as the Vice President of Development at the Merrimack Valley YMCA. Prior to that role, she served as the Director of Development and Communication at the YMCA. She previously worked as a District Director at the Massachusetts House of Representatives and in numerous communications and marketing roles in the private sector.
WHY CONGRESS MUST ACT TO RESTRICT GAMBLING ADVERTISING
Throughout the country, families gather to watch their favorite teams battle it out for wins and championships. Instead of being bombarded with three-pointers, grand slams, and touchdowns, fans are bombarded with flashy ads promising easy access to free bets. Access is immediate and as simple as scanning the QR code flashing across the screen. The ads focus on the free bets but not on the fine print that says your free money is a credit given to you after you spend thousands and thousands of dollars.
By choosing to support Stop Predatory Gambling today, you’re taking an active role in efforts to protect your community and its children from the poverty, addiction, and human suffering caused by the greed of big gambling operators.
Please visit www.stoppredatorygambling.org to make a donation and learn about how you can get involved. You can join with our members who are revealing the truth behind gambling operators and take action to prevent more victims.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts to educate, inform and take action! DONATE NOW
I couldn’t be more grateful for the surprise rain (and even one day of snow!) in Southern Oregon, USA where I live that came in April. So much of the Pacific Northwest is experiencing drought conditions. Lots of drenching rain will help!
The rivers are filling up, and our seasonal creek and waterfall started to rush again. This was a big demonstration of April Showers bringing May Flowers. Gratitude fills my heart! In June, I will probably put in a photo of this year’s pond lily flowers which are almost unreal-looking they are so absolutely gorgeous.
For those of you who are brand new, I thank you for joining my list. Let me introduce you to myself. My name is Deborah Perdue, I am an author and teacher, and I am a big promoter of finding gratitude every day in every way. It is my mission to share what I have learned with others, and to that aim, I have written five books on the topic of Gratitude – two beautiful Journals and three books with inspiring passages, artwork, and photographs.
May Gratitude Gifts for You… Karen Drucker is definitely the Gratitude Queen of music!
This page gives you many songs about gratitude by pop singers and spiritual musicians. One of my favorites on this list is Natalie Marchant’s song “Kind and Generous”, and there are many more: https://www.joincake.com/blog/…
You are also invited to receive Daily Gratitude Reflections, emailed to your inbox Mon-Fri. You can click on the offer on the home page of my website to sign up.www.GraceofGratitude.com
When you order my newest book Daily Gratitude Reflections Vol. 2, type in the code Gratitude25% to receive a 25% discount.
NEWS FLASH!
In May 2022, the monthly Daily Guides for the Center for Spiritual Living magazine are written by me. It was an honor to be asked! Writing the Daily Guides has been on my Bucket List for years, and it was both a little nerve-wracking and most exciting.
Thousands read this magazine every morning, meditating on the Daily Guides for each month. Emotions were the topic for May. This subject was perfect for me to explore and share because I have always been a very sensitive soul. To see the May issue, go to https://scienceofmind.com/ May 2022 – Grace of Gratitude
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched— they must be felt with the heart. So much has been given me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied.” ~Helen Keller
Feeling grateful is a grand emotion. It truly raises us up from anger, sadness, or upset. A minister gifted her congregants with journals at Thanksgiving in 2010 and encouraged us to write five things we were grateful for each day for 40 days, promising our lives would improve wondrously. It worked for me, and I have continued ever since.
The biggest gratitude I can embrace is when I think about the grandeur of this Universe, the infinity of Divinity. When I was a young girl, I used to imagine infinity before I went to sleep – stretching my mind farther and farther into the outer edges of our universe, until I grew afraid, and had to stop!
Nowadays, I am in awe of Life expanding to infinity. It intrigues and thrills me instead of frightening me. I marvel at the zillions of life forms that have been created by God, including us. And I am in deep gratitude for the unseen – the miracles of love, joy, peace, abundance, other realms, those who have passed from this earth yet live on, grace, kindness, inspiration, and creativity. These beautiful qualities manifest into the seen, but they start out invisible.
How wondrous is that?!
I invite you to embrace your grateful heart. If you already have a gratitude practice, expand on it. As a practitioner used to say about our Science of Mind philosophy and I now proclaim about gratitude: “This stuff works!”
Affirmation: In great gratitude, I celebrate all the wonder and magic of the Universe! Savor the May flowers and sublime beauty of Mother Nature.
“I am grateful to each of you.” ~Deborah L. Perdue
“A Special Gift For My Recovery Readers!… Download a FREE COPY of Deborah’s New Release to enhance your recovery journey today from book funnel link for people to get the free ebook and be added to Deb’s subscriber list. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3vx8hrqu7f …
A Great Resource for Those Living in Massachusetts
Here’s Scott’s story.
If you’ve ever been to Atlantic City, you know it’s an exciting place. High-rise hotels, famous nightclubs, and glitzy casinos line the boardwalk. As a young guy, Atlantic City had all the appeal of a fun spot to spend an evening and unwind.
At the casinos, these thrills were more enticing than I realized. That evening, I found myself glued to the gaming tables. I couldn’t get up and walk back to my room. I ended up gambling all night long.
When I visited Atlantic City, I’d been sober for about a year. Growing up, I had problems with drinking and drugs, but fortunately, the effects of these addictions hit me early and hard. I got into recovery programs and by all accounts, was doing well.
That night triggered another addiction that I’d fight for years: problem gambling.
Deep down, I knew that as a recovering alcoholic and drug user, finding and chasing other highs wasn’t a good idea. I swore to my girlfriend that I’d never gamble again.
Except I did. I started to chase, even sprint after the high of gambling. I started buying scratch tickets and visiting more casinos. And unlike my drinking or drug use, I didn’t seek recovery.
Several years later, I fell on tough times. That’s when my gambling got out of control. I didn’t have any close family or friends I could turn to, and instead, I turned to slot machines. I started going to casinos to play high-limit slot machines. Gambling became an escape and winning felt ecstatic. And like my night in Atlantic City, I found it harder and harder to walk away from the machines and the tables.
My life began to revolve around weekends at the casino. I drifted away from participating in 12-step recovery programs. I started spending money like it didn’t matter and racked up thousands of dollars in credit card debt. When I maxed out my credit cards, I sold personal possessions, trying to pay off the surging debts from each weekend’s worth of gambling. My relationships took a toll, too. I pushed many people away.
No wake-up call seemed to shake my habit. One day, I ended up hitting the slots and winning a huge jackpot but left the casino with only a few thousand in my pocket. Even refinancing my home to pay off my debts didn’t deter my gambling. The addiction had me by the throat, and I was powerless, unable to look past the upcoming weekend and my next bets.
The real jolt to the system was when I started thinking of doing something illegal to continue gambling. I realized I was helpless and hopeless. I was contemplating suicide.
Just 20 minutes later, one of my sisters called me. A friend of mine from one of the 12-step programs was worried about my wellbeing. He had called my family.
That was May 2008. I was in rough shape mentally and emotionally, but I got help. Through the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, I found a counselor. I’ve been fortunate to find some really important people in my life and got back on track with the 12-step programs for my addictions.
Since then, gambling has been a monkey on my shoulder. I’ve stayed as vigilant around gambling as I need to be around drinking or drugs. From the high highs to the low lows, I didn’t want to look at my gambling honestly until I reached a point of sheer desperation. When I got honest with myself, it became a weight lifted off my shoulders. My advice? Help yourself before you bottom out!
********* ********* ********** **********
If you or a loved one needs help and you live in the MA., Call Council’s Live-Chat or call the GamLine at 1-800-GAM-1234, 24/7. For everyone in the United States, visit The National Council on Problem Gamblinglook up your State Here: https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/help-by-state/.
Self-Exclusion or self-banning yourself from gambling and casinos can be a tricky thing to do. There has been much controversy over it. So does it really work for the gambler to ban themselves from the temptation to try and stop one from gambling? Well, I can only speak for myself that it didn’t work. But I was far too deep into full-blown addicted gambling.
If we have a positive mindset and attitude about self-exclusion and try it when we’re beginning to feel like gambling is becoming a problem and interfering in our daily lives? Then for those who are aware and looking to curb or nix this habit before it does become a full-blown addiction, it just may work for them.
I began to think more about this after I read this article I’m going to share with you by the fine folks of The Massachusetts Council On Gaming & Health. It made me see a different side to self-exclusion. I hope you can learn a little more after you give it a read. ~Advocate, Catherine Lyon
For some casino patrons, Voluntary Self-Exclusions are the real home run.
For some casino patrons, ‘Voluntary Self-Exclusions’ is a real home run...
Knowing our limits is part of maintaining a safe, healthy lifestyle. It’s what naturally encourages our bodies and minds to crave breaks. Whether powering off our laptop after a few hours of work or pausing to stretch when we get a muscle cramp exercising, breaks help us reassess and recharge. Even our favorites on the Sox and Celtics take timeouts to breathe and strategize their next play.
You may not know that you can take breaks from gambling activities, too. With Massachusetts sports betting legalization emerging as a real possibility, more Bay Staters could be at risk of developing a gambling disorder. About two percent of the population has a gambling disorder today. And up to 488,000 adults in Massachusetts are at-risk gamblers, meaning they show an increasing preoccupation with gambling.
As Opening Day kicks off this week, these statistics should serve as a vital reminder to policymakers. The passage of sports betting legislation without robust consumer protections such as Voluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE) programs would prove to be a massive oversight and undermine our Commonwealth’s pro-public health reputation.
Gambling can be tough to see or sniff out, literally. Unlike some alcohol or drug use addictions, problem gambling or at-risk gambling can be easily concealed. However, keep a lookout for signs and symptoms. Perhaps you or someone you care about is placing higher bets to try to reach the same adrenaline rushes.
Others find themselves driving to the casino or instinctively pulling up a gambling app whenever they are down or stressed. Individuals are increasingly chasing sports betting thrills on flashy apps and websites. So be mindful of more-than-usual screen time. The sheer accessibility of sports betting poses concerns to public health — and a potentially greater need for self-exclusion programs.
Like anything in excess, gambling can wreak havoc on relationships, workplaces, finances, and your wellbeing. As a former competitive hockey player turned gaming services professional, I have seen countless sports bettors jeopardize their careers and families. And in working as a table games dealer for many years, I’ve seen what happens when gambling no longer feels like a game.
It isn’t only about the damage to your wallet. Even when they pay off their debts, individuals still have a gambling disorder. A break — sometimes for a year, sometimes for good — might be the best thing to do.
In my current role as a Senior GameSense Advisor, I have a unique opportunity to help patrons create limits around their gambling. Our team staffs info centers at the state casinos, educating patrons on responsible gambling. Conversations can range from understanding the odds in a game of craps to helping folks take a break and enroll in a Voluntary Self-Exclusion program.
By enrolling in VSE, participants voluntarily exclude themselves from the gaming floors of all Massachusetts casinos. Participants can choose how long they would like to exclude. And just like if Xander Bogaerts tried to belt a line drive between innings, any money wagered, lost, or won during VSE enrollment is forfeited and does not count. Like Bogaerts, you also get a coach. Trained staff, including GameSense Advisors like myself, conduct regular check-ins throughout the term and connect you to local resources.
Some patrons have shared that heading to a casino to enroll in a VSE poses too much of a temptation. That’s a valid point, and it’s one of the reasons why we created remote VSE enrollment, which is the first of its kind in the nation. Patrons can still self-exclude in person or through confidential, online platforms. The program has created hundreds of success stories: over 1,000 Bay Staters are enrolled in a VSE. This is solely because Massachusetts lawmakers prioritized public health in crafting the Expanded Gaming Act in 2011.
One of the Boston greats, Pedro Martinez, said, “If you’re healthy, you’re capable of doing everything.” VSEs serve as an innovative, critical resource and keep countless Bay Staters healthy and safe. As such, making sure that these resources are within reach for all should remain paramount in future sports gambling legislation.
The health of thousands of Bay Staters — and the health of gaming in Massachusetts — is at stake.
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Ken Averill is a Senior GameSense Advisor with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and The Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health. He has over 24 years of experience in the gaming industry and previously worked as a table games dealer and operations manager.
For gambling-related questions, chat with a member of the GameSense team 24/7 via LiveChat at MACGH.org by calling the GamLine at 1-800-GAM-1234.
Article Courtesy of Dr. Louise Stanger who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW, BBS #4581) for over 35 years, and specializes in substance abuse disorders, process addictions, mental health disorders, sudden death, trauma, grief, and loss. She is a great resource and offers interventions and helps heal not just the addict, but the family as she focuses on strength-based solutions and invitational change.
Information Courtesy of Dr. Stanger.
Wanna make a bet?
Gambling Shatters Records, Takes Hold Of America
The gambling industry shattered records in 2021, taking in over $53 Billion. That’s a 21% increase over the previous record, set in 2019. With sports gambling now publicly embraced by and partnered with the major sports leagues, gambling is more popular and more acceptable than ever.
The Super Bowl had the highest TV rating of any sports media event in history. That one game alone was expected to bring in 31.4 million gamblers and $7.4 billion in bets. Is it a coincidence that the highest year in Super Bowl TV ratings happens during the same year that gambling is breaking records? To a lesser extent, this kind of gambling happens at every sports event, in every league, throughout the year.
Do you have a smartphone? Then you can gamble in real-time on just about any event (not just sports) you can think of. Quick access and instant results also come with another price (not just money lost). It reminds of me the video games that lure you into a new world and the only way to continue to advance in the game is to continue to play. If you set down the controller and stop playing, you lose ground in the competition.
It is not only just sports enthusiasts who are addicted to gambling or feeding the industry’s record year in 2021. Casinos continue to lead all revenue sources, with large amounts of walk-in traffic. Seniors make up as much as 50% of casino visitors, and casinos prey on them in order to increase revenue. And continues into 2022!
So, gambling will become more pervasive, more impulsive, and easier to access. This can lead many to an unhealthy relationship with gambling — ruining relationships, costing families their fortunes, and leading to other addictions. The link between gambling and substance abuse is well-known, and most casinos still offer a free drink (or many) while you play.
If you know someone who is addicted to gambling,there is hope. It is a process addiction that can be addressed before it’s too late. I sure encourage you to visit Dr. Stanger’s website for more information and resources on she can help. You can take her “Gambling Self-Assessment Survey” while you visit and you may contact her on her site as well. An intervention is a great place to start if you have a loved one who has a gambling problem or needs serious help. https://www.allaboutinterventions.com/test-yourself/gambling-self-assessment/
Dr. Louise is no stranger to adversity. Born on a fault line of trauma, she knows what it is like to grow up in a family beset with anxiety, depression, substance misuse, and death by suicide. She brings her own years of experience working with families in bespoke fashion as well as her ability to work alongside talented professionals to ensure you get the best possible care. In doing so she and her team are collaborative, strength-based, and invitational.
Dr. Louise Stanger received her doctorate in education from the University of San Diego, a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University, and a BA in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Louise is an Ivy League Award winner (2019 Interventionist of the Year from DB Resources in London and McLean Hospital – an affiliate of Harvard), educated social worker, popular author, internationally renowned clinician, interventionist and speaker, and an expert on mental health, addiction, process disorders, and chronic pain. She gets to the heart of the matter in helping families because she’s passionate about bringing hope and healing to loved ones.
“When you call, you won’t have to go through any intermediaries. She will pick up the phone and talk directly with you.“
Dr. Louise developed and refined her invitational method of mental health and substance abuse interventions using the well-established research methodology of portraiture. She has performed thousands of family interventions throughout the United States and abroad.
She has received numerous awards for her years of dedication to the fields of intervention & recovery. In addition to her years of experience, Dr. Louise is a published author whose work covers a range of topics including mental health, substance abuse, and well-being, the opioid epidemic, marijuana, and other drugs, parenting, high wealth clients, finding happiness, spirituality, failure to launch, chronic pain and pain management, family and many more.
Her latest book titled Addiction in the Family: Helping Families Navigate Challenges, Emotions, and Recovery (2020) is a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Her book Falling Up: A Memoir of Renewal is available on Amazon. and The Definitive Guide to Addiction Intervention-A Collective Strategy is available on Amazon and University Bookstores.
Dr. Louise is also known for lively, informative, customized, and invigorating training for staff, families, and clients. Foundations Recovery Network’s Moments of Change Conference proclaimed Dr. Stanger the “Fan Favorite Speaker.” In addition, the San Diego Business Journal listed her as one of the top 10 “Women Who Mean Business” and she was ranked as one of the top 10 Interventionists in the Country.
In 2017, she received the Dr. Joseph P. Galleta Spirit of Recovery Award and the DB Resources in London Journalism Award. In 2018, she was honored by the Forgiving Foundation and spoke in London on World Drug Day in June. She also received the 2018 Friendly House Excellence In Service Award.
Presented and Shared By Advocate/Author Catherine Townsend- Lyon – Let’s Raise Awareness!
Internet Gambling Among Teens and College Students
Gambling is a popular pastime for adults, whether it is purchasing lotto tickets, betting on sports games, or casino-style gambling. Unsurprisingly, internet gambling has also become popular; it is so popular that in the fall of 2011, comScore found that online gambling was the fastest growing online category, with almost 10 million U.S. users.
Global online gambling is now worth an estimated $30 billion and rising. And online poker is estimated to be worth $6 billion annually in the US alone, as the Justice Department has apparently opened the door to internet gambling by reversing their longtime position that online poker and betting was illegal.
Just how open online gambling will become with this change of ruling has yet to be seen, but it is interesting to note that Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands Casino and one of the world’s richest men, responded to the ruling with concern, saying that:
“loosening the reins on online gambling will take a heavy toll on young people, especially because current technology isn’t robust enough to keep children from betting real money using computers .”
He’s right. Internet gambling takes little more than acquiring or “borrowing” a credit card.
Image Courtesy of Edge Rehab
Internet gambling sites already have teens and young adult users on their sites. A whopping 20% of college students play online poker at least once a month according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, an organization that has tracked young people’s use of gambling sites for over 10 years.
In 2010 the Annenberg Public Policy Center surveyed students and compared the results to their 2008 survey. They found that monthly use of internet gambling sites among college-age males shot up from 4.4% in 2008 to 16.0% in 2010. In spite of the sharp increase in participants, their frequency of use did not increase, remaining at about 3% on a weekly basis.
“The dramatic increase in the use of online gambling by college-age male youth indicates that payment restrictions on such sites are no longer a barrier to young people,” said Dan Romer, director of the Annenberg Adolescent Communication Institute, which conducts the annual survey. Projected on a national basis, more than 400,000 male youth in the college-age range (18 to 22) gamble for money at least once a week on the Internet, and over 1.7 million do so at least once a month.
The researchers noted that high school-aged males showed only a small and statistically insignificant increase in monthly use of Internet gambling sites between 2008 and 2010 (from 2.7% to 6.2%), but this still represents over 530,000 high school-aged male students visiting gambling sites per month.
Among high school females, the study found that females continue to gamble less than males, but the latest survey shows a sharp rise in some types of offline gambling, primarily related to sports.
While only 9.5% of high school girls reported engaging in sports betting on a monthly basis in 2008, fully 22% reported doing so in 2010. Sports betting was the main reason for the overall increase in total gambling for high school-aged females, going from 18.9% in 2008 to 28.2% in 2011.
The frequency of betting also showed a dramatic increase, from less than 1% in 2008 to 8.3% in 2021. Contributing to this trend are the availability of online venues and the expansion and acceptance of offline gambling.
Why youth gamble
Today’s teens are living in a society where legalized gambling is not only socially acceptable; it is widely promoted and highly visible. 48 states now allow some form of gambling. Casinos advertise heavily on TV, radio, online, and billboard ads. Poker tournaments complete with expert commentary, interesting filming angles, and million-dollar prizes have become “hot ticket” reality TV on cable & broadband networks.
Given the prevalence, visibility, and glamour now afforded to gambling, it is not surprising that many teens are drawn to the instant gratification, thrill, and hope of fast money. The three predominant reasons reported by teens for gambling are (a) the excitement it brings, (b) enjoyment, and (c) to win money. Other reasons adolescents gamble include peer pressure, to relieve boredom, and to relieve feelings of depression. This is particularly the case on college campuses where students play poker in dorm rooms and local bars.
Columbia University Medical Center’s research indicates that teenagers make up half of the 16 million people in the United States with gambling addictions. At a time when youth are struggling and searching for their identity, gambling can appeal both because of its excitement, fun, and entertaining value and its ability to rapidly boost a youth’s self-image. This can dramatically switch, however, when losses inevitably increase and trigger a drop in self-esteem, financial anxiety, and depression. Youth may begin stealing or selling possessions to pay off debts, or to continue gambling in the hopes of winning big.
Columbia’s research also indicates that youth who begin gambling at an early age are at increased risk of addiction and that gambling-addicted youths’ perceptions become altered into believing they have a higher than 50% chance of winning. Parents that gamble, give lottery tickets to youth or show approval of gambling are often a key contributing factor in teens with problem gambling. Teens succumb to gambling addiction at rates between two and four times the rate of adults.
Complicating efforts to protect minors from online gambling is the ever-present access to computers and mobile phones (several online casinos and card rooms offer mobile options) that make gambling just a click away. Another factor is the anonymity of online interactions: ID verification checks that serve as barriers to underage gambling in brick-and-mortar casinos are practically non-existent in the world of online gambling.
Identifying gambling addiction
If you suspect that you or your child has a gambling problem, review the following list of questions created by the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling that helps identify if gambling has become an addiction:
Is gambling the most exciting activity in your life?
Do you miss school, activities, or other events due to gambling?
Has anyone expressed concern about your gambling?
Do you lie to your friends or family about your gambling?
Do you borrow money to gamble?
Have you sold personal belongings to get money to gamble?
Have you stolen from your family, friends, or employer to gamble or to pay back gambling debts?
After losing, do you try to win your money back by gambling?
Are you preoccupied with thoughts of gambling?
Have you tried to stop gambling but can’t?
Recovery from online gambling addictions is particularly challenging because in a moment of weakness a relapse is still only one click away.
Several states and organizations offer assistance for people struggling with gambling addictions and can provide referral services to counselors and programs in your area. To find help in your area, ask your doctor, or search online for “Internet Gambling addiction help” (plus the name of your state or city). You may also choose to contact Gamblers Anonymous and see their local listings for your area.
Talk about online gambling
Given the ease of access and the allure that online gambling (and real-world gambling) has on teens and college-age students, it is critical that youth (particularly males) and parents understand and discuss the risks to minors surrounding this activity.
After gaining a basic understanding of the issues around internet gambling through this article, you may be prepared for this discussion. If you believe the problems you are facing require more assistance you may want to contact your primary care physician or review additional online material through the links embedded within this document and in the additional links below.
Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created those problems,”and Earl Nightingale also said,“Don’t wait for change, you change!” This is great advice for those in early recovery. It has been solid advice I continue to follow to this day.
Some of this post may sound like rambling recovery thoughts, but they are my thoughts, and I want to share them with you.
Change. I remember how resentful and angry I felt in my early recovery journey. I would get pissed off when I was being told to change, and it seemed I was hounded about change all the time!
When I got told, I had to make changes within my inner-self to get better and begin the healing process. It was always like a song in my head saying, “keep making those changes, or change your thinking, change your life!”
OMG! Whatever!…lol.
But you know what? It worked.
For example, I would hear others at GA meetings during our smoke break. They would chat about moving to a new location or a new state because they felt they would not have the problems with addicted gambling if only they lived somewhere else. HA!
I learned pretty quickly that is NOT the case, and you can change wherever you want to live, but your problems will go with you. If only beating addicted gambling was that easy.
You have to change your thinking and do the workaround CHANGE to change your life.
Believe it or not, most people never do much about changing their lives. Most people wish their lives away and talk boringly about things they will do, but lack of change and doing the work within recovery seems too much of a burden. That is also why relapse happens.
They feel doing the recovery work is too complex and much easier to continue down the same road with addiction and gambling.
Again, this happens a lot in early recovery. I did this myself. Maybe I had not hit my “rock bottom.” Most times, it was several things that kept me gambling. Like stress, triggers, and those darn constant urges to gamble.
My poor husband got so tired of hearing me say, “why is it me that has to do all the changing? These people aren’t perfect!” (I was referring to my counselor and my treatment therapists.) And I had a group night, and all of them gave out homework.
Look, I’m not going to lie! All of this in the first few years into my recovery was hard work. As I began each night, I would journal. Then, I would make a list to help me be honest with myself, learning what I did right and what thinking or old behaviors I fell back on that day. While doing this, it aided me to be accountable and honest with myself and to change those areas that needed correcting. It helped me to accept those things I have no control over.
Soon, I began to change my negative thoughts and thinking…but I was learning self-validation instead of looking for it from others. When we practice these changes and work The Steps in our early years of maintaining recovery while doing the work, we begin to make healthier choices that will automatically come.
AND? With all of the above?
That is what helps; you let go of the anger and resentments and know you are not the only one making CHANGES. Anyone who begins recovery will need to do the same work I have done, you will do, and it WILL be worth it. I have learned it was necessary while looking for true happiness, peace, and serenity while on this journey within recovery. Along the way, I found my worth and value in this LIFE.
It seemed the only way for me to CHANGE MY LIFE WITHIN RECOVERY was to CHANGE ME.
Thoughts From A Recovering Gambling Addict For The Coming New Year and The After Holiday Season Ending. . .
WHAT WILL YOUR RECOVERY BOOK and PAGES SHARE? Some of My Thoughts for The Next Weeks Into The New Year…
The Holidays and The Incoming New Year
Sometimes, the holidays are filled with the joy we associate with that time of year. The season flows. Magic is in the air.
Sometimes, the holidays can be difficult and lonely.
Here are some ideas I’ve learned through personal experience, and practice, to help us get through difficult holidays:
Deal with feelings, but try not to dwell unduly on them. Put the holidays in perspective: A holiday is one day out of 365. We can get through any 24-hour period.
Get through the day, but be aware that there may be a post-holiday backlash. Sometimes, if we use our survival behaviors to get through the day, the feelings will catch up to us the next day. Deal with them too.
Get back on track as quickly as possible.
Find and cherish the available love, even if it’s not exactly what we want. Is there someone we can give love to and receive love from? Recovering friends? Is there a family who would enjoy sharing their holiday with us? Don’t be a martyr – go. There may be those who would appreciate our offer to share our day with them.
We are not in the minority if we find ourselves experiencing a less-than-perfect holiday. How easy but untrue to tell ourselves the rest of the world is experiencing the best holiday, and we’re alone in conflict.
The beauty of Recovery is we can and get to choose to create our own holiday agenda. Buy yourself a present. Find someone to whom you can give. Unleash your loving, nurturing self and give in to the holiday spirit.
Maybe past holidays haven’t been terrific. Perhaps this year wasn’t perfect. Perhaps this next new year can be better, and the next one even a little better. Work toward a better life – one that meets your needs. Before long, you’ll have it.
“God, help me enjoy and cherish these holidays and the coming new year. If my situation is less than ideal, help me take what’s good and let go of the rest.”
One of these vital programs is our National Problem Gambling Helpline Network, the only nationwide safety net for problem gambling and in some places the only access to gambling help of any kind.
The National Problem Gambling Helpline Network has already received over 219,000 contacts this year and is on track to have the highest number of calls since 2015. Similar to 9-1-1, callers are connected to a network of call centers operated by NCPG state affiliates and other partners, with translation services available.
Calls go up during the holidays as people experience additional stress. No gift is too small – your tax-deductible donation makes a big difference to support NCPG and the Helpline Network – help answer the call!
Our goal this holiday season is $5,000 to cover the costs of our Helpline Network services through the end of Christmas weekend. NCPG’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board members have generously pledged half of this amount as a Matching Challenge – they will match your donation 1:1 so your money goes twice as far!
Please make your generous gift today to support NCPG and help the 12,275 people who will call our Helpline between now and December 26.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit, Aristotle. By repeating my gambling acts, I became progressively more likely to do them again and again. By repeatedly attending meetings, talking with my Higher Power, sharing my feelings, and keeping connected with Gamblers Anonymous members between meetings, I become what I am doing: part of the GA Fellowship and being of service to others. If I continue to repeat these acts, I will become progressively more likely to do them again and again.”
Do I recognize that any small contribution I make at a meeting, in a blog post, or speaking event has a much greater return on investment than any bet I ever made, even my biggest hit?
Today I Pray May the acts that I repeat today be according to the will of my Higher Power. May I understand that, although perfection is not my goal, progress is possible, and I can achieve excellence at what I am doing for my recovery? It can be attainable to help me rid myself of my self-destructive habits and replace them with ones that will aid my recovery and to continue to share hope and support with others.
Today I Will Remember, Recovery is not an act; it is a habit through ACTIONS”. . .
I’m not sure how this season feels for you, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are two holiday sore spots for me. There’s so much emphasis on family and connection, and everything is supposed to be all warm and fuzzy. My family has never been close-knit, except for my mother and me. I’m single, and I don’t have any children. I’m also a Midwest native who lives in Los Angeles. Yet, when it comes to this time of year, I still find myself full of expectations.
My first Thanksgiving in recovery was difficult because I didn’t have any relatives to spend the day with like so many of my other friends. Sure, I got invites, but it’s just not the same when it’s someone else’s family dinner. Not having a husband or family to call my own, I just found myself missing my mother.
Makeshift Family
Due to my lack of familial ties, I made it a point to stay especially close to Alcoholics Anonymous. I had a close group of friends who were also newly sober, and we planned to stay connected during the Thanksgiving holiday. We conveniently also found two nearby main meeting halls that were having marathon meetings over the course of several days.
Consequently, Thanksgiving Day began with me and my cohorts visiting AA meeting halls in Altadena and Hawthorne. To my surprise, every group we visited was packed. People were coming in from all over, which was both exciting and inspirational to see.
When we returned to our home group, people were out back playing some board games. A gentleman named Craig, who has since passed to the big meeting in the sky, was in a corner barbequing. It definitely wasn’t your typical meeting atmosphere—there was a social aspect to it all that reminded me almost of a family reunion.
Boogie on Down
On Saturday night, there was even a dance known as the “crème de la crème.” The hall was transformed into a club with a DJ booth, dark lights, and a dance floor. Getting ready for it was as much fun as attending. I must have danced all night, which was weird in a sense. Rarely had I gone dancing—or did anything fun for that matter—that didn’t involve drinking, sprinkled in with some drugs here and there, or any gambling.
I won’t lie; I was shy at first. But once the first guy asked me to dance, all inhibition went out the window. Who knew I could have so much fun without alcohol or drugs? There was beautiful energy over the entire room as people danced, laughed, and let loose. All while being clean and sober.
Dancing and Fun!
A Celebration
The last day of the marathon ended with what’s called “the old-timer’s slot,” where people with at least 20 years of sobriety took turns sharing their recovery stories. The oldest person there had 50 years of sobriety under his belt. The stories made me cry, laugh and rejoice. It brought me back to a time when I used to be at home listening to my mom, aunts and uncles reminisce.
Once the old-timer slot ended, it was time for the countdown. The person with the most years of sobriety was asked to stand, and everyone clapped and cheered for them. And so, the countdown began. Then, every time a group stood up for the following year, there was a round of applause. The procession continued like falling dominoes.
Though I had a while to wait, I was so proud when my turn finally came around, and I got to stand up for five months. The excitement of the moment only made me look forward to the following year when I would get to stand again. By the time we got to the sober person for only a few hours, the room had exploded. It was awesome.
At the very end of the day, while sitting down to eat my meal at the potluck, a crucial fact occurred to me that I was missing all week long—I was finally home, and these people were the family I was looking for all along and never thought I’d find.
It has been quite some time since my last honest personal share about my recovery journey. It has been too long since sharing my thoughts, feelings, and what has been lying in my heart. What I mean is some real random recovery ramblings of living life while maintaining my recovery.
Maybe it is because the holiday season and a new year are approaching, and looking back over this last year, not realizing what and how much I dealt with some life events that I felt I handled ok, but there always seems to be some lingering feelings left. Thoughts constantly swirl in my mind and tug on my heart. Just when I think I have processed them and tried to move forward, here they come.
See, I lost my father on Jan. 29th, 2021, as COVID took his life, and many who know me or my story had a very up-and-down relationship. He had not spoken to me in almost 15 1/2-years. My nephew informed me of his passing and told me that he died alone at the hospital in Southern Calif., where he had been amitted. Kaiser Hospital would not let anyone go in his room to be with him due to COVID rules, nor they didn’t bother to tell me until five weeks after his passing.
Then more drama over who was getting what that I didn’t care about any of that. I wasn’t going to get stuck in all the drama, especially since I had not talked to any of my family for years. I knew this day would come soon. Was this cruel or Karma that my father ended up passing away all alone? Just because he chose not to speak to me or have a relationship with one of his daughters? I hope not. Family, we don’t get to choose them. And my siblings?
Well, that’s my siblings for you. Need I say more?
My feelings were/are that they were the ones missing out. All the years I and my husband had lived in Oregon and through the years’ most of the family would come to visit, spend time with us, we’d have so much fun. Even after my mom passed in 2003, my dad came the following summer and we had a blast! We would also take my dad and nephews rafting, many 4th of July’s and Labor days, trips to the coast, Jetboat dinner rides on the Rogue River, and again many fantastic rafting trips. So many good memories.
And for all of it to end up like this? It still breaks my heart today… I choose to remember ALL the good memories!
Also, after my mom passed in 2003, we all could have stayed together and in each other’s lives. That didn’t last very long. There are four of us—my only older brother, my older sister, then me, and then my younger sister. So when we laid my mom to eternal rest, that was the last time all four of us siblings had been together. I have often said we don’t get to pick or choose the family we are born into; however, we can choose to have healthy boundaries and have done so when I began my recovery journey.
So those are some of the points I wanted to share. Recovery makes that possible. It gives us the freedom to start making better choices in our lives. I will add in their defense, when I was young, I became very hyper-sensitive to teasing and ridicule, but they had no clue what I had been through from the sexual trauma until I finally disclosed it to my parents at age 32. Then, the teasing got worse in adulthood when they learned I had been diagnosed with PTSD and a few other mental health disorders.
When we get to a point where we try to make amends with those, we may have hurt while being sick and deep within addiction; not everyone may be willing to accept it or willing to forgive. They might even take it, forgive you, but still not want a relationship. And that is truly their choice. We, then, need to accept that choice, as I had to take and honor my father’s choice some 15-years ago. So yes, it stung, but I moved on from it.
There are times when we need to look back to connect what was to see how far we have grown within our recovery. For example, when I spent a year or so writing and journaling in early recovery, that was what ended up as a book—my memoirs of what gambling had taken from me. My fault for becoming an addict? YES, but more critical is the WHY and HOW I became addicted. (Available on Amazon Kindle)
by Catherine Townsend-Lyon “A heart-wrenching read that ends with a great light of hope. Read “Addicted to Dimes” now.”
Written By Advocate Catherine Lyon
That is some of what those memoirs are and what my book truly is. It is not how to recover. That is what I’m working on now. The writing was healing for me, but it also helped me start to connect different events, the childhood trauma and abuse that happened as a little girl, and how it affected me going into adulthood. So I began to question my worth, my self-sabotage as if I wasn’t worth being loved, others being kind or treated well by others, including men.
Today I chose life. I live each day to the best of my abilities. I use self-care and self-love. I continue to mentor others who reach out needing support, help, and some hope from this insidious addiction. It is my passion and honor to do so. I’ll close by saying to those who never give gambling a thought, but those who have a problem with it will understand this. Gambling is all about Risk and Chance. And those who gamble a lot as I did or become addicted and gamble all the time will know what I mean. So the more you bet, the higher your odds are of losing.
So, where do you think the catchphrase came from of “The House Always Wins?”
And is why gambling addiction is so devastating…
********** *** ************
Writers Note –This year, I have signed up with ‘The National Council on Problem Gambling’ for the new ‘Gift Responsible’ Lottery Campaign as a social media assistant and blogger for the council through the holiday season and share Awareness of Not Gifting Lottery Products to Children and Minors. I hope you will join me by using this image on all your social media platforms in support!
Lottery Campaign Image 2021 ~ National Council on Problem Gambling
Post Courtesy of Marilyn Davis, Advocate, Author, & Writer
Books: The Way We’ve Always Learned
“I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them.” – Emma Thompson
I’m old enough to remember when books, either from a library or book store, and where how we escaped, found comfort, got an education, or discovered ways to improve our lives. Books bring the world to us.
Today, that world is smaller with online booksellers, reviewers, and sites dedicated to types of books. One of these is Shepherd.com. I enjoyed writing reviews on five books about addiction and recovery. Each of those books helped me see that addiction has common themes. Yet, each of the authors admitted their addictions and found recovery in different ways.
Easy Access to Information
It may just be me, but the first time I read Alcoholics Anonymous, or as we call it, The Big Book, I cried. There were so many passages that I could relate to in that first reading. I felt that the writers in 1939 were doing a “Letter to your future self – me.”
When we find a book that resonates with us, we cherish it. The second, third, fourth, and fifth times I read the book while in treatment, I was shocked at how much I’d missed in a previous reading. I got out my trusty highlighter and started marking practically every page. I realized that meant that eventually, I would highlight every passage, so I stopped that practice. That was 33 years ago.
Cherished Writing
I still have my original Big Book, tattered and worn with margin notes, highlighted passages, and phone numbers from people in treatment. It needs rebinding, but I’d lose those notes and numbers, and I don’t want to do that, so it stays together in its case when I’m not reading it.
I still read it; antiquated and stilted language doesn’t matter. That’s why there’s another book, a dictionary for the seldom-used words. These 100 men and women who wrote The Big Book were the founders and pioneers who admitted their problems and gave us solutions. We can’t ask for more than that in any book.
Inclusive Writing
When we read a book and see ourselves on the pages, we pay attention. Sure, the names, places, ages, or genders might differ, but it’s us. How does an author do that – by relating feelings and thoughts, which transcend ages, genders, races, and places.
I’ve gotten emails and messages from men who’ve read my book, Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate, who’ve asked if we’re twins. Or the email from a twenty-year-old who could relate. Believe me, those are the best validation an author can get. To know that you’ve written an inclusive book.
Books Help Us Understand Ourselves
When I first got into recovery, I went weekly to the Unity Bookstore in Gainesville, GA. They had the largest selection on recovery, codependency, spirituality, and Native American beliefs. I’d “sacrifice” a steak to get a new book.
No, I’m not their spokesperson, nor do I get a commission for anything I’ve listed or from Thriftbooks; it’s about following through on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s second bit of advice, “For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”
Any of these will help you in your recovery and perhaps lessen your suffering. Plus buying a used book makes economic sense.
Today’s books differ only slightly from my original listing. Today, we’ve got more people writing about addiction and recovery who don’t necessarily work in the field. Some are famous, and coming out and stating that they are addicts and alcoholics is commendable.
Here’s a list of three I’ve read because I was a concert promotor and managed bands and maybe understand some of the temptations and availability of drugs backstage.
I believe in diaries and journals. They help us record our thoughts and feelings and can be a way to discover patterns in our lives. Here are two journals that work:
And when you’re ready to write your story, consider getting Memories into Memoir: The Mindsets and Mechanics Workbook to help you remember, reflect, and write an excellent memoir about addiction and recovery to help someone else.
Marilyn Loves Guest Post Submissions For Her Website!
About Marilyn L. Davis
Advocate, Marilyn L. Davis
Marilyn Davis is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist who opened and operated an award-winning residential facility between 1990 and 2011, called North House. She also facilitated men’s, women’s, and HIV-positive groups.
She recently celebrated 32+ years of abstinence-based recovery.
Davis is the author of “Therapeutic Integrated Educational Recovery System.” In 2008, Brenau University created the Marilyn Davis Community Service Learning Award. This ongoing award honors individuals working in recovery and mental health. In 2010, Marilyn received the Liberty Bell award. This award is given to non-judges and attorneys for contributions to the criminal justice system and communities.
Before the Blogs and Book
Before finding recovery in 1988, Davis was a desperate woman on drugs, managing bands at night, giving up her children, having her house foreclosed, and running to Georgia. After an intervention by Brenau University, she attended two 12-Step meetings a day. A chance encounter with a 74-year old Native American named Gray Hawk showed her that healing would include meetings and Steps. He had searched for her and wanted her to open a house of healing for other women. This encounter with Gray Hawk helped her realize that opening North House was her purpose.
Davis is also Editor-in-Chief at twodropsofink.com, a literary blog, where she continues to encourage collaborative writing.
The site’s writers are poets, problem-solvers for writers, and bloggers. Prose and essays educate, entertain, and enchant readers with the written word. The writers represent different countries, viewpoints, and opinions from around the world.
NCPG’s Partnership with NFL Takes Problem and Responsible Gambling Services to the Next Level
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~ October 27, 2021
Washington, DC – TheNational Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has received the largest grant in the organization’s nearly 50-year history as part of a transformative partnership with the National Football League Foundation (NFLF).
The three-year grant, totaling $6.2 million over three years, will enable NCPG to significantly upgrade their National Problem Gambling Helpline, provide grants to nonprofit organizations across the country for problem gambling prevention programs, and launch communications initiatives that focus on responsible gambling and where to get help for gambling addiction, including public service announcement and their new website, www.responsibleplay.org.
“NCPG’s Board of Directors looks forward to working with NCPG staff to maximize the opportunities this partnership with the NFL provides,” said NCPG Board President Maureen Greeley. “Broadening our awareness, outreach, and innovative prevention efforts with partners across the country allows us to help people understand that gambling is a recreation with risks.
Understanding the risks is key to keeping gambling fun. When gambling becomes a problem, knowing the resources for help is crucial. This support from the NFL helps us elevate our responsible gambling programs and meet our goals to reach those we serve.” The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2018 allowed states to legalize sports betting, which previously was limited to Las Vegas and New Jersey.
Now more than 30 states allow sports betting and more will likely follow in the future. Couple this with the pandemic and recent public opinion surveys, and the need to do more in responsible gambling and problem gambling is clear. For instance, earlier this year NCPG released results from The National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences (NGAGE) 1.0, which can be found at www.ncpgsurvey.org.
Among the findings were: Sports bettors exhibit far more “problematic play” indicators than non-sports bettors, including ‘lied to hide gambling’ and ‘relied on others to pay debts or bills.’·
Younger players (under age 35) appear to be at higher risk for gambling problems.·
Many people who gamble do not understand the way gambling works.
“The National Council on Problem Gambling advocates for the strongest possible responsible gambling and problem gambling measures to be enacted,” said Keith Whyte, NCPG Executive Director.
“However, because the federal government doesn’t use any of the more than $7 billion in federal taxes from gambling operators to treat or study this hidden addiction, our capabilities have been somewhat constrained. Thanks to our groundbreaking relationship with the NFL, we now have more resources to significantly boost our efforts.”
In addition to the NFL’s grant to NCPG, the league is launching an integrated campaign that encourages people to play responsibly by sticking to a game plan, including setting a budget to know their limits, using licensed, regulated operators, and asking for help if they need it.
The core message of the campaign’s creative is “Stick to Your Game Plan. Always Bet Responsibly.” The advertising will encourage sports betters to visit NCPG’s www.responsibleplay.org site. In addition, the NFL has agreements with their official sports betting partners (Caesars Entertainment, Draft Kings, and FanDuel) to collaborate on information sharing and support the NFL’s responsible gaming efforts, which include developing their own robust responsible gambling programs. https://www.nflfoundation.org/
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling to advance responsible betting support and prevention across the country,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility. “The NFL has a long history of community engagement and advocating for issues that impact the NFL family and the broader society at large.
It is critical that we use the NFL’s platform and resources to support the NCPG’s mission as they expand and upgrade their impactful, nationwide services.” The NFL funding that is earmarked for the National Problem Gambling Helpline (call or text 1-800-522-4700 or go online at ncpgambling.org/chat) will help modernize operations by improving call center technology, data collection, reporting, training, and certifications.
The application process for Agility Grants for problem gambling prevention programs is under development. The goal is to fill in gaps for areas that currently have no such services, as well as bolster promising efforts in existing programs. The resources for communications include www.responsibleplay.org, which provides a series of tips for visitors to keep gambling fun, offers basic facts about problem gambling that everyone should know, and explains where people can get help for problem gambling whether they are directly or indirectly affected by it. NCPG’s public service announcements are still in the creative development stage.
However, NCPG plans to be able to push a national message over the television, radio, and streaming airwaves, which has traditionally been done on a limited basis in local markets. Last week’s announcement about this new stage in the relationship between the NCPG and the NFL Foundation is the culmination of more than a decade of a growing bond between the two organizations, recognizing their mutual goals and working together to achieve them…
About the National Council on Problem Gambling:
Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction by working with all stakeholders. NCPG is neutral on legalized gambling.
If gambling becomes a problem, NCPG urges people who gamble, as well as their loved ones, to contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without judgment or shame. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat.
Help is available 24/7 – it is free, anonymous, and confidential.
Courtesy of The National Council on Problem Gambling
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