The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling, as stated in the GA Combo book page 2.
This is not a definitive evaluation, and only the individual with the aid of their doctor can make the determination as to whether they have a compulsive gambling problem.
A compulsive gambler may sell personal property, or engage in illegal activity to finance the gambling addiction.
The APA also offers ""Dos" and "Don'ts" for Partners or Family Members", which include seeking support from GAM-ANON, along with money management strategies.
Participating in GA meetings along with individual psychotherapy, is the preferred form of treatment according to the UCLA gambling studies program.
[citation needed] Problem gambling is estimated to occur in 1.6% of the adult population in the United States.
[54][55] Gamblers Anonymous has been compared with other strategies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy as efficacy methods of psychotherapies for pathological gambling.
[57] GA spends much of its time and energy counseling members on how to deal with financial and legal problems.
GA supports "pressure relief groups" where members take each other to task and encourage them to "get honest" with people in their lives and get their affairs in order.
Males more frequently discuss "external concerns" such as jobs and legal problems, and are more likely to relapse because of a substance use disorder.
Therefore, it does seem plausible that GA's downplaying of spiritual, interpersonal, and psychoemotional issues, inhibits its effectiveness for women.
AA's Big Book has a full chapter "The Doctor’s Opinion" that sets the stage of the problem of addiction and the medical field’s failed attempts at fixing it.
The concept of a disease beyond the capability of the medical community – and humans in general – is borne out of AA's professional opinions and sets the stage for the dependence upon the spiritual solution of the 12 Steps.