Modified February, 2009
A majority of all calls to the Arizona Council Helpline
are from or about women with gambling problems.
95% of the women who call for help meet the criteria of ESCAPE GAMBLERS. Escape gamblers frequent different games (slots, video poker, bingo) than ACTION GAMBLERS (live poker, blackjack, sports betting). They gamble for different emotional reasons. The character profile of the Escape Gambler is almost opposite that of the Action Gambler although, in the final stages of an Action Gambler's disorder, he/she often gambles for escape. When the Action Gambler reaches this phase, he/she may meet both Action and Escape criteria and it may require further investigation. The only purpose in making such determination is to allow the clinician to tailor the best treatment plan for the individual.
Because the great majority of women are Escape Gamblers, the woman who is an Action Gambler may, without an understanding of the differences in types of gamblers, feel uneasy about why she doesn't identify with the majority of other women in a program such as GA.
Learning about the differences can set her mind at ease and help her accept herself. It may also help her better understand others in her program.
Until the early 1990s, very few women sought help of any kind for compulsive gambling. In Arizona, we have no record of any women obtaining a year of abstinence from gambling in any programs in the state prior to 1992.
Today, a substantial number of members of the 12-step program of Gamblers Anonymous in Arizona are women. We urge all women who believe they are compulsive gamblers to attend a women-only group whenever possible for their first GA meeting.
WOMEN IN GA IN ARIZONA TODAY
The first women-only Gamblers Anonymous group was started in the Phoenix area in 1992. Once women began to understand their specific differences relating to gambling, they began to attend other meetings. Many learned to forgive themselves, to understand that they suffer from a disease. They began to throw themselves into recovery. Today, there are four women-only GA groups in the Phoenix area, including a Step Writing meeting and a Spanish-speaking group, and one in Tucson.. Prevalent at other meetings as well, women now comprise over 50% of GA's membership.