10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

This step can be used in two ways. First, an opportunity to review how you are working the steps – especially the moral inventory. Secondly, it can be used each day as a reminder to try and keep your worst characteristics in check

I was told never to look back (except during my therapies in my meetings) but I use this step to look over my shoulder and see how I am getting on. I try to be encouraging to myself and look back to last week to see how I was getting on. Did I meet emergencies with poise? Did I behave as if I was the arbiter of the universe? If I find I behaved badly over something, then I try to learn from it and “do better next time”.

REVIEW my personality and my faults continuously.

 

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God (as we understand him) praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

This step is NOT about who or what is your God.

If you have accepted step three then you have a pretty good idea that there is definitely “something” helping you in your recovery.

This step is therefore not complicated, it is just the words that make it seem so. You are simply being reminded to keep in touch with your inner feelings on a daily basis and trust your more honest instincts.

The words “prayer” and “meditation” put me off at once. I could understand meditation as I could learn the technique from books, but prayer seemed to be directly connected with religion and this was more difficult for me. As a result, I missed the real point of this step.

I had discovered that during periods of calm and relaxation I seemed to be in touch with the best parts of my character. I would think, almost unconsciously, about what I could do to help those around me.

Where did these thoughts come from? I have no idea,

but I certainly like having them. I believe that if I am feeling good about myself then I must be working this step.

THINK about myself as part of mankind as a whole and how I can improve my tolerance, honesty, and humility.

 

12. Having made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message to other compulsive gamblers.

It’s never too soon on the programme to want to share that wonderful release with others, but do not get carried away and try and convert other gamblers.

After what I get from being part of this fellowship, my greatest pleasure is giving back by just showing that I have learnt something from this programme. I don’t mean just that I don’t gamble, but that I am learning daily how to live properly and usefully

HELP others through my example to see that they too can enjoy peace of mind.