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Marilyn L. and Betty C. met at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting in the mid-1990s. In getting to know each other, they soon discovered that they had more than a history of compulsive gambling in common. They shared an interest in writing and a passion for passing on the message that recovery from compulsive gambling is possible. With Paula Burns, Marilyn started Women Helping Women (WHW); the first issue was printed and distributed to other GA women in Arizona in April of 1999. A woman’s personal story has become a standard monthly feature of the newsletter, and Betty’s story appeared in that first issue. Due to lack of time because of other obligations, Paula was forced to give up her WHW responsibilities, but she has since contributed many articles. Betty became the # 2 member of the newsletter’s ‘staff’ in July of 1999. While much is written of the Gamblers Anonymous Recovery Program, and many contributors speak of GA’s influence in their lives and their recoveries, the newsletter has no connection with the organization of Gamblers Anonymous. Beginning with the first issue, and continuing to the present, the intent of Women Helping Women has been to inform and encourage women seeking true recovery from compulsive gambling. Contributions from women gamblers of their personal stories and their experiences in recovery form the backbone of the newsletter. Several gambling treatment professionals also have shared generously of their time and expertise over the years, providing the readership with many helpful, informative and uplifting articles. Recovering women in Arizona comprised the original target audience of Women Helping Women, but the audience expanded dramatically, not long after the newsletter’s inception; Robin R. of Tucson began uploading the newsletter to her personal website each month. Within a few months, a GA brother in Phoenix created a website of its own for Women Helping Women. In addition to scores of contributions from readers in the United States, women from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, and South Africa have written their stories for the newsletter’s far-flung readership. Marilyn and Betty have also received e-mails from women in roughly half a dozen other countries. In July of 2002, Women Helping Women launched an ‘E-mail Network’ to facilitate connections between women with a desire to stop gambling. Within a year and a half the Network grew to over sixty members, living in eighteen different states and two Canadian provinces. The members share their troubles and their triumphs, what has worked for them in recovery and what hasn’t, and their daily walks on their individual recovery paths. Producing Women Helping Women each month has proved tremendously rewarding to Marilyn and Betty in their recoveries from compulsive gambling; their continuing hope is that this newsletter will be of help to as many women as possible. Disclaimer: The intent of Women Helping Women is to support and inform women in recovery from a gambling addiction. The opinions offered by lay-people as well as professionals are based on their own experience and research and may not reflect the opinions of the editors. |
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THANK YOU ARIZONA COUNCIL ON COMPULSIVE GAMBLING We would like to express our profound gratitude to the Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling for the support they have shown Women Helping Women from the newsletter’s establishment in 1999. Director, Don Hulen, and his staff have been enthusiastic boosters of WHW and its mission throughout our efforts to support and inform women seeking recovery from compulsive gambling. We also offer special thanks to Ricky Brumfield for her willingness to help with copying and distributing our Newsletter. "The Council" probably provided a link to the WHW website before any other site was aware this newsletter existed, and that link has generated links on many other websites. We value our friends in recovery at the Council more than words can express.
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