GENDER DIFFERENCES IN GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS

Abstract

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) has earned a reputation in the literature as a fellowship with very few women and as host to a recovery culture that marginalizes women’s needs and concerns. A notable example would be the preponderance of “war stories”—recovery jargon for graphic and often disturbing accounts of one’s life in active addiction—said to alienate many women. However, a 16-month study of GA in the Toronto area has found that this mutual aid organization has changed significantly over the last 10 to 15 years. The number of women in the Toronto area now stands at possibly 20% and rising, war stories no longer predominate, and other changes amenable to women have also taken place. There is good reason to believe that these shifts in GA’s recovery culture have not been limited to Toronto. Still, this was a preliminary study, and these findings call for detailed quantitative verification. *While this article has not been submitted elsewhere, sections from it were based on our final report: Ferentzy, P., Skinner, W., Antze, P. (2004) “Exploring Mutual Aid Pathways to Gambling Problems,” Final Report submitted to the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre after a 16-month study of Gamblers Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Funding this study was provided by the Ontario Gambling Research Centre.