Qualitative Study on the Experience of Participating in Gamblers Anonymous and the Essential Meaning of Addiction Recovery

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in G.A. group contributed to the recovery from gambling addiction. For this purpose, phenomenology was implemented while GA gatherings were observed, in-depth interviews were conducted with five GA members, and then the essential meaning of addiction recovery in G.A. was reviewed. The addiction recovery mechanism of GA group is to replace gambling behaviors with non-gambling behaviors, recover true-self, and connect with others, with relentless cognitive and behavioral effort in an affective atmosphere. The ultimate goal of GA is a personality change and recovery from gambling addiction is a by-product of this process. As a therapeutic mechanism, sustainability, expertise, and availability are the strengths of the GA group, so it is suggested that institutional and policy support is needed to further vitalize GA meetings.