Customer Reviews

Gripped by Gambling

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"GRIPPED BY GAMBLING"

A review by Don Hulen:

Finally! A book about a woman compulsive gambler, an Escape Gambler. Thank you Marilyn. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and that person is a woman or just plays slot machines you need to read this book. It is real. When I finally got a copy I read it from beginning to end. I am ADHD, and that is the first time in probably 30 years I have done that.

It isn't about flipping coins when you were seven or eight, betting on the ponies, playing dice or the numbers. It isn't about craps, poker or blackjack. Its a book about a woman who couldn't stop gambling. I will say it again, couldn't stop gambling. Every counselor who treats or pretends to treat Escape Compulsive gambling should read this book and have a copy in their library for required
reading by patients. I have read many of the books written by problem/compulsive gamblers. I have read many of the articles written about problem gamblers.

The majority are about men who gambled huge amounts and seem to glorify their gambling. Marilyn has written about the pain, the real pain she caused her children, her grandchildren her lover and her sister, her victim as well as herself. Witting about these experiences while pointing the finger directly at yourself is a very difficult thing to do. I know, I can't seem to do it.

I was there in the court room when they slapped the handcuffs on her and took her to prison while her children and grandchildren were crying. I was there when her boyfriend died. I was there when her son died. I was there when her grandson who is now in prison was the lead story on the news. I was there when her daughter finally got straight. I was there when she started a meeting for women (despite adverse consequences). I was there when some of us didn't really accept women into our program but she insisted on coming and changed our program forever.

Its been over sixteen years since I met Marilyn, I thought I knew something about women gamblers, I didn't know anything until I read her book.

Don Hulen, Executive Director, Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling

This book was very real and touching to the heart of anyone, especially us gamblers. I had been in relaspe for 11 months, but after the second day of reading Marilyn's book I went back to GA. I could not put the book down,she was so real and as a woman gambler I could so relate to what she went through, her story will touch your heart and have you look into your own heart and addiction to gambling. I have bought other books on gambling and this is by far the best. Janet G./complusive gambler.

I strongly recommend this book to be read by anybody who currently has
or has had a gambling problem. It will also give great insight to the family members of people who gamble so they can gain an understanding into the depths that compulsive gambling can take a person. I picked up this book and felt myself getting so involved with the emotional story of Marilyn, I had to blink my eyes many times because it was almost as if Marilyn and I were having a converstation over a cup of coffee as I was
reading her account of her story. This book will help anyone who picks this book up and decides for themselves, " I want to learn more!"

Mark Erickson

I need to be 'upfront'! I am a longtime friend of Marilyn L., the author of "Gripped by Gambling." I've looked forward to its publication for a long time, and I am NOT DISAPPOINTED! As a recovering gambler myself, I have read a lot of books about gambling, and this book provides a whole new view of this destructive addiction; I know of no other book in its 'genre.' Marilyn is painfully honest about where the addiction took her. And her account of recovery from compulsive gambling can provide hope for others. In fact, this book may become 'many things to many people.' Its content should appeal to people with gambling problems, families of folks with gambling problems and who knows who else. And it's even a good read!

THREE YEARS LATER ... and I STILL haven't seen anything better in this "genre"!

This book should be required reading for all professionals and family members who deal with a gambling problem. Why? Because it answers the question "Why can't she just stop!!!!" Following the progression of this bright, lively, mother of five and caretaker of several grandchildren from a middle-class life to an embezzler of hundreds of thousands helps explain the compulsion of gambling to those who haven't experienced it. It is also an inspiring story to those who have, because in this situation Marilyn does what it takes to recover from this baffling and life-threatening problem. Her description of prison life is very compelling, as is the explanation of how family support was critical to her recovery. One of the very few books from the perspective of a woman gambler.

If you think gambling is entertainment, but it may be taking up a little too much of your life, or is eating into a little more of your wallet than you'd like, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR...read this book. A very gripping life story in which you may see some of yourself. Maybe if I had read this book many years ago, I would have spared myself a lot of pain. I, too, crossed that invisible line and suffered from it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, I highly suggest you read this book, and then pass it on!

There is a lot of great information toward the end of the book for gamblers and those who have a gambler in their life. This is her story and I felt it was straight forward, honest and gives us insight into the addiction. I have personally benefited from the network for female gamblers that Marilyn was instrumental in starting as I strugged with compulsive gambling and all it's ramifications for nearly a decade. I would urge anyone who is gripped by gambling to pick up this book and carry it with them. The articles that are included would benefit those who struggle with problem gambling and those trying to make sense of the decease. I disliked that the book lead me to believe that she wasn't addressing her addiction or even aware she had a problem prior to being arrested. My experience is that most people are not in denial about their problem long before it escalates to the point that you're stealing money...they just are unable to stop. It is easy to read and I would recommend anyone wishing to gain knowledge and inside on gambling and recovery to read this book.

This cautionary tale recounts not only the author's descent into criminal acts of deception and desperation but chronicles her gamut of emotions from fear, remorse and deep shame to hope and gratitude. She's a daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother, yes, but she's also every man or woman who has ever had his or her choices dictated by a full-blown addiction. The anatomy of her crime and the reality of her incarceration are depicted in harrowing detail. Yet, the author's grit, optimism and self-deprecating humor are evident throughout. A sense of strength and survivorship pervades the book, leaving the reader wanting to know even more about the author's journey from addiction to recovery.

What a wonderful witness the depths compulsive gambling can whirl a person into, but through the recovery process come out determined, stronger, intelligent, spiritual, sympathetic and a humanitarian towards others with the same/similiar addiction. This is a riveting autobiography that is difficult to put down once you begin reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of whether they have or know of someone that has an addiction. It is a great story of life, dealing with life's challenges, overcoming and success.

"Gripped by Gambling" is as much a story of personal loss as it is a narrative of one woman's struggle against addiction. Marilyn Lancelot suffered through the deaths of her beloved son and the serious addictions of other family members as she sought first comfort in and then release from the slot machines that eventually got the best of her. Finally, after being sentenced to prison at age sixty for having embezzled thousands of dollars from an employer who trusted her, Lancelot takes on the problem of addiction to gambling and confronts it by organizing a women's only gambling anonymous group. Part memoir and part self help book, "Gripped by Gambling" has as much to offer women who are secretly struggling with their own addiction to gambling as it does the men who currently dominate Gambling Anonymous groups. Lancelot fearlessly confronts the sexism within the groups that too frequently send women in need of help rushing for the nearest exit. Highly recommended.

Sandra Adell, Author of CONFESSIONS OF A SLOT MACHINE QUEEN: A MEMOIR.