Your First Step to Change: A Gambling-Free Weekend

Policy:The Gambling Free Weekend is an inclusive and collective process of support to participants and their families that serves as an opportunity to come together to increase gambling recovery awareness and support pursuant to the following guidelines:

Guidelines:

  1. Your First Step to Change: A Gambling Free Weekend is for individuals who are struggling with problems related to gambling and/ or a gambling addiction and who demonstrate an interest in recovery. The goal of the Gambling-Free Weekend is to increase participant’s level of knowledge of recovery and to identify recovery risk and protective factors;
  1. Participants are expected to fully participate in facilitated workshops, information, activities, individual consultations and other programming;
  1. Participants can choose to be accompanied by one support person. A support person is defined as any individual who can support the participant in their recovery and is abstinent from any gambling or other substance abuse related behavior. While a support person can be a family member or friend, members of community-based self-help programs who are in recovery and are working with the individual are also invited to attend;
  1. During the Weekend all participants will refrain from gambling, alcohol, illicit drug or any other form of substance abuse, use or dependency. Participants who have been prescribed medication that does not have an effect on their ability to participate are not excluded from attending;
  1. All participants will be respectful of themselves and others and will relate to others with dignity and respect. In the event that there is a conflict between participants and/or supporters, participants will seek assistance from Weekend staff;
  1. All participants will respect each other’s property, possessions and privacy at all times;
  1. All participants will abide by the smoking regulations set forth by the Weekend location/site and all other safety and fire policies of the setting;
  1. All participants will maintain the confidentiality of one another and agree not to share names or identifying information of any participants both during and after the Weekend; and,
  1. Those participants who decide not to complete the Weekend or to actively participate in programming should discuss their plan to not complete the Weekend with MA Council staff and Weekend facilitators.