Double Duty I was a member of Central Florida Intergroup, serving on CFI’s Public Information/Professional Outreach Committee. I’d noticed on our area’s convention center website that a national teachers’ union would be hosting its annual convention in July. About 14,000 teachers would be in attendance from around the country I inquired about what it would take to establish a presence for Overeaters … Read More
IDEA Activity: Pen a Principle I have been in Overeaters Anonymous five and a half years and abstinent for more than eighteen months. I do not weigh myself, but the clothing I had last year still fits. I am so grateful for Overeaters Anonymous. At our International Day Experiencing Abstinence celebration last November, we did group activities working with program Principles. My group’s Principle was … Read More
Word of the Day Gratitude was not part of my vocabulary until I walked into an OA meeting. At times, I may have experienced gratitude or been aware of it, but I never verbalized it. Since coming to OA, I am aware of my gratitude on so many levels. First, I’m grateful that such an organization exists and is available to me wherever I … Read More
Old Errors, New Hope Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs. I know I am not alone, because of the fellowship I find in the OA rooms. This knowing works positively in all areas of my life—just as the Twelfth … Read More
Traveling Recovery Traveling away from home over the holidays can be a difficult time for a compulsive overeater like me. Surprisingly, I am still compulsive away from home! Because I travel often, I’ve developed some techniques that help me stay abstinent and in recovery on the road, especially over the holidays. To set up recovery before my trip, I do these things: … Read More
Gratitude Building For as long as I can remember, I carried so many of the world’s burdens on my shoulders. I worried about gas prices, nuke attacks, and the stupid things the men in my life did. I worried that I was ugly and couldn’t wear stylish clothes because they didn’t come in size “triple-Z.” I felt the need to share these … Read More
IDEA Event Well-Worked Our International Day Experiencing Abstinence event was well attended by many in our recovering community in Milwaukee. We opened with a speaker, then did a writing activity. Perhaps you could write about this topic too: “What is the difference between dieting and abstinence?” Then we read a Lifeline article (“Outside and In”) about the difference between trying to be abstinent … Read More
Gifts I Have “Have I been thankful for what I have, or have I ignored my blessings and focused on what I lack?” (Twelve and Twelve, Second Edition, pp. 33–34). In the past, I sometimes wasn’t thankful for what I had. I often longed for a better car, a better house, more money, and other things. Now that I’m in program, I am … Read More
From “Brattitude” to Gratitude Gratitude—I am filled with gratitude for the two sponsors I’ve had in OA over the last twenty years. The first one got me going and supported me as I learned to work the program and use the Tools. We prayed together, wrote in journals, and worked through the first Eight Steps. We didn’t have the same religion or even the … Read More
Blessings Count As a child, I was taught that if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all. Now that I’m a member of Overeaters Anonymous, that axiom takes a different slant: if I have nothing nice to say, it’s time to count my blessings. So here is today’s gratitude list: I am grateful for the people in my life. … Read More