Forecast: Recovery My moods and emotions definitely relate to the weather report. Sometimes I have poor visibility around my food plan. Other times, I see through partly cloudy skies. Widespread wind currents can blow me into forgetting I have a fatal disease and blur the hours ahead. Hazard reports of drifting snow, slippery ice, and strong blowing rain can take over any … Read More
Contributing Part When I first became aware of the Traditions, I could see how important they were. And without Tradition Seven, we would have no OA, because how can any organization run without funding? When one member of OA is not able to contribute much, all of us can contribute more to ensure that the expenses are met. The whole concept of … Read More
Shorthand Process A time eventually came in Overeaters Anonymous when I realized I no longer felt impossible. Somehow, working the program had brought about that change. My Twelve Step history is longer than my specific OA history, so it took years, but that change did come about. Today, my sponsee was writing about letting go of the idea that one should feel good all … Read More
Starter Recipe My spiritual breakfast is Step Eleven, and it’s the most important meal of each day. It nourishes my brain with fuel I need to have a fighting chance of serenity and abstinence in the twenty-four hours ahead. I try to do Step Eleven as soon as I wake. If I give my brain even half an hour in charge, my … Read More
Action and Potential When I think of powerlessness, I get an image of myself as a lightbulb alone in a box on the shelf. I’m powerless, but I have potential. If I connect with my power source, if I’m attached to a fixture or socket and the light switch is turned on, then my potential comes to fruition: I can shine warm, useful … Read More
Greater than Gold When my sponsee and I finished the Twelfth Step, we looked at each other and said, “Now what?” It felt more like a letdown than a victory. No certificate was awarded, no pin, no ceremony. A few days later, I made a card that showed a house with a huge gold star in the garage. In the card I wrote: … Read More
What Gets Replaced I am a compulsive overeater Who wants what she wants when she wants it: A piece of this, A piece of that, It seems I never have enough. For me, there is also a solution: It’s OA and the Twelve Steps, Where want is surrendered, Needs are met, And enough becomes a reality. But wait—there’s more to recovery: The Principles, … Read More
I Stayed Abstinent A favorite OA phrase of mine is “willing to go to any length” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 58). Practicing this has helped me stay abstinent, which for me is not eating foods with refined sugar listed in the first four ingredients, for twenty one and a half years. For me, this phrase means: Attending at least two OA meetings … Read More
Shipwreck Survivor When I was growing up, I had a lot of emotions to deal with. I never learned good coping skills, so I handled situations by eating over them. I buried feelings that were too much for me. It was either eat or go crazy, so I ate. I like to compare my experience with a shipwreck. At first, I went … Read More
Season’s Greetings from Program Happy, joyous, and free is what we can be in this Twelve Step program. Attitude change—the only person we focus on changing is ourselves. Prayer is suggested as a form of meditation—a strong component of the Eleventh Step. Problems begin to lose the magnitude they once had (when we do the necessary Step work). You need never be alone again—we … Read More