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HP on a Personal Level

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For twenty-three years, I had been active in OA but never could get lasting abstinence. So, I started focusing on the spiritual side of the Steps, immersing myself in gaining a closer relationship with my God and Higher Power. I didn’t want to just believe in a Higher Power; I wanted to know my HP on a personal level. The benefits and blessings have been more than I imagined.

One way my spiritual immersion has blessed me is by teaching me to ask questions about myself. At one meeting, I saw the words “willing to abstain” and realized I was fearful. I asked myself why. My answer? “You are afraid to abstain and have suffered long enough.” Bingo! I’m terrified of abstinence. When I asked myself why, the answer was “because it’s so painful.”

Bingo again! Abstaining is painful on an emotional and physical level. But I realized I didn’t feel fear or pain right then. I felt darn good. I wasn’t afraid to go without eating for four hours between meals. For the last two weeks, I had been on a new food plan. My cravings, urges, and insanity were gone. In desperation, I had asked my God to give me a food plan that would work for me since I didn’t know how or what to eat. He gave me a perfect plan for my body and an explanation to go with it.

He taught me I had starved my body of nutrients, and it craved proper food and amounts. My body was storing everything as fat because it had been in starvation mode for years. My body had been trying to tell me I wasn’t giving it proper fuel.

This is the food plan he gave me:

  1. Don’t count calories. Calories are energy, and I had none but needed much.
  2. Eat a variety of grains, vegetables, and other complex carbohydrates at meals.
  3. Drink plenty of water. If I’m thirsty, I will crave simple carbs (like sugar or white-flour foods) without realizing it.
  4. Eat fruit, but eat fewer, slow-burning fruits like apples because I’m diabetic.
  5. Eat moderate portions of red meat. I get protein from other sources like beans, chicken, and dairy products.

As a result of following these instructions, I have no cravings, urges, insanity, or food thoughts. I am satisfied, and I don’t need or desire a snack. Hear that? My body is satisfied and comfortable! I am more than abstinent; I’m happy, and I have energy and clarity of mind.

But beware! If I go two days without conscious contact, prayer, Step study, and my God’s word, I will begin to slip. Like the Big Book says, “What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 85). I’m not cured. This is God’s gift to me: a food plan that works and a daily working relationship with him. Meditation is key. I must clear my mind and ask him to help me do his will and listen. I can’t get the physical recovery without the spiritual recovery, and vice versa.

— Anonymous

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