Sponsoring Tools & Concepts She Was Right My sponsor told me God loved me just the way I was but also loved me too much to let me stay that way. I was full of self-doubt and fear yet wished to control myself and the world around me. I was dishonest—I lied, stole, embellished, gossiped, and I disparaged others to make myself feel better. I was 50 … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Balance in the Middle I showed up at my first OA meeting because I was exhausted from trying unsuccessfully to break the cycle of bingeing on sweets, feeling awful about my behavior and myself, restricting and exercising to compensate for bingeing, weighing myself often, and eventually bingeing on sweets again regardless of the number on the scale. I ate to comfort myself when I … Read More
Diversity Newcomers Looking Forward I spent the past three years mostly unhappy. I lost both my parents, my second marriage failed, and my children had issues with the separation. I avoided any intimate relationships and, in spite of three years of therapy, still didn’t have a firm idea about why. I also hit my all-time-high weight of 285 pounds (129 kg). I was bingeing … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Eating to Be Undesirable I spent the first part of my adult life wearing sizes 7 and 9 in clothes, until the event, the incestuous encounter. What made my incestuous situation unusual? My perpetrator was my father, and I was an adult when it happened. I was in such shock after the event that for the next few days my brain (to help me … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Clean Clothes, Balanced Life OA has improved how I look, and not just with weight loss. I look better in my clothes now that they’re not covered in food and drink stains. When I was eating compulsively, I was reckless. I ate as much as I could as often as I could. I wasn’t careful or dainty, so I sure didn’t eat like a … Read More
Relapse & Recovery Surrender for Freedom I felt fat from the time I was in kindergarten. Though only slightly heavier than other girls, I was obsessed with my size. I always daydreamed of returning from summer vacation magically thin, suddenly popular, and beloved. As my disease progressed, it morphed through an all-consuming cycle of binge eating, dieting, and exercise bulimia—of self-loathing and self-punishment. After ten years … Read More
Abstinence No Guarantee but Grace I awakened abstinent today, clearheaded and present. Wow. Another day, G-d! It’s a far cry from the hangover of a binge. I call my caring sponsor each morning at 7 a.m. to commit to myself, to her, and to the G-d of my understanding my three planned, delicious, abundant meals. When I write down and prepare my meals, it sets the tone … Read More
Steps Humility Keeps Me Abstinent I used to joke that when I first came into program, I was very proud of my humility. Not that I knew what humility was—I thought of it more as self-deprecating behavior. And I really did not think I had a problem with it. Now I think of it as balance. And I know I have a problem with it. … Read More
Keep Coming Back Turtle Tale I knew early on that Opie and I had a lot in common. They say, “If you spot it, you got it,” and when HP brought this rescue dog into my life, his behavior was only too familiar. Selfish and self-seeking, Opie struggled with impulse control and trust—he seemed to lack faith that the world would provide him with kibble, toys, … Read More
Relapse Slipping & Sliding Newly Willing I joined OA in January 2016. Though I consistently attended meetings, I could not get more than four months of continuous abstinence. Program has been a miracle—I remember a time when I couldn’t go more than twenty-four hours without bingeing, restricting, or over-exercising—but I still found myself frustrated. Slips began with compulsive habits creeping back: taking little nibbles of food … Read More