Gratitude Recovery Three Sayings I get to write this article. I am so grateful I learned this affirmation early in my recovery. It started with a phone call to my sponsor. When I complained that I had to go to work, she said, “You get to work.” When I told her I had to do laundry, go to the bank, clean the house, or … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery A Change at the Checkout My trips to the grocery store became much different after I became abstinent more than ten years ago. Many aisles no longer held anything I could safely purchase. The remaining aisles got greater attention from me, and to this day, I read labels, check portion sizes, and compare prices. There is one aspect of the grocery store that gets my … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Higher Power Knock, Knock I went to my first OA meeting many years ago. I already knew someone, so it wasn’t too scary. I liked the meeting, having long ago figured out that food, for me, was an addiction just like alcohol or drugs. (That’s pretty common knowledge now but wasn’t in the 1980s.) How many times had I tried dieting in various forms—paid … Read More
Meetings Tools & Concepts Leaving My Comfort Zone Coming back from work one late winter afternoon, I caught myself thinking that since the weather was cold, I’d better get home, take a hot shower, put on those nice pajamas, have a soup, and finally snuggle into a soft warm blanket to watch a movie or read a novel or newspaper. However, it was Wednesday, the day of my … Read More
Literature Tools & Concepts Complaint Stoplight “Chronic complaining is a useless practice that destroys self-acceptance and self-reliance . . . Instead . . . I can ask myself, “Is there anything I can do to help myself with this?” (For Today, p. 239). Chronic complaining sounds like self-abuse: if I continue to stay in the problem, then I am living in the problem—and living in the … Read More
Keep Coming Back Relapse OA is Ready When You Are It works if you work it. I’m writing because I’ve been listening and talking to OA members who have been around program for less time than me but have expressed disillusionment; I’ve heard concerns and criticisms about OA, the recovery of our members, and the effectiveness of the program. Comments have gone something like this: I don’t know if OA … Read More
Gratitude Recovery A Curse and a Blessing As a child, I loved this fairy tale: A girl is born, and a fairy gives her the “gift” of obedience. At first, she tries to protect herself by keeping her gift/curse a secret, but when her father remarries, her bossy, jealous stepmother and stepsisters quickly discover she has no choice but to obey. Her life becomes unmanageable. Stripped of … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality Fresh and Vital While doing some writing about the “vital spiritual experience” described in the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th. ed., p. 27), I had a brand-new thought. I identified with the person being described: someone wanting very much to be free of the addiction that was making his life impossible, puzzled and despairing over why he couldn’t stop. For myself, I’d given … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity The Doctors on the Road to Recovery Two doctors gave me tough love at crucial times in my recovery, for which I am now grateful, though I wasn’t at the time. Shortly after I joined OA in 1990, my new friends suggested I see my general practitioner about my recurring stomach upsets. This doctor told me bluntly that the upsets were due to my anorexia, specifically from … Read More
Recovery Relationships Light in Real Life First, I had to get past the mourning stage. I arrived at OA grieving the loss of my best friend, lover, and confidante—my go-to for any emotional relationship. Compulsive overeating had replaced many important relationships in my life, leaving me in a turbulent, one-sided, love-hate situation. OA was gentle in guiding me to a healthier state of mind, putting food … Read More