Recovery Relationships Healing Relationships With OA Traditions I was one of those people who, when first arriving at OA is interested in all aspects of OA except for ____. And I had a list of what I was interested in and willing to give my time and attention to. The Twelve Steps? Yes. Telling someone what I ate? No. Getting a sponsor? No! Then came another bottom … Read More
Recovery Relationships Friends and Family—Reframed Recovery has allowed me to enjoy the pleasures of friendship, really for the first time since childhood. Now I can truly say that I am a friend and I have friends, both in and out of the rooms. When I was in the food, I was so unhappy I couldn’t be open to the often-subtle pleasures of friendship, such as … Read More
Recovery Relationships Present and Available I’m very grateful my partner is not a compulsive overeater or a manager of my recovery. Recovery has helped me have a more genuine relationship with him. Before OA, I just wanted him to go to bed so I could binge. I realized in OA that my primary relationship really was with food. This food focus also applied to friends … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Home Truths Here am I thinking, now that I’m an abstinent member of OA, it automatically means I’m an outstanding citizen within my family. But eavesdropping on a conversation between my wife and son lands a bombshell of a home truth in my lap. My son asks, “Mammy, do you ever wake up grumpy?” My wife replies, “Sometimes!” Then, after a substantial pause, “And sometimes I let him sleep on!” Dumbfounded, … Read More
Recovery Relationships Family Dinner The clarity of abstinence illuminates my relationships with a more accurate light. My past behaviors require me now to demonstrate a willingness to be flexible and show my family, friends, and associates I’m different inside as well as outside. Here’s a specific example of how practicing the Steps in all my affairs has created a new normal in my life. … Read More
Fellowship Service is Showing Up Our Christmas Day marathon took place at an addiction resource center from 10 a.m. until noon. Among the eight people in attendance was my sister. It was her second OA meeting. I was grateful for the opportunity to practice the Twelfth Step by sharing this program with a newcomer. The leaders of the meeting focused on daily readings from OA … Read More
Tools & Concepts Serenity on Aisle Nine On Thanksgiving Day, our area adds an extra meeting for people to attend. Emotions from anticipating family and food are high and that makes this holiday meeting so intimate and lifesaving. One year we couldn’t use any of our regular meeting places, so we decided to meet in the lounge and snack area of a local grocery store that was … Read More
Diversity Promise to My Granny When I was young, my granny always told me it’s what’s on the inside that matters, but I couldn’t help but see myself as ugly, fat, and disgusting. In seventh grade, I weighed 145 pounds (66 kg), and I started restricting my food and exercising two hours every day. I lost 20 pounds (9 kg) in three weeks. People flattered … Read More