How OA Changed My Life Recovery Life Transformed OA not only changed my life but this recovery program also gave me a life worth living. Before I became abstinent from sugar, compulsive overeating, and compulsive food behaviors, I lived a life in food, using it constantly to manage and escape feelings and stress. I’d never want to go back to the way it was before I found OA, and … Read More
Abstinence Gut Check Before I came home to OA, it didn’t take much to send me to the food. While stress and other emotions were obvious reasons for me to bury myself in junk food, other feelings— physical ones like being tired or in pain—also gave me all the excuses I needed to overeat. I had no spiritual life either, so I only … Read More
Abstinence Connection Matters My first day of abstinence was December 28, 1979. I’d been in OA a year and a half. Even though my bingeing and purging had ended, I still stole food from supermarkets and insisted on creating my own food plan. That day in December, on vacation, I stole a binge food. Then I called my food sponsor (who, for some … Read More
Share It Relatable Insight I could relate so much to “OA Is Ready When You Are” (September 2018), especially these parts: “Just because I’m not thin does not mean I’m not abstinent or that the program isn’t working.” “I think it’s a mistake to focus too much on physical recovery.” “Before OA, I was crazy and unbalanced.” “I thought the rest of the world … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery My Favorite Color I had an interesting realization about color and clothing. Being overweight, I always heard I should wear dark colors, especially black, to hide my large figure. But when I wear black, I get hot and tend to sweat, so I rarely wear it. Plus, black is not my color. Now that I have joined OA and have lost over 60 pounds … Read More
Tools & Concepts Back on Track I experienced miraculous recovery working the Steps of OA. I’d never in my life been more spiritually fit, more emotionally sound, more physically recovered, yet I felt as if I’d just touched the tip of the iceberg of everything the OA Fellowship could fulfill in my life. It was “steady as she goes,” and the pounds came off slowly but … Read More
Recovery Working the Program Urge Surfing “What can I do instead of eating, when the urge arises?” In 1994, if someone had posed this question to me, my response would’ve been, “Don’t eat.” The result would probably have been compulsively eating and bingeing. This was prior to finding OA, and I was in a cycle of dieting, starving, compulsively overeating, restricting, self-loathing, and eating in secret. … 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
Diversity Newcomers Threefold Accountability One night, my sponsor asked me how I would feel about putting my scales away and only weighing myself every thirty days. At first, I was like, “What? You have to be kidding me!” I loved to weigh every day because it gave me a measuring stick for my progress. But I was in the program, literally willing to do … Read More
Diversity Newcomers The Only Day Being abstinent all of three whole days, I looked in my mirror to see if my body looked smaller. It didn’t. I was mad. “This doesn’t work.” “What a bunch of B.S.” “I’ll never get thin.” “I can’t do this.” “It’s taking too long.” “I’m doomed to be fat.” ‘I’m doomed to live like an accordion, in and out, up … Read More