Relationships The Best Possible Place Step Twelve—Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs. The Step Twelve chapter (pp. 99–106) in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous talks about being no longer controlled by or afraid of food. The fact is God … Read More
Relationships Personality vs. Principle Tradition Twelve—Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. Tradition Twelve has made a huge difference in my life. I began coming to OA regularly eighteen years ago, but I had some difficulties implementing the program. I could not seem to become abstinent. I did not feel like I really understood … Read More
Abstinence Percentage, Not Perfection When I joined OA, my first struggle was to understand what “abstinence” meant. Oh, sure, I read the definition and understood the basic premise that abstinence meant not eating compulsively, but I couldn’t tell when I was eating compulsively and when I wasn’t. I just didn’t know. So I asked a bunch of long timers, and I got all sorts … Read More
Steps Principle Focus The last line of our Twelfth Step reads, “to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Twenty years ago, when I first came to OA, this part of the Twelfth Step seemed a lofty goal. What were these Principles? And what a tall order, to practice them in all my affairs! To do as instructed, I first had to become … Read More
Working the Program Keep Pedaling When I was young, learning to ride a bicycle seemed like a monumental task—exciting, but difficult to learn. I wanted to do what the other children could. Riding a bicycle looked like fun, and I wanted to have fun. My mom held my seat and ran behind me while I pedaled. When I wasn’t looking, she let go. The scariest … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Staying Centered I have a strong belief in the existence of a spiritual dimension, but not in a traditional God or divine being. My experiences of this spiritual dimension are my best guide to deepening my understanding. For me, a vital spiritual experience is a state in which I move beyond ego and self-will and feel total peace. Sometimes that state is … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Many Forms I am an atheist with a spiritual life. I reconcile the spiritual side of OA by using the concept of acceptance and by not judging others. If I don’t know what’s good for me, then I don’t know what’s good for anyone. My best thinking— knowing it all and happy to share—got me to OA. The concept of a guy … Read More