Working the Program Contrary Action I have been in program for six years and have recently found recovery. The obsession of the mind has been removed, and I can honestly say I no longer desire to use food as a solution to life’s problems. I have been placed in a position of neutrality with food, and I feel grateful to God and to this program … Read More
Newcomers Me Changing Me “I’ve prayed healing prayers for people who are ill, and I’ve prayed for guidance in being able to grocery shop without buying the wrong items. My weight loss results from actions I am willing to take, not from asking God to remove my fat or help me lose weight” (Voices of Recovery, p. 318). I can’t pray for weight loss … Read More
Steps Step 12: Someone to Protect Having had a spiritual awakening in this program, I now view myself as a unique and precious child of God. It has transformed my approach to myself. But when I compare myself to others, I feel “less than.” Since I am unable to eat the foods they eat and perform the simple behaviors they do, I conclude there’s something wrong … Read More
Steps Step 11: Learning to Listen My first Step sponsor told me I could begin to practice Step Eleven early in my OA program. I did not need to wait until I had worked the preceding ten Steps. Prayer for me, until then, had just been asking God for things I thought I needed; basically “God, please give me _____.” But my sponsor had me stick … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Spirituality The Sunlight of the Spirit When I began to explore ideas of a Power greater than myself, I readily conceded that nature is majestic—I often found peace among the redwood trees or in the Pacific surf—but praying to nature didn’t work for me. Then, in the quiet of meditation, I recalled a childhood memory: calling ‘God’ the beauty of the sun’s rays peeking through rainclouds. There … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality God on Board About three years after I became abstinent, I was driving to a meeting when I felt the presence of God in my car. Peacefulness and calm came over me. It seemed as though God was guiding my driving, there in the car with me. I shared in the meeting about this experience, and someone whom I considered very spiritual asked … Read More
Higher Power Eager to Grow My experience of finding my Higher Power is not like finding buried treasure with a map; finding my Higher Power is much more of a process and a journey. It’s more like finding my balance when learning how to walk, or finding my strength when I first begin to exercise. In the beginning, I was so angry at the idea … Read More
Higher Power Practice Prayer When I came into OA, I desperately needed to lose weight and gain sanity. All my life, I had made lists and plans and schemes. I was the queen of to-do lists and loved checking them off. But no matter how much I accomplished in my career and in other areas of my life and no matter how expert I … Read More
Higher Power HP’s Handiwork “I have a whole lot of faith, but very few beliefs.” That is how I describe my relationship with my Higher Power. But this hasn’t always been the case. When I first came to OA, I had to make my start from just a willingness to believe. I came to the place I am now by “acting as if.” My … Read More
Higher Power Kiss It Better I like to remember the acronym K.I.S.S.—“Keep It Simple, Sweetie”—because sometimes when I experience a craving, I panic. “Oh, no!” I think. “I am about to lose my abstinence! I feel like eating something outside my food plan! This feeling is powerful and overwhelming. I am powerless over food. Where is my serenity? Where is my Higher Power? Where is … Read More