Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Now I’m Learning I came into OA four years ago already knowing that the Twelve Steps work. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict, and not drinking or using drugs was my justification for bingeing for a long time. The best thing about recovery is you get your feelings back; and the worst thing about recovery is you get your feelings back. So … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Lucky One OA saved my life—or maybe I should say OA is saving my life, one miraculous day at a time. I will celebrate my 21st birthday in May. This is a birthday I never thought I’d see, because I’d pushed the self-destruct button for most of my teenage years. A family member introduced me to the OA meetings and Fellowship when … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity New Life Blooming I am a 21-year-old college student and a recovering anorexic, bulimic, and compulsive eater. I’ve been in OA for almost a year and recently got a sponsor to help me work the Twelve Steps. I’ve been in treatment for my eating disorders and that is where I discovered OA. I wrote a poem about my recovery, and my sponsor suggested … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Keep Coming, or Just Stay I am a compulsive eater, bulimic, and anorexic, and I have found a home in OA. I came through the doors in April 2001 at age 19, weighing 90 pounds (41 kg) at 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm). I didn’t come to OA because of my low body weight; I came because I could not stop bingeing. My head … Read More
Meetings Desperate and Helped I came to OA because other members worked the Twelfth Step. Members of an OA group in another state shared their stories in a diet magazine. “Wow,” I thought. “These people think and act about food like I do!” But my life was not too bad, and if it was not too bad, then it was okay. I received a … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Don’t Do It Alone I am a lifer. My disease is such that I can never leave OA. I spent a lifetime struggling to control my food and body, and the result was a soul-wrenching desperation to find another way. My disease takes a form I call “classic bulimia.” I binged until it hurt, threw up, and then binged again. It wasn’t always end-on-end … Read More
Keep Coming Back Turtle Tale I knew early on that Opie and I had a lot in common. They say, “If you spot it, you got it,” and when HP brought this rescue dog into my life, his behavior was only too familiar. Selfish and self-seeking, Opie struggled with impulse control and trust—he seemed to lack faith that the world would provide him with kibble, toys, … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Fellowship Higher Power Working the Program OA Shorts Dear Mr. Merriam, dear Mr. Webster, I write to you as a humble requester. I propose a new spelling of a certain word; The change would be seen but would not be heard. The word in question is now spelled “serenity.” I suggest changing it instead to “surrenity.” If one “surrenders” using “humility,” One can achieve a sense of tranquility: … Read More