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
Recovery Working the Program Recovery Thinking When I first came into recovery, I was told that I’d have to completely change how I think about food and dieting. That baffled me: How do I change thoughts that just come into my head? And what do I change them to? Five years later and 50 pounds (23 kg) lighter, I understand. Today I know I’m not responsible … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World As Written and with Urgency I am nine months into recovery in OA and more happy, joyous, and free than I could ever have imagined. And I do mean ever. My heart bursts with the love I have found for my HP through working the program as written. Yet, at the same time, I am almost crying with pain. It’s pain not unlike the pain … Read More
Higher Power The Addict Mask It is not my job to fight the addict. It has never been my job to fight the addict. I can’t fight the addict. The addict is too strong and powerful for me. The addict is nasty. He plays by no rules. He lies, cheats, steals, and will do anything to destroy me. The addict wears a mask: This mask … Read More
Service Live and Learn—and Serve If I accept the circumstances I am in, I am given the opportunity to learn and serve. To learn and serve is the agreement I made when I entered the Twelve Step program: Accept—Learn—Serve. When I came to understand I had a disorder that made me different from many other people, and when I came to accept I would have … Read More
Newcomers The Best Thing I have always had an obsession with food. As a child, I was obese. Half an hour after I finished a meal, I would announce I was hungry again. My family didn’t think this was possible. As a teenager, I was never seen without a soda and a sweet. They were my icons. I tried every weight-loss program invented. I … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics An Atheist in OA I am writing to share my experience as an atheist in OA. I feel disappointed by the lack of articles written by atheists, particularly articles that don’t end with the author finding faith in God. Even the Big Book’s chapter “To the Agnostic” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th. ed., pp. 44–57) encourages nonbelievers to try believing in God. I assert that it’s … Read More