Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr I have learned that the thought precedes the bite. So to get rid of a thought, I must employ a replacement thought. Slogans are either pithy (clever) or humorous, they’re easy to remember, and they can be counted on in hungry moments and emergencies. Sometimes the impulse to eat can feel so urgent that getting literature or making a phone call can take more time than it takes for my hand to put food in my mouth. That’s when a slogan can step in. For example, the thought “Go on and have a little bit; one won’t hurt” can be replaced by these slogans: “One bite is too many for me and one thousand is not enough” and “Nothing tastes as good as abstinence feels.” Another thought that can lead me into temptation is “I can’t believe I can never eat this for the rest of my life.” So I interrupt any urges with “Just for today” and “One day at a time.” My personal ploy is to say, if I really want it tomorrow, I’ll have it. I have never yet wanted the item the next day. Usually the desire is gone in a few minutes. Sometimes, when my unmanageable life overwhelms me and my first response is to make it all better by eating something sweet, I say things like “Let go and let God;” “If you eat over a problem, you have two problems;” “The only problem that food solves is physical hunger;” and “You don’t want ‘just a drop of poison’— eating something compulsively is just as deadly.” My unmanageable life is the main cause of my compulsive food thoughts, so I have many replacement thoughts lined up: “Easy does it;” “Move a muscle;” “Trust God and do the next right thing;” and “Trust God and clean house” (this one can be taken figuratively or literally). And when all else fails, “Don’t eat, even if your rear end falls off.” When things start to go stale, and I don’t want to go to a meeting, don’t want all those vegetables, and don’t want to use the Tools, I say things like: “Suit up and show up;” “This too shall pass;” and “If I do today what I did yesterday to recover, I can stay in recovery.” And I really want recovery. I hope something I have said might help someone. Thank you for letting me share. — B.D., San Antonio, Texas USA
