Care-Full Driver When I was getting ready to learn to drive, my father wouldn’t sign my driver’s ed voucher until I wrote a paragraph on responsibility. Being a typical 15-year-old, I waited until the last minute because I thought the idea was dumb and naively believed he would relent. He did not—he wanted me to understand the gravity of driving safely and … Read More
Prayerful Thinking When I say the serenity prayer—God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change—I remind myself that I cannot change anyone other than me, and sometimes I can change my circumstances and sometimes I can change my body problems. I remember to picture that other person or thing I want to change and acknowledge that I cannot. … Read More
Working Through I’m one of those compulsive eaters with a wide experience of diets and other weight-control alternatives. For more than thirty years, I would do everything I could to lose weight and was successful in almost 90 percent of my attempts. It was wonderful—for a short time. I’d get new, smaller clothes, compliments, and the clear sensation of having settled all … Read More
Phone Save When I first walked into the rooms of OA, I never thought I’d still be attending meetings thirty-nine years later. All I was interested in was getting a diet, losing weight, and going on my way—and that is exactly what I did, over and over again. I never could sustain abstinence over periods of time, but I was able to … Read More
Sharing from the Heart I vividly remember my first OA meeting, where people greeted me at the door, asked if I was new, and introduced me to others as they arrived. I had been to many commercial weight-loss places, so I was used to initial fanfare, but there was something different here. In addition to extending their hands, OA members extended their hearts. Once the … Read More