When a fellow OA member suggested I reflect on what true freedom looks like for me, I discovered I could probably write a book. Before OA, I truly felt I already had it in the form of a solid career, a warm and loving home, the freedom of living where I lived, and more. Even today, I cannot dispute anything …

I’m a group fitness instructor and have been for more than ten years. If someone told me when I first came to OA that I would be a fitness instructor, I wouldn’t have believed it. Not only was I a compulsive overeater, I was also a compulsive overexerciser. I had lost control of my food intake and overexercising was one …

This program has changed my life. It has taken away my desire to assassinate your character. It has stilled my desire to engage in gossip because it has made me feel better about myself. It has forced me to cease being intolerant and judgmental and to humbly accept that I am no better or worse than you—just equal. The Twelve …

There are no words to adequately express how much better my life is because of my HP and the OA program! The best I can describe it is that, before program, the shades were always pulled down in my home and I didn’t go out except for work. My focus was food: what, how much, and when. But today, my …

I am a compulsive overeater, and I have a disease. Over the years, I have often heard that it is cunning, baffling, and powerful. I just started my 43rd year in Overeaters Anonymous, and I would not trade my life today for any other. When I came into program, I immediately got a sponsor and did what she said to …

Today, I went to work out in the employee gym. The last time I went was two years ago, a few months before joining Overeaters Anonymous. At the time, I was at a healthy weight for my size, 150 pounds (68 kg), and had just completed two triathlons. People always complimented me on my health and fitness. Little did they …

Before OA, I lived a life based on self-centered fear. I was always concerned with what you thought of me: Was I too fat? Too incompetent? Too uninteresting? Too shy? I avoided social situations, stayed home, and numbed out with TV, alcohol, and food. Now, I work daily to outgrow my fears. I face them with courage and ask God …

Before OA, I was an emotional eater. I used to eat every time I was anxious, sad, or afraid. At times, when I was bingeing, I tried to stop—but I couldn’t. I had to finish the whole pack of whatever I was eating, as if I was a prisoner of the food. I tried many diets, but none worked. Every …

I came into OA about thirty years ago and have been abstinent from sugar and white flour for twenty-four years. Since becoming abstinent, I’ve had: No more cavities—from age 7, I’d spent hours in the dentist’s chair. No more debt—I’ve learned that contentment is enjoying what I have, not getting what I want. No more locking myself out of the …

Last January, I celebrated OA’s 59th birthday, my 76th birthday, and two years of continuous abstinence. I went to my first meeting with a couple of buddies who were already in OA. I was beat and knew I needed a Twelve Step program to start crawling my way out of the abyss of compulsive overeating. I knew I was powerless …