A Curse and a Blessing As a child, I loved this fairy tale: A girl is born, and a fairy gives her the “gift” of obedience. At first, she tries to protect herself by keeping her gift/curse a secret, but when her father remarries, her bossy, jealous stepmother and stepsisters quickly discover she has no choice but to obey. Her life becomes unmanageable. Stripped of … Read More
Trust and Enjoy At a meeting today, a member shared that another OA member with many problems had committed suicide. That share prompted others to share about the importance of working the program, doing what works, trusting that process, and walking in action, no matter how we feel. This week has been a challenge, but it’s amazing how God works in my life … Read More
Responsibility and Reward Service is both the responsibility and the reward for recovery through the Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous. During my thirty-plus years in OA, I’ve had many service positions. I’ve loved every one of them and learned from them too. Service has taught me about myself, about human nature and addictive behavior, and about my weaknesses and assets; it’s also taught … Read More
Service Before, Service Now Service came to me before abstinence. I attended and participated in OA meetings, which is a form of service, before the compulsion to overeat was lifted from me. Relief from obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors involves an ongoing learning with others in recovery that is guided by a Higher Power. Today, I am recovered from what seemed to be a … Read More
Intergroup Involvement Before I got involved in service at the intergroup level, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to intergroups and what they do. Now, I see all the services they provide and what we would miss if we lost our intergroup. Our web page, telephone answering service, meeting lists, equipment, speakers list, Fellowship-wide celebrations like IDEA Day, communications with region and … Read More
Light in Real Life First, I had to get past the mourning stage. I arrived at OA grieving the loss of my best friend, lover, and confidante—my go-to for any emotional relationship. Compulsive overeating had replaced many important relationships in my life, leaving me in a turbulent, one-sided, love-hate situation. OA was gentle in guiding me to a healthier state of mind, putting food … Read More
Summer Steps and Smiles As I reflect on the unofficial start of the summer season, I’m filled with gratitude for OA. I first came into these sacred rooms on a Monday, right after the Fourth of July. Thank God that summer party at a friend’s lake house drove me to look into OA. A childhood friend had become sober in another Twelve Step fellowship … Read More
An Everyday Clean Whenever I’m frustrated in my program or in life, or when my selfish, lazy self wants an easy way out, I try to remember that abstinence is like cleanliness. One bath, one toothbrushing, one housecleaning doesn’t last for a week, month, or year—certainly not for a lifetime. Each day I must work at cleanliness if I want the benefits. My … Read More
Dancer in the Mirror For years, I’d walk my dogs at a local park. Nearly every night, we’d pass a recreation room where there was a Latin dance aerobics class, and I’d watch from a distance. I didn’t want to invite the humiliation of being a morbidly obese woman watching people exercise. I had been ridiculed in public before. In the mirrors, I saw … Read More
Recovery Celebration In recovery, I have freedom from: pretending to be a normal eater and wishing people would just go away so I could eat using all celebrations as an excuse to binge eating secretly as I baked, prepared, and served food—and continuing to eat long afterward squeezing into only a few select pieces of clothing (usually with elasticized waistbands) making commitments … Read More