Can Do At my first OA meetings, I recognized myself in the shares of others. Defensiveness, excuses, blaming, rationalizing, self-loathing, failure—all those alcoholic thoughts and actions described in the Big Book—all were familiar to me around food. I’d eaten volumes and screwed up dieting every day for years. Every night was one last huge supper and a swearing off, but by breakfast … Read More
The Changes in Me I first came to OA in August 2015; I was bingeing most days and abusing laxatives. I weighed a hefty 246 pounds (112 kg), about 100 pounds (45 kg) heavier than my healthy weight. I had already attempted suicide once and was well on my way to a second attempt. I was willing to try anything. I remember two things … Read More
Caring is the Key I have developed a repertoire of activities I can engage in instead of eating compulsively. My overeating often stemmed from a misguided attempt at self-care; I thought I could make myself feel better by eating. Therefore, my efforts to avoid overeating revolve around taking better physical, emotional, and spiritual care of myself: I write about what I am feeling and … Read More
Working Lessons Thirty-one months after my first OA meeting I still feel very much an OA baby, if not a newcomer any longer. I remember vividly how it felt to ring the bell of the Bath House, where the Cambridge UK Thursday evening group meets. Although I had previous experience in another Twelve Step fellowship, I was apprehensive about OA, but the … Read More
Giving Service, Receiving Help I am a compulsive eater who arrived in OA six years ago and has been in continuous abstinence ever since. I maintain a weight loss of more than 40 kilograms (88 lbs). I know I have an emotional, spiritual, and physical disease and need to keep my recovery strong by doing daily work. This is a simple program, not an … Read More
Show Me the Ropes The recovery Tools I have learned in OA have recently enabled me to overcome one of my greatest fears. I had always been terrified of heights, so when I heard that my coworkers and I would participate in a ropes course as part of our staff training—climbing sixty feet up in the air and balancing on ropes and small pieces … Read More
Know-How I don’t really know how a computer works. People with comprehension greater than mine designed this amazing tool. But I don’t need to understand all the intricacies of a computer in order to use one. If I just follow simple directions, I can do pretty amazing things with words and pictures, such as send and receive messages in a flash, … Read More
Change When Needed I thought I had the OA program down. I knew what I needed to do. I had a plan of eating, and I worked my program. Everything was going great—or so I thought. After years of being abstinent and following my food plan, things began to change. Inexplicably, I started gaining weight. After going to a doctor with complaints of … Read More
Paperless Process I am a compulsive overeater, abstinent one day at a time since October 15, 2012. I’ve shed 120 pounds (54 kg) along with a frighteningly long list of ailments and medications. My liver had been failing, but now it’s fully functional. My physical healing has been truly miraculous, but the emotional and spiritual healing is far, far better. In approaching … Read More
Anger Management The hardest character defect for me to accept was anger. After years of depression and stuffing down my feelings, I actually believed that anger was an asset because it energized me. But when a valued friend told me my anger made me unbearable to be around, I cried (crying is the first step in surrender for me), and I realized … Read More