Gratitude Recovery Summer Steps and Smiles By admin Posted on July 1, 2018 2 min read 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr 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 and told me all about the program. Her genuine enthusiasm for the recovery she found in the Twelve Steps intrigued me. I wanted what she’d found—freedom. Not freedom from alcohol, but from excess food. I wanted to be free from compulsive eating because of emotions. From my first OA meeting, I knew I’d found a special place. I’ve been abstinent from overeating and eating over negative emotions since October 2013. I thank God every day. Since January 2015, I start every day with thirty minutes of quiet time with God. I read For Today and journal. During this time with God, I seek to know his will and ask for guidance as to how to carry that out (Step Eleven). I am so grateful to God for the recovery he has given me. The Steps are, in my opinion, the key to recovery. The Twelve Steps embody our three-part program— physical, emotional, and spiritual. The Steps lead to total freedom. Now as I sit poolside on a holiday weekend with Lifeline magazine in my bag, I smile. My heart smiles. Thanks, OA! — Robin C., Orlando, Florida USA