Peaceful and Active

I am 91 years old and enjoying a fairly active, peaceful life because of OA.

I joined OA at the age of 51, after struggling with my weight since childhood. I’d always dieted but immediately regained the weight. I was a degreed registered nurse who knew a lot about food and diets, but that didn’t help.

Since childhood, I had sneaked and stolen food, especially sweets. I’d buy chocolates with my weekly allowance and eat most of them. By the time my mother got home from work, I’d be sick, so she’d make me drink warm soda water until I vomited. I did this week after week.

After I had a family, I’d buy a half gallon of ice cream and a jar of malted milk, then hide behind the store’s trash bins to eat it, though I knew it would cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. That’s the shape I was in physically when I found OA. I was just as bad psychologically and spiritually.

I came to OA in 1978, weighing more than 226 pounds (103 kg) and hating myself. (I’d quit weighing, so I don’t know my top weight.) I was granted willingness to do what I was told. Thank you, God, my Higher Power. Somehow, I had hope that a 3-0-1 plan of eating would work, and it really did. The weight came off. I worked the Steps with a sponsor and asked God to help me. I began to realize I was human, and the Steps helped me take care of past mistakes. What a relief. I began to feel that I had some value. I began to like myself. I was happier. I was at peace.

Peace! That may be the greatest gift or miracle of OA. I have made peace with my parents; I wrote letters and read them at their graves. I was also at peace with my husband and able to care for him through his final illness. I have good relationships with my adult kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Last year when I turned 90, I had five birthday parties and took myself on a trip to Alaska, where I helicoptered over glaciers, went for a dogsled ride, and zip-lined down through the trees. This year, I got my first tattoo, a monarch butterfly. Every day, I exercise in a heated pool or by doing physical therapy exercises. I give service at my church and go to social events. I also have three cats who keep me hopping. I am living life to the fullest in spite of being so old.

I weigh around 130 pounds (59 kg) now. Yes, I’m a hundred-pounder. I am much closer to my God and totally trust him. I go to OA meetings, and I am privileged to sponsor others in this program. I still read OA literature and spend time with God every morning. I have written down my food for forty years and usually give it to my sponsor. Abstinence for me is not my plan of eating but my behavior around food. Now, I sit at the table and I enjoy my food. All thanks to OA and God.

— Edith H., Orange, California USA