Other people’s opinions are none of my business. Since learning to live in recovery, I have accepted the truth of this, but it wasn’t easy. I sacrificed many pages and bytes, much ink, graphite, and finger taps to journaling on my path to acceptance and gratitude. I eat foods and amounts that are nutritious for my body. I move and …

For half my life, I felt like some kind of awful, monstrous presence—peculiar, pessimistic, and pathetic. I had a dark secret that even I didn’t know about, and almost every action I took was viewed as negative. At home, I was a scapegoat, and at school, I was a crybaby; but wherever I was, I always felt like something from …

When I began to explore ideas of a Power greater than myself, I readily conceded that nature is majestic—I often found peace among the redwood trees or in the Pacific surf—but praying to nature didn’t work for me. Then, in the quiet of meditation, I recalled a childhood memory: calling ‘God’ the beauty of the sun’s rays peeking through rainclouds. There …

I thought I was living the dream— smack-dab in the middle of OA Paradise! I was abstinent, I’d lost weight, I attended meetings, and I was working my program. All was good. I remember hearing about the “honeymoon” abstinence, that one day I would take a step backward before I would be able to move forward again. I felt it …

I recently attended an OA workshop about working an action plan. The leader shared many examples of how she uses this Tool in her recovery, while other members asked questions and shared their experience as well. I felt inspired in this roomful of recovery, but I also felt a nagging worry about such plans. After all, my self-will has created …

From the time I was a preteen struggling with weight and food, I thought I would always be on the outside of life, looking in at people living it. And then my Higher Power led me to the doors of Overeaters Anonymous. At my first meeting, I learned I wasn’t alone. But at my first convention, I felt it to …