Abstinence Spiritual Growth By the time I reached Overeaters Anonymous in December of 2005, I weighed 110 pounds (50 kg). I was about 20 pounds (9 kg) below the ideal weight for my age and height. I had never been overweight, but for years I struggled with under-eating, and experienced a brief stint of anorexia during high school. Since I joined OA, I … Read More
Steps Reading the Steps Aloud Q. As a recovering anorexic/bulimic, I’ve been encouraged over the past thirty years by the addition of more inclusive wording in our literature, such as the phrase “compulsive food behaviors.” Has any thought been given to gender-neutral modifications to the Twelve Steps? When I read them, I say: “care of God/Higher Power as we understand that Higher Power” and “Humbly … Read More
Traditions Guarding the Traditions At OA meetings, I often hear shares that include social issues. We members are products of our environment, after all, and those environments can include poverty, deprivation, abuse, harassment, homelessness, injustice, unfairness at work, and victimization by criminals. For my part, I have a social conscience, and my failure to live up to its demands is a factor in my … Read More
Higher Power No More Hiding I have a vivid recollection of a moment early in recovery: I’d just arrived at an OA meeting, a regular meeting I considered “home.” On the way to this meeting, I’d binged. Before exiting my car, I was fearfully and intently stuffing my wrappers and trash into the armrest storage space. And though I was alone in my car, I … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World We All Qualify I am a compulsive overeater of a common variety, and there is little about me personally that would not fit right into the least diverse of OA meetings. I am female, white, and I have been in OA for six years with four years of continuous abstinence. I came into the rooms of OA morbidly obese and now am at … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Until I Could I am grateful to have been accepted in OA as a person who is not overweight and is a lesbian. My eating disorder began at age 14, when I became aware of my sexual orientation. The thought of being gay was so reprehensible to me that I began hiding myself from myself; I created a distraction by obsessing about food … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Balanced Prescription My first OA meeting was in 1980. I was a college student, sick from bouts of anorexia and bulimia, and afraid I would not be “as sick” as others in the rooms. Sure enough, my first impressions were that I was different; I was the thinnest and youngest in the room; and maybe I didn’t belong there. During the meeting … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Sticking with It When I joined OA twenty years ago, I wasn’t interested in physical recovery. I needed help with my out-of-control emotions and relationships, but I was too scared to start from scratch in any Twelve Step fellowship for emotions and relationships. I was anorexic, so I could go every week to OA meetings (instead of once a month to “open” meetings of … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Different Bodies, Similar Reasoning Look for the similarities, not the differences.” How grateful I am to have gotten that message straightaway when I walked in the doors of OA. It was out of desperation that I had to do this, because the only alternative was going to be death. I came to OA looking different than most, weighing in at 42–47 kilograms (93–99 lbs), … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Diversity Light and Color I came to OA at age 25 with only 10 to 15 pounds (5 to 7 kg) to lose. That was twenty-six years ago. Before OA, there was darkness: guilt, remorse, shame, fear, paranoia. I built a wall to protect me. I even wore mostly black. I was bingeing, purging, and starving. I was smoking, drinking, and using drugs. There … Read More
