Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Available to Feel I am so grateful for OA. It’s September 12, 2017, and I have thirty-nine days of abstinence after being in program since January 21, 2017. I will never forget that date: it’s eight days after my mom passed away due to her disease of drug addiction. Her death marked a turning point in my compulsive overeating. What was once a … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Social Media Benefits When I first started connecting with OA friends on social media, I was a bit wary about it. I was concerned it would somehow lead to a break in anonymity, even if only accidentally. I’m quite open with friends and family that I’m in OA, but I also wanted to be respectful of the Traditions and didn’t want to risk … Read More
Abstinence Threefold Abstinence Keeping things simple is helpful. Using OA’s definition of abstinence, I had to decide what I could refrain from, one day at a time, no matter where I was or what was happening. Two ingredients that repeated in my food inventory were sugar and white flour. So my definition of physical abstinence was simple: no sugar and no white flour. (My food plan … Read More
Abstinence The Beginning “Abstinence is the beginning.” This sentence, one I have seen and heard many times since entering the rooms, popped out at me like never before as I read page 272 in Voices of Recovery this morning. Abstinence is the beginning: of connecting with Higher Power, with self, with others who have this disease of connecting with others who don’t have … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Birthday at Home Recently, I had the privilege of celebrating both my twentieth OA birthday and the twentieth birthday of my OA home group. I met OA for the first time at this group’s very first meeting. For this event, we asked our intergroup to invite other OA groups to join and celebrate our journey toward recovery. We had more than double our … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality The Road Narrows My twenty-ninth birthday in OA is approaching, and it is cause for renewed reflection about my program. I spoke to my sponsor a week ago and mentioned to her that I was thinking of not taking a candle this year. Other OA members on their birthdays pitch about life changes: weddings, kids, jobs, financial gain, or acquisition of cars. I … Read More
Recovery Relationships Keep Recovery a Priority I wrote a song once that said: “I am stuck in the middle of the hard part of my story.” I was 27, and I thought it was a clever lyric for a challenging time. Eleven years later, I see that difficulties back then pale in comparison to what’s happening now. Due to a series of stressful events, I am … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality A Change of Plan I have had a spiritual awakening as a result of working the Steps while being abstinent one day at a time. I know this because I am much different today than when I was either trying to control the food or else stuffing my face. The Big Book refers often to a spiritual experience or spiritual awakening; for me, that … Read More
Recovery Relationships Changes on the Inside Before I came to OA, my life looked pretty good from the outside: I had a job, friends, and a normal body weight. But inside, I was often fearful. I was disconnected from others, and I felt inadequate. I engaged in various compulsive food behaviors. Over the years my compulsive eating had gone up and down, but it was always … Read More
Relationships Placed Where I Belong I stand naked in front of a well-lit, full-length mirror every morning, throw my hands into the air, and say, “I surrender to the possibilities of this day.” Then I thank God for getting my “sturdy” body up and going once again. Though I have a lot of health challenges, the minimum basics of my daily action plan haven’t changed: … Read More