Recovery Working the Program Able to Identify A simple definition of insanity is “unsound reasoning and judgment.” Where has my reasoning and judgment been unsound around food? I have been continuously abstinent for twenty-four years, maintaining a 100+ pound (45+ kg) weight loss. My food plan is sugar-free, flour-free, and volume-free. I follow a structured approach because it is the foundation of my physical recovery: it is … Read More
Recovery Working the Program No Choice I was not willing to let go of the food. Therefore, I was not willing to trust. I didn’t want my sugar addiction to be taken away from me. I wanted what I wanted, so of course, I craved and craved and gained and gained, and I couldn’t think of stopping my compulsion . . . until my problems finally … Read More
Diversity Newcomers The Great Miracle Recently, I was asked to write a response to a newcomer’s question: “What can OA offer me?” I suffer from two problems that make me powerless over my compulsive eating: a physical problem and a mental one. Certain foods, ingredients, and eating behaviors trigger me to eat uncontrollably. Many times while eating trigger foods, I tried to will myself to … Read More
Recovery Relapse Relapse & Recovery Astounded and Amazed I believe that a Power greater than myself can restore me to sanity because it has been proven to me over and over in so many situations. Moreover, I believe that only a Power greater than myself can restore me to sanity because I never could stick with any plan of eating when I was relying on my own Power. … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality Crossing That Bridge I certainly was selfish. I wasn’t present to do things with my friends and family, preferring instead to isolate with my best “frenemy”: food. I spent my whole life refusing to accept I was powerless to control my compulsion to overeat, and I’d eat anything I could get my hands on—a lot. I was able to lose lots of weight, … Read More
Abstinence Garden Variety I’ve lived most of my life in New Jersey, the Garden State, so you’d think I’d be used to eating an abundance of homegrown fruits and vegetables. Au contraire, my OA friends: I grew up with little interest in natural produce, though just outside the New Jersey Turnpike are thousands of fruit and vegetable stands to visit. No, my exclusive … Read More
Steps Traditions When Desire Works Tradition Three works. I believe the best way to show it is to share what I was shown when I first arrived in OA. All I wanted to do was lose weight while eating all my binge foods—was that too much to ask? I hated that I was unable to eat like my friends: they were skinny, yet here I … Read More
Tools & Concepts The Myth of Moderation My problem with food is that once I develop cravings, it’s impossible for me to moderate my eating. When cravings set in, I only get more and more extreme in my obsession with food. My body has an allergy to sugar, flour, alcohol, and highly processed foods; these trigger the mental illness of my addiction, which in turn makes me … Read More
Steps Traditions No Wrong Door “In keeping with Tradition Ten, Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. In the spirit of Tradition Three, Overeaters Anonymous welcomes anyone with a desire to stop eating compulsively, including those who have had bariatric surgery or are contemplating it” (Business Conference Policy Manual, 2018b). When the delegates to WSBC 2018 voted to adopt this policy statement, I … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Higher Power HP Did for Me I was 19 and had been in OA for six months and abstinent throughout that period. I’d learned about a Higher Power but hadn’t felt the presence of one. I certainly didn’t believe it might be real for me. I accepted that it worked for other people, and I believed that they believed. But I was still willing and able … Read More