Recovery Relapse Identifying Relapse Although I have been in the program for five years, I do not deeply understand the concept of relapse. I ask two questions: First, how can I realize that I relapsed? Second, what are the relapse symptoms and signs? Here are some answers given by abstinent members in a meeting on this topic: Definition of relapse: Relapse, for me, is … Read More
Fellowship Recovery Marking This Day The purpose of this special day, International Day Experiencing Abstinence, is to encourage members to establish or reaffirm their own abstinence. Many people ask what abstinence is, so we will look to the OA Policy on Abstinence and Recovery: “The WSBC 2019 accepts the following definitions: Abstinence: The act of refraining from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors while working … Read More
Fellowship Better Defined After reading about the new definitions for “abstinence” and “recovery” approved by the World Service Business Conference 2019, I had a couple of questions: 1) What were the original definitions? 2) What were the reasons for changing the definitions? The 1988 WSBC approved this first Statement on Abstinence and Recovery: “According to the dictionary, the word ‘abstain’ means to refrain … Read More
Ask-It Basket Alternative to “Abstinence” I object to the word “abstinence” in the OA pamphlet A Commitment to Abstinence. Alcoholics abstain from booze or they don’t. Overeaters cannot avoid eating (unless they go down the rabbit hole of anorexia or bulimia). I know you justify “abstinence” as refraining from overeating or other eating disorders. It sounds fake to me. Would OA as an organization consider … Read More
Abstinence Key Specifics In all my seventeen years in OA, I’ve regarded “abstinence” as an ambiguous term—and I’ve blamed that ambiguity for my relapses. Focusing on ambiguity made it easy for me to erode my abstinence. My epiphany occurred when my sponsor, who has forty-two years of abstinence, said, “Abstinence doesn’t have to be ambiguous.” That gave me pause for thought. The pause … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Love and Light When I was 60 years old and abstinent for six months, I had overwhelming feelings. I felt as if I were going crazy. How did people do this without medication? As time went on, I became more desperate, going to two or three meetings a day, meditating, doing Step work, and making outreach calls. Nothing gave me the peace I … Read More