Diversity Newcomers He Understood I came into the doors of OA six months ago, weighing 159 pounds (72 kg) at 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall. I was athletic and a relatively normal size, but I was in food hell and miserable. I believed that if I just got down to a certain weight, I would be happy. By the time I stepped … Read More
Meetings Tools & Concepts No Secret Looking at my family photographs and reflecting on the last twelve years brings tears to my eyes. At my first OA meeting, I could barely hold my head up and say my name to pick up my twenty four-hour abstinence chip, which I still have. I was 43 years old, remarried, twice my normal body weight, and the mother of … Read More
Recovery Relationships Starting That Moment I grew up in an American, Midwestern, blue-collar, motorcycle-riding family that fully embraced pride of all sorts—pride in our family, our country, our bikes, our tattoos and putting in an honest day’s labor. If family needed help, you showed up on Saturday and helped. You taught your kids how to fix engines, build things, and to listen to their mama. … Read More
Recovery Working the Program Shipwreck Survivor When I was growing up, I had a lot of emotions to deal with. I never learned good coping skills, so I handled situations by eating over them. I buried feelings that were too much for me. It was either eat or go crazy, so I ate. I like to compare my experience with a shipwreck. At first, I went … Read More
Fellowship Recovery Double Duty I was a member of Central Florida Intergroup, serving on CFI’s Public Information/Professional Outreach Committee. I’d noticed on our area’s convention center website that a national teachers’ union would be hosting its annual convention in July. About 14,000 teachers would be in attendance from around the country I inquired about what it would take to establish a presence for Overeaters … Read More
Fellowship Recovery IDEA Activity: Pen a Principle I have been in Overeaters Anonymous five and a half years and abstinent for more than eighteen months. I do not weigh myself, but the clothing I had last year still fits. I am so grateful for Overeaters Anonymous. At our International Day Experiencing Abstinence celebration last November, we did group activities working with program Principles. My group’s Principle was … Read More
Fellowship Recovery IDEA Event Well-Worked Our International Day Experiencing Abstinence event was well attended by many in our recovering community in Milwaukee. We opened with a speaker, then did a writing activity. Perhaps you could write about this topic too: “What is the difference between dieting and abstinence?” Then we read a Lifeline article (“Outside and In”) about the difference between trying to be abstinent … Read More
Higher Power Trusted Others I’ve heard that a Higher Power can be anything or anyone but me. However, I do believe in listening to my own intuition and conscience, in addition to outside voices. I believe in God, but I don’t believe in a God who directly intervenes in my every interaction. Instead, God is embodied in appropriate others, in my case, my sponsors, … Read More
Steps Tools & Concepts Traditions Acceptance Without Issue During any political election, I am especially thankful for OA’s Tradition Ten: “Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues.” I know I can go to a meeting and no one will talk about the candidates or the issues. I am very aware that some members are strongly supporting a policy that is different than mine. At other occasions outside … Read More
Higher Power Power by Committee Three years ago, I came in the doors of OA as a 500-pound (227-kg), spiritually bankrupt King Baby. Either God was a jerk or didn’t exist, so “whatever” was my spirituality. It was all about me and what I wanted, anyway, so why let that get in the way? While I had no real issue with Step One, finding a … Read More