Recovery Working the Program Greater than Gold When my sponsee and I finished the Twelfth Step, we looked at each other and said, “Now what?” It felt more like a letdown than a victory. No certificate was awarded, no pin, no ceremony. A few days later, I made a card that showed a house with a huge gold star in the garage. In the card I wrote: … 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
Gratitude Recovery Catastrophe Living I’ve always related to the idea that my cup was half empty, which was apparent in my behavior. My plate was never full enough. I always had to have a beverage at hand. Anxiety would develop if I thought I was going to run out of something in the cupboard (I still have issues with this, but now it happens … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery My Favorite Color I had an interesting realization about color and clothing. Being overweight, I always heard I should wear dark colors, especially black, to hide my large figure. But when I wear black, I get hot and tend to sweat, so I rarely wear it. Plus, black is not my color. Now that I have joined OA and have lost over 60 pounds … Read More
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
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Guilt Free Freedom from the guilt of overeating—what a concept! Before OA, guilt wrenched me. It was my fault I was fat and unable to do something about it. I’m glad I jumped out of that depressing cycle. Without the guilt I can focus on recovery, which should have been my primary concern anyway! The path of recovery led me to eat … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Three Sayings I get to write this article. I am so grateful I learned this affirmation early in my recovery. It started with a phone call to my sponsor. When I complained that I had to go to work, she said, “You get to work.” When I told her I had to do laundry, go to the bank, clean the house, or … Read More
Recovery Working the Program Trust and Enjoy At a meeting today, a member shared that another OA member with many problems had committed suicide. That share prompted others to share about the importance of working the program, doing what works, trusting that process, and walking in action, no matter how we feel. This week has been a challenge, but it’s amazing how God works in my life … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Recovery Celebration In recovery, I have freedom from: pretending to be a normal eater and wishing people would just go away so I could eat using all celebrations as an excuse to binge eating secretly as I baked, prepared, and served food—and continuing to eat long afterward squeezing into only a few select pieces of clothing (usually with elasticized waistbands) making commitments … 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