How OA Changed My Life Recovery Insulin-Free It’s a red-letter day, a miracle. I’m fearful (in case this is only temporary) but elated. I’m finally off insulin. About sixteen months ago, I began taking insulin every day to control my diabetes, but now I’ve gotten to zero units per day. I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it feels. I’ve lost 82 pounds (37 kg) and have … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Morning Person Before OA, mornings were a chore. When my alarm went off, I wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over my head and yell “Not fair!” at a God I thought was cruel and punishing. My overeating, my bingeing the night before, had taken its toll. Once again, I was not ready to function. Finding OA and working the … Read More
Recovery Relationships New Options Before I found OA, food was my answer to everything and anything. If I had a problem, I would eat. Uncomfortable feelings meant more food. After spending time in OA, I came to believe and accept that food is an ineffective means of coping. Using food to cope is no longer an option for me. Now, I eat to live, … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Gifts I Have “Have I been thankful for what I have, or have I ignored my blessings and focused on what I lack?” (Twelve and Twelve, Second Edition, pp. 33–34). In the past, I sometimes wasn’t thankful for what I had. I often longed for a better car, a better house, more money, and other things. Now that I’m in program, I am … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Blessings Count As a child, I was taught that if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all. Now that I’m a member of Overeaters Anonymous, that axiom takes a different slant: if I have nothing nice to say, it’s time to count my blessings. So here is today’s gratitude list: I am grateful for the people in my life. … Read More
Recovery Working the Program No Disrespect “Don’t dwell on any real or imagined pleasure you once got from certain foods. Change the channel!” (Before You Take That First Compulsive Bite, Remember . . .) Even after years of not eating my trigger foods, I have the habit of not going down supermarket aisles that contain the non-foods I used to worship. If by chance my husband … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity From Loathing to Liking What is healthy self-esteem? It is self-confidence and self-respect; serenity; speaking up for myself; treating myself as well as I treat others; having faith; being present for life; taking risks; trusting myself and others; being honest; pursuing dreams; being my own best friend; making decisions that are love based, not fear-based; liking my body and treating it with love. Have … Read More
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity The Doctors on the Road to Recovery Two doctors gave me tough love at crucial times in my recovery, for which I am now grateful, though I wasn’t at the time. Shortly after I joined OA in 1990, my new friends suggested I see my general practitioner about my recurring stomach upsets. This doctor told me bluntly that the upsets were due to my anorexia, specifically from … Read More
Tools & Concepts Professional Planning When I came into OA in July of 1995, I was working for a weight-loss company and terrified of losing my job because of my weight gain. I was following a diet plan, which is quite different from a plan of eating, and I had to report my food to my manager and weigh in each month. I was in … Read More
Telephone Tools & Concepts Interconnections When I first entered OA, I did not understand the interconnected web among the members. Someone gave me a daily readings book at my first meeting, but I never went back there. Years later, when I’d gained about 40 pounds (18 kg) and been warned I was pre-diabetic, I went to another meeting in a different city. I just listened … Read More