Recovery Kindness and Wellness Attraction is hard to pinpoint. I didn’t really know what kept me coming back to OA in those early days, over four years ago. I was attracted to the warmth of the OA rooms. Not the physical rooms—much of the time they were quite the opposite of attractive. Some of those ancient, cold, dark, damp, even moldy rooms might have … Read More
Newcomers Pleased to Believe I just attended my first and second ever OA meetings. In 2013, I lost 80 pounds (36 kg) in seven months using powdered food, veggies, and prescribed medicines under a bariatric doctor’s care. That diet was not sustainable, and now I’ve gained all the weight back, plus 10 pounds (5 kg) more. I knew all along that I could not … Read More
Traditions Tradition 2: Seeing the Love Five or six years ago, I was involved in OA service work within my region. To aid my interactions with the personalities I encountered, I read recovery literature on Tradition Two. Over time, it slowly occurred to me that this Tradition was inviting me to have a relationship with a loving Higher Power. It came with the awareness that I … Read More
OA Responsibility Pledge That Certain Sense Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible. Feeling responsible assumes first that a person has gained something; the gainer then wants to repay for that gain. When asked to write about our Responsibility Pledge, I thought to look first at what I have gained from OA. When … Read More
Higher Power What Hasn’t Changed? Spring of 2015 was the turning point. I had to get my fix of food no matter the cost. I maxed out my credit card, took from savings, ate in secrecy, and filled crevices of the house and car with my stash. I even ate frozen cauliflower. It struck me that I had a problem when I bought my first … Read More
Higher Power Ready for the Journey I am a 58-year-old male. I have been on the “diet yo-yo” five or six times in my life. Each time, I lost weight and kept it off for about a year; then I gained it back plus more. I’ve learned this is a progressive disease. Before OA, I was full of despair and frustration. I was hiding in my … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Not According to Plan Before OA, I was living and keeping busy, but my eating and weight were not in control. I felt hopeless, thinking I would never weigh less. I had started on a reasonable plan for eating and exercise, but after a few days I had trouble keeping to my plan for even one day. I just had no control. I made … Read More
