How OA Changed My Life Recovery To the Season I’m writing out the holiday cards, wishing everyone good cheer. Suddenly it’s holiday time, but I don’t feel holiday-ish this year. Dinner with friends and family will surely brighten the day, but being around all that food concerns me more than I can say. “Thank you, God, that’s not my food,” has worked for me before, and when they ask, … Read More
Higher Power Practice Prayer When I came into OA, I desperately needed to lose weight and gain sanity. All my life, I had made lists and plans and schemes. I was the queen of to-do lists and loved checking them off. But no matter how much I accomplished in my career and in other areas of my life and no matter how expert I … Read More
Diversity Newcomers Give Love A Chance When I attended my first OA meeting, I was beyond nervous, and I was overwhelmed with debilitating shame. Overweight since age 7, I had tried every diet and magical fix available. Each failure chipped away at what little self-esteem I had, and the “mean girl” in my head would remind me that I was worthless and ultimately unlovable. As I … Read More
Service Aspire More and Think As a returnee to OA after many years of “research,” I discovered the action plan Tool. I love it. Here’s an action plan I made for myself: To get and stay abstinent, I ASPIRE MORE and THINK. When I feel an oncoming urge to eat compulsively, I: A—Allow six minutes before eating. I set timers in the kitchen and other places … Read More
Abstinence Nights Free Nighttime was always hardest for me when it came to overeating. Before OA, the only tool I had was to starve myself throughout the day. I would skip breakfast and sometimes lunch because once I started eating it was hard to stop. When I got off from work, however, that’s when the party started. I was a junk food junkie, … Read More