Relapse Relapse & Recovery Callback I am just coming back from a bingeing relapse that started with me eating two pints of ice cream as an appetizer. I went out searching for a 24-hour grocery store at 4 o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve to buy ice cream. I ended up at a gas station in an area so crime-ridden that there was an … Read More
Relapse Slipping & Sliding Nonslip Grip I have been in OA for twenty-eight years. Before OA, I was a force to be dealt with, very carefully and with dread. I was filled with self-righteous indignation. Imagine my surprise when I discovered indignation was just a synonym for resentment. That Step Four was a real eye-opener. It wasn’t everybody else’s fault after all. Now I am so … Read More
Abstinence Threefold Abstinence Keeping things simple is helpful. Using OA’s definition of abstinence, I had to decide what I could refrain from, one day at a time, no matter where I was or what was happening. Two ingredients that repeated in my food inventory were sugar and white flour. So my definition of physical abstinence was simple: no sugar and no white flour. (My food plan … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Tools for Sanity I came to understand my abstinence through working with my first OA sponsor in Step One, looking at what foods and food behaviors I was powerless over and when my life was unmanageable as it related to food. The most obvious problem was my nighttime bingeing, and at first my bottom-line abstinence was not bingeing at night, using the 3-0-1 … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Focus on Unity I have been a member of Overeaters Anonymous since the early 1980s. I have attended OA meetings in the US states of Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Maryland and in the country of Israel. There are many differences among these places—in cultures, geographies, and customs. But at every meeting, parts or all of the Steps were read and parts or … Read More
Recovery Relationships Different Genders, Ethnicities, And Ages Editors note: Below are two world service contributions from OA members in support of our Strategic Plan. My name is Denise, and I am a compulsive overeater. I am a 62-year old straight black woman, wife, mother, and grandmother. OA found me in 1988. I was in program then for eight years. I lost 120 pounds (54 kg) and thought … Read More
Recovery Working the Program Recovery Routine I work my program every day by doing a morning routine. First, I say the first three Steps. Then I say program prayers: the Serenity Prayer, the Third Step prayer, the Seventh Step prayer, and a shortened version of the Eleventh Step prayer. Then I say a prayer from my religious tradition for me and everyone I’m having trouble with, … Read More
Spirituality Clarity Without Certainty “Our path in OA transcends weight loss and a return to emotional health.” — Seeking the Spiritual Path I have been in program for thirty-five years and I’m blessed with long-term recovery. I feel moved to write about my journey toward developing a relationship with a Higher Power. I’d grown up with a concept of a punishing, judgmental God I … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Time: Now; Place: Present When I started in OA, I worked a “diet” program and attended meetings. I did some service. We did not have much OA literature in 1977, so I dove into the AA Big Book with passion. I had heard of, and found, hope. I was very damaged—emotional and spiritual recovery took many years. As time passed, my program of recovery … Read More
Traditions Opinion-Free Tradition Ten – Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the OA name ought never be drawn into public controversy. When I first joined OA in 1990, I assumed all members thought the way I thought and believed what I believed. I was sure we all felt the same about religion, politics, and social action. My first clue … Read More
