A time eventually came in Overeaters Anonymous when I realized I no longer felt impossible. Somehow, working the program had brought about that change. My Twelve Step history is longer than my specific OA history, so it took years, but that change did come about. Today, my sponsee was writing about letting go of the idea that one should feel good all …

I came into OA in March 1977 and have been abstinent since January 1980. After losing 30 pounds (14 kg), I have maintained a normal body weight. I have been imperfectly working the Steps for almost forty-two years, and here’s what I’ve learned. Step One is the foundation Step. I admit I am different. Everything must flow from my belief (though …

My spiritual breakfast is Step Eleven, and it’s the most important meal of each day. It nourishes my brain with fuel I need to have a fighting chance of serenity and abstinence in the twenty-four hours ahead. I try to do Step Eleven as soon as I wake. If I give my brain even half an hour in charge, my …

I’ve always been a loner, happy in my own company, where I write, create, talk to myself, and can completely be myself with no mask, no pretenses, and no judgement. I had been a misfit throughout my life, always extremely self-conscious around other people. In the company of others, I would feel an element of forced politeness and false cheerfulness; afterwards, …

When I think of powerlessness, I get an image of myself as a lightbulb alone in a box on the shelf. I’m powerless, but I have potential. If I connect with my power source, if I’m attached to a fixture or socket and the light switch is turned on, then my potential comes to fruition: I can shine warm, useful …

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: …

I would rather live in recovery than die in isolation. These words came to me as a spiritual truth, simple yet profound. Living in recovery is not easy—it takes daily work—yet it beats the alternative. I am an introvert and crave solitude. It is one of my spiritual needs. However, before recovery, I was unable to distinguish between solitude and …

My family has a very strong work ethic that I inherited. However, I also had blind spots that affected my working life in ways I never grasped until I felt inspired to do a complete inventory of my job history. A new Fourth Step inventory is what it took to open my eyes to all the character defects and shortcomings …

It’s funny sometimes how HP and the universe work to give me a sign. On Friday of this week, I went to a meeting and listened to a reading about service. That morning, the entry I’d read in Voices of Recovery was about service. And my sponsor and I had talked about service. Obviously, I needed to spend more time …

OA not only changed my life but this recovery program also gave me a life worth living. Before I became abstinent from sugar, compulsive overeating, and compulsive food behaviors, I lived a life in food, using it constantly to manage and escape feelings and stress. I’d never want to go back to the way it was before I found OA, and …