Recovery Working the Program Serenity in a Recovery Desert I recently visited Vermont, where I grew up. I was there for two weeks to see my mom and a few other family members and friends. Coming from Tucson, where there is a very strong OA community, to a place where there are only two OA meetings was challenging. So, I thought I would take the opportunity to share ten … Read More
Steps Traditions No Wrong Door “In keeping with Tradition Ten, Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. In the spirit of Tradition Three, Overeaters Anonymous welcomes anyone with a desire to stop eating compulsively, including those who have had bariatric surgery or are contemplating it” (Business Conference Policy Manual, 2018b). When the delegates to WSBC 2018 voted to adopt this policy statement, I … Read More
Diversity Newcomers He Understood I came into the doors of OA six months ago, weighing 159 pounds (72 kg) at 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall. I was athletic and a relatively normal size, but I was in food hell and miserable. I believed that if I just got down to a certain weight, I would be happy. By the time I stepped … Read More
Share It sharing Doing Service Anyway I so appreciated reading the Service and Recovery story in the March 2018 issue of Lifeline (“Speaker Go-Getter”). It reminded me of everything I have learned in Overeaters Anonymous about remaining abstinent: by reaching out to others, we create the framework for our own recovery. When I was very new, the secretary of a Saturday meeting asked me to lead the meeting … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Lessons Learned I just celebrated my sixth OA birthday and took time to reflect upon what I have learned. I am sending this to Lifeline per my sponsor’s direction. My recovery has taught me: I am a woman in recovery. I am no longer a victim. There are no mistakes. Everyone I meet is here to show me something if I am … Read More
Recovery Around the World OA from A to Z December 2009: I was eating my way through the holidays, agonizing over not being able to control myself after more than twenty-five years of dieting. I weighed 213 pounds (97 kg) and my excess weight was taking a greater toll on my well-being than ever before. I was sure of only two things: first, that I no longer had it … Read More
Steps Cleaning Out the Closet My first sponsor pointed out that the promises of the program are clear: If we clean up the past (Steps Four through Nine) and continue to take daily inventory (Steps Ten and Eleven), ever relying on God, then we can be free of cravings, restored to sanity and power, and find our will becoming aligned to that of our Higher … Read More
Steps Facing It, Feeling It There it was. I had done the first three Steps with my sponsor and we both knew what was coming next. He knew it was going to be a big step in my recovery, but to me it looked more like a pending emotional breakdown. Turns out he was right. I had built a pretty good system of denial and … Read More