Higher Power Spirituality A More Beautiful Way to Live What in the world is spirituality anyway? I’d had a good upbringing in my family’s religion, but had no more spirituality than I had control over my eating. The God I grew up with was not personal to me, more like an ethereal image that I couldn’t grasp or really even believe in. He was from a book, rather than … Read More
Diversity Newcomers My Replacement I began Overeaters Anonymous in February 2014 after becoming desperate. I was scheduled for a double knee replacement later in the year. At 240 pounds (109 kg), I was told I must lose at least 50 pounds (23 kg) for a successful recovery. I tried and I couldn’t, because I was depressed for three years after being fired from my … Read More
Higher Power New-Mother Energy When I came to OA, I was immediately attracted to the God language and knew this was the path for me because I am a rabbi and God is my business. But I struggled to get abstinent. Step One was easy, Step Two was a given, and I thought Step Three should’ve been also. My sponsor often said, “You’re a … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Prayer Positions I came to OA seventeen years ago this week. I’m deeply grateful to my Higher Power, who gave me the gift of the program and the willingness to keep coming back. I live in a small community in the hills, and my choice of meetings is very restricted, so I find myself listening to podcasts—often! Many thanks to all those members … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality Fresh and Vital While doing some writing about the “vital spiritual experience” described in the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th. ed., p. 27), I had a brand-new thought. I identified with the person being described: someone wanting very much to be free of the addiction that was making his life impossible, puzzled and despairing over why he couldn’t stop. For myself, I’d given … Read More
Spirituality The Sum of One and One Step Eleven—Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out. At a recent meeting, the topic for sharing was “What Step has been the most meaningful in your recovery?” As you can imagine, a dozen members presented a dozen … Read More
Fellowship Big-Picture Thinking As I was trying to figure out this whole “Higher Power” thing, I found myself trying to reconcile the many different religious beliefs in the world, wondering who was right. As I pondered, the image came to me of very large jigsaw puzzle of “God.” Each of us holds a piece of that puzzle. I might look at my piece … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Pathway to Salvation I don’t consider myself a religious person. Although recovery has reconnected me in some ways to the religion of my youth, it does not define my concept of Higher Power. Too often a physical manifestation of Higher Power eludes me. As a child I yearned for the simple belief depicted in the church where I attended a youth program—a gentle … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics An Atheist in OA I am writing to share my experience as an atheist in OA. I feel disappointed by the lack of articles written by atheists, particularly articles that don’t end with the author finding faith in God. Even the Big Book’s chapter “To the Agnostic” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th. ed., pp. 44–57) encourages nonbelievers to try believing in God. I assert that it’s … Read More
