I have had a spiritual awakening as a result of working the Steps while being abstinent one day at a time. I know this because I am much different today than when I was either trying to control the food or else stuffing my face. The Big Book refers often to a spiritual experience or spiritual awakening; for me, that …

I remember my last binge very clearly. I called my local OA office that night, and I will never forget the woman I spoke to and how glad I was to speak to an actual person. A few days later, she took me to my first meeting. Since that day (more than ten years ago), through the grace of God, …

If this were a highly complicated program requiring complex levels of thought and planning, I would have nailed it long ago. But a simple program of recovery? Nope, that’s baffling! As wise fellows have said, “You can’t be too dumb for this program, but you can be too smart!” I have this vision of me versus God. I’m on my …

Newcomers help me remember the desperation that got me into OA. Newcomers remind me how powerful this disease is and how powerless I am over food. When a newcomer is at a meeting, I share my recovery, strength, and hope and stay in the solution. When I take on a newcomer as a sponsee, it is so rewarding. My recovery is boosted by …

My first Unity Day was in February, 2010. I had just started attending meetings, but I had no idea how the program worked. At a Unity Day celebration, I was exposed to dozens of people working the Steps. It wasn’t about being overweight; it was about sanity. At a workshop, I made friends who encouraged me to work the Steps, …

I have been in program for twenty-seven years. When it comes to using a food plan, I used to have rules for what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat, when to pray, and more. But I’ve found that the more I complicate my food plan, the more loopholes appear for my disease to discover and exploit. …

Before OA, I was falsely cheerful. I always appeared put-together and acted like everything was great. I never let anyone see me feeling sad, angry, or low energy. At my very first meeting someone shared about a hard time she was having—she even cried. I was repulsed, but others were nodding, and after the meeting she got hugs and support …

I experimented with food for years before joining program. I noticed if I ate sugar in the morning, I was more likely to eat it in the afternoon, too, and also forget I’d already eaten some (the more I ate, the more I forgot). I noticed when I went without a certain sweet, I thought about it obsessively. When a …

I joined OA in 1981 weighing more than 250 pounds (113 kg), and I’ve been abstinent for thirty-five years. Because of this Fellowship, sponsors, the Steps, the Tools, slogans, and a loving HP, I have been able to be peaceful with food. I have horrible examples of how I behaved before program. For example, at our oldest son’s wedding, I …

About three years after I became abstinent, I was driving to a meeting when I felt the presence of God in my car. Peacefulness and calm came over me. It seemed as though God was guiding my driving, there in the car with me. I shared in the meeting about this experience, and someone whom I considered very spiritual asked …