Abstinence Newcomers Recovery Thirty Days! I’ve reached my twenty-ninth day of abstinence. Tomorrow will be my weighing day and my highly anticipated thirtieth day. I’ve never gone thirty days without weighing myself, but the experience has been interesting! It really takes the focus off numeric results and has made me realize other subtleties of physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery. Thirty days ago, I wrote a … Read More
Anonymity Traditions Only through Anonymity When I first came into Overeaters Anonymous, I quickly learned to respect anonymity: who I saw, who said what—none of that was mine to share with anyone. Basically, I learned not to gossip about who, what, where, or when. This made sense to me, especially because I didn’t want anyone to know who I was or tell anyone what I … Read More
Recovery A Series of Miracles In 2011, I weighed 534 pounds (242 kg) and was unable to walk due to sepsis from an E. coli infection. When I was admitted to the hospital, my feet and legs were black from the blood pooling, my organs had shut down, and I smelled disgusting because my skin was weeping from the infection. I also had diabetes, high … Read More
Relapse & Recovery Steps Twelfth Step Within Reach Out: Support Within Every December 12, OA groups and service boards around the world are encouraged to plan events for Twelfth Step Within Day, a day to support the still-suffering compulsive eater within our Fellowship. If you or a group would like to get started with something simple, here are a few ideas to make it happen: Make outreach calls. How about twelve … Read More
lifeline Literature Thick and Thin Dear Lifeline, Thank you for being my steadfast companion over the decades and for being there for me through thick and thin. I’ve spent many happy times with you, and I will miss you! — Elaine (more…) Read More
lifeline Literature Some Sadness I am sitting at home on a beautiful, sunny day, yet I’m feeling a little sadness in my heart as I write my farewell message to Lifeline magazine. I’ve been a subscriber for most of my thirty-six years in program. I still have some of the older copies, but I will admit the look and graphics used in recent years … Read More
Recovery Shining Miracles Before I’d ever heard of OA or its Principles and practices, my only desire was to lose weight. I was tired and bloated and felt ten years older than I was. God intervened and put the words “Maybe you could try Overeaters Anonymous?” upon the lips of a good friend. I went to a meeting and immediately felt at home. … Read More
lifeline Literature Keeping Hope Alive I subscribed to the print Lifeline magazine almost continuously since I came to OA in 1976. In the 70s, meetings were scarce and there was very little OA literature. Because I couldn’t relate to alcoholics, I found it a challenge as a newcomer to read AA literature and make the mental translation from alcohol to food. But I found hope … Read More
Abstinence Recovery Heard and Answered A month ago, I had a visit from my friend. We had been saying for a long time that we should pick a time for her to come visit my studio and see my artwork. Like so many wishful plans, it hadn’t happened sooner because we were both very busy. So when we saw each other at a party a … Read More
Working the Program Beginning at Dusk Many ancient societies begin their day at dusk (i.e., the evening before). After I had been in Overeaters Anonymous for a while, I began to feel this system might work for me and bring a level of serenity to my life that I hadn’t achieved before. Here’s how it has worked: After I’ve finished my evening meal and taken a … Read More
