When I got into program, I weighed about 240 pounds (109 kg), well over my target weight of 190 pounds (86 kg). I was bingeing and drinking too much alcohol, plus I was mildly depressed. I thought my spiritual life was okay, but really it was a cycle of small peaks and deep valleys. I’d get some abstinence, but then …

Why do I keep coming back? Because enlarging my spiritual life is a never-ending process. I came to OA on August 19, 2007, and have been abstinent from compulsive overeating and compulsive food behaviors since October 2, 2007. God has released me from 45–50 pounds (20–23 kg) of excess weight. I am grateful to God that I have never left …

Before my second time around in OA, the God of my life was vengeful, punishing, unloving, and terrible. God demanded that my parents abuse me verbally, physically, and emotionally through beliefs such as “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” When I first came to OA, God was a huge stumbling block for me. OA is a spiritual program, but all …

Prior to entering Overeaters Anonymous in September 2004, I was a 25-year-old woman who could not break free of the binge and starve merry-go-round. My troubled relationship with food began at an early age. During my early teens, my food restriction was progressive. I was already fearful of my capacity for eating enormous amounts of food. This culminated in a …

I have a strong belief in the existence of a spiritual dimension, but not in a traditional God or divine being. My experiences of this spiritual dimension are my best guide to deepening my understanding. For me, a vital spiritual experience is a state in which I move beyond ego and self-will and feel total peace. Sometimes that state is …

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 …