When I came into OA, I was on the edge of a mental breakdown. I’d tried everything to stop my food obsession and my destructive food behaviors. I’d done a lot of work on myself and learned lots of self-help tricks, but nothing was working. I was numbing my feelings 24/7 and could not see a way out. That was …

Four years ago, I returned to OA after a three-year relapse. At 47, I weighed more than ever, but that wasn’t why I returned. I came back because I had finally accepted that my way was never going to give me the life I desperately wanted. I am a compulsive overeater and a restricter and bulimic. I’ve been all different …

I’d never understood how someone who is anorexic could have the same problem as someone who is obese. This morning, though, I woke up with the realization that my friend and I do have the same problem: a broken “thermostat.” On her thermostat, the trigger that tells her it’s time to fuel her body is broken. It never clicks on, …

It is a wonderful feeling to go around the room and look into another compulsive eater’s eyes and say, “I put my hand in yours because I care,” and really mean it sincerely. Unity Day reminds me that I am no longer isolated in my home, in my room, in my hiding places, being loved and comforted by my food. …

OA is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It has changed my life—irrevocably, I hope—since that day in 2002 when I, with my usual reservations, finally became willing to surrender to a sponsor. OA has healed me physically, emotionally, and most important to me, spiritually. According to my reading of program literature, spirituality is the crux of it …

As I approach the anniversary of my twentieth year of abstinence from compulsive overeating, I’m reflecting on the miracle of finding my way to the rooms of OA, as well as my first years of recovery. When I entered OA in late August 1999, I was a nightmare of a human being. I lived in self-centeredness, self-absorption, and self-pity. I …

With enormous gratitude, I celebrate nineteen years of OA recovery this month. However, it is not the number of days abstinent that defines me today. What matters most is taking actions to manifest outwardly the changes inside me. This does not simply come about by following a food plan. It is also not enough to say, “God, do your thing.” …

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 …

Surrender is such a simple yet profound concept. When thought about, it seems so impossible and distant, yet when practiced, it is right at my fingertips. I find this dichotomy strange. In my religion, the recognition that we need God’s help to accomplish anything in life is meant to be second nature. However, in my life, this has been an …

When I attended a Region Eight convention and assembly, I had the opportunity to see people in recovery and others in relapse. Although I have no personal experience with relapse (thank God), the only thing I can imagine worse than not having a solution (something I do have experience with) is knowing a solution exists and being unable to access …