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, …

We may be a group of abstinent and recovering compulsive overeaters, but our individual defects seem to be quick to surface when important decisions need to be made, especially decisions that affect our group and meeting format. Thank goodness we have the Traditions to guide us. “Our common welfare should come first,” but Tradition One is hard to follow sometimes …

Before I found abstinence and started working the Twelve Steps of OA, my life was falling apart in every way imaginable . . . My health was suffering from the extra 90 pounds (41 kg) I carried, and I was at risk of losing my job in the military because of my weight. If I lost my job, I would …

The most profound change after OA is in the quality of my relationships. When I face a challenging situation with another person, recovery gives me a moment of pause to rein in my temper, take responsibility for my feelings, and then speak and act from a place of compassionate acceptance. I’m particularly grateful for the ability to be more calm …

To see where I am and how I got here, I must look into the past, where the God of my understanding put people, places, and situations in my path. Perhaps he was using the Tool of anonymity when he made me trip over coincidences to get me into recovery. I had a chance to try another way of living because …

When I started OA in August 2015, I thought many things about the program seemed unnecessary or ought to be changed. Some of the Tools seemed pointless—what did they have to do with losing weight? The Twelve Steps seemed good, but surely I didn’t need to work them, because I had dealt with all that stuff before (I thought). I …

When I use anonymity as a Tool, it helps me apply all the other Tools in a way that places “principles before personalities” (Tradition Twelve). Use of this Tool helps me do my service, attend meetings, be a sponsor, respect others’ eating choices, listen on the telephone, keep my writing focused, and read the literature with an open mind. In this …

Abstinence is the most important thing in my life without exception. Because of the seriousness of this disease, I don’t fool around with my abstinence. I’ve seen the horrific consequences of taking that first bite, and I want no part of it. I want this amazing life in recovery I have today, thanks to OA, the Twelve Steps, and my …

While I was raised with a concept of God, I used to wonder how God could exist in the chaos and fat that surrounded my life. I must have been cursed! I am thankful God knew better than I did. Over and over, it was as if he were saying, “It’s okay, honey. I’m here for you when you are …

Before OA, I was living and keeping busy, but my eating and weight were not in control. I felt hopeless, thinking I would never weigh less. I had started on a reasonable plan for eating and exercise, but after a few days I had trouble keeping to my plan for even one day. I just had no control. I made …