It’s that time of year again when the national focus is placed on gift-giving, shopping, and definitely food! This will be my fifth year of dealing with the holidays and staying abstinent. What I have learned from my current abstinence and past abstinence is to try and associate spiritual lessons of recovery with the common holidays. Knowing that the spiritual program offered by OA does not endorse any religious or cultural practice, I can appreciate and rejoice with those who are celebrating traditional holidays but give them my own meanings.
Thanksgiving Day is a great time to examine the gratitude I have for my recovery! It’s also a great time to show appreciation for my family and friends. On Christmas Day, I can celebrate the greatest gift I have, which is not a new television or computer game but the gift of being in recovery—I spent fifteen years not in recovery!
I’ve learned that the quality of my serenity is directly proportional to the degree that I see each holiday as just another day to practice my program. My disease does not take a holiday! And so neither does my program. I have found that during the holiday season, which can encourage overeating, it helps to double down on my recovery efforts. By making more phone calls, especially to newcomers, and increasing my involvement with other fellow sufferers, I can strengthen my serenity.
I have found that during the holiday season, which can encourage overeating, it helps to double down on my recovery efforts.
For some people, holidays can be a time of loneliness, and the disease of compulsive overeating is a very lonely business. Something magical happens when compulsive overeaters come together as a fellowship.
I wish all those who read this message a wonderful holiday season, and I pray that you have a serene holiday season filled with family, friends, and especially fellowship with OA members.
—Edward, Kentucky USA
