A Holiday Season of Blessings Instead of Binge Eating
Thanks to recovery in OA, Jacki from Connecticut will spend the holidays in a state of abstinence and abundance. “In recovery, I no longer seek my thrills from the holiday goodies,” she says.
Amends
More Loving Friendships
From only a few relationships driven by selfishness, fear, and people pleasing to an abundance of healthy friendships—an incredible change made possible by working the Steps.
Self-Amends Prayer
When she was working Step Nine, Keri’s sponsor suggested she make amends to herself. Keri did so by writing a prayer that “lists positive characteristics that oppose my character defects . . . . By saying this prayer daily and out loud to my Higher Power, I am acting as if . . .”
A Possible and Promising Step
The list of amends to make in Step Nine may be long, but it is guaranteed to be finite. Even in a difficult Ninth Step, the promises still come true! “And,” this writer reports, ”I am able to stay abstinent . . . one day at a time!”
The Underwear Amends
Sherril didn’t see why all the fuss about self-amends. Then one day, while they were doing laundry, her daughter remarked that Sherril’s underwear belonged in the trash.
Ready or Not
At Step Nine, Fiona has to come to terms with apologizing to her mom. “Whether she apologizes is irrelevant,” she says. “I need to clear my side of the street.”
Stepping Into a Vocation
Alan’s grandmother helped raise him, but later, Alan couldn’t bring himself to visit her in the nursing home. Working Step Nine, found a way to make a living amends and find a new passion for public health.
Start With Forgiveness
“I need to forgive myself for my addiction,” says Anonymous. Thankfully, we can all share in this very powerful part of Step Nine.
I Am Listening
Before OA, Courtney neglected and abused her body. “I have taken better care of my car than of you,” she writes in a message to her own body. Now after a few years of abstinence, she is ready to make an Eighth Step, add her own body to the list of persons she has harmed and become willing to make amends.
Step Nine: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series
Tina, a recovering compulsive overeater, and Gloria, a compulsive overeater and food addict, host this workshop on Step Nine: “Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” They give specific examples to show what making amends can look like in different situations.