OA Is Powered by Personal Stories
Amy from Kansas USA reflects on the difference between OA and “diet and calories clubs.” “OA doesn’t treat everyone the same,” she says. In OA, we share our stories and find strength and hope in each other.
Dieting
I Gained Weight After Bariatric Surgery, and I Am Neurodivergent. I Just Celebrated 90 Days of Abstinence in OA
“For decades, I tried every diet plan, no matter how crazy.” says Denise M. from New York USA. When she started gaining weight after bariatric surgery, “Something in me snapped! ‘No! I was not going to be one of those statistics,” she thought. She tried OA and found Neurodiverse/neurodivergent specific-focus meetings. And 90 days of abstinence. “I found my tribe,” she says.
It Is So Freeing to Be Out of the Food and Into My Day
A healthy check-in from Rosanne’s sponsee leads Rosanne to reflect on what it was like for her before she found OA. “I wanted to be thin but not give up the food. . . . OA encouraged me with more than just food issues—I no longer felt alone.”
I’ve Tried Dieting. I Definitely Belong in OA.
How many times have I thought “I don’t belong in OA.” Yet I’ve been coming back for more than six years and I’m so glad I’ve stayed, writes Elaine. “I am so much happier now.”
I’m Ready to Honor the Sad Little Fat Girl Inside
Jennifer’s childhood left her hungry for love, and that opened the door to an obsession with food. After thirty years of binge eating and diets another door opened: the door to recovery through OA. A year later, Jennifer can say, “I know I am worthy, and I want to nurture my authentic self and heal old wounds.”
Last House on the Block
“Many of us come to OA feeling like this is the ‘last house on the block,’” Andrea writes. ”Thank God we find acceptance and understanding in OA.” Read about Andrea’s journey through food obsession, recovery, relapse, and finding serenity in our program.
Step Twelve: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series
Cyndy, compulsive eater, and Meg, food and sugar addict, host this workshop on Step Twelve: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” This workshop includes great shares about the value of giving service.
Step Six: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series
Gloria, a compulsive overeater, and Gerri, an abstinent food addict and compulsive overeater, host this episode on Step Six: “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
Step Five: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series
Stephanie, a compulsive overeating, and Nancy, a gratefully recovering compulsive overeater, host this workshop on OA’s Fifth Step: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
Always Be Accessible to All
“No matter what walks of life the members come from, each is entitled to experience the fellowship our program offers,” says Anonymous, who showed up to their first OA meeting only wanting to be thin and for the emotional pain to stop and found themselves “loved and accepted as I was.”