Gloria, a compulsive overeater and food addict, and Neil, a compulsive eater, host this workshop on OA’s Third Step: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
Recorded in 1999 on the occasion of OA’s 40th anniversary, OA’s founder Rozanne S. shares her recollections of OA’s simple beginnings and giant strides. Listen and learn about the history of OA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, world service, and early group conscience.
Kaitlin’s sugar addiction started in middle school after her parents’ divorce caused a number of stresses in her life. She later discovered bulimia and started overexercising, using laxatives, and vomiting. Today she has a new life that she once thought was impossible.
Esti remembers as a teen feeling a compulsive need to diet and believing she was heavier than she actually was. She ate to cope with negative emotions and could not stop thinking about food.
Esti recalls immediately feeling comfortable at OA meetings and finding abstinence. Looking back, Esti says her inner life has changed significantly, and she is able to live her life without obsessing about food.
Kathleen’s binge eating and low self-esteem made her ill and unable to hold a job. She was in the midst of bingeing and counting calories when she heard on the radio a public service announcement about Overeaters Anonymous. When she attended her first meeting, someone told her “You’re not alone anymore,” and that was enough to give her hope and start her on her recovery journey.
Matt, a young person in OA, talks about his recovery journey and the impact that other OA members had on him as they carried the message to him through their example of taking themselves and the OA program seriously.