Promises Archives

I Used Food to Outrun the Pain of My Childhood Sexual Abuse. But I’ve Found Empowerment in Overeaters Anonymous, and Now There’s No Need to Run

The sexual abuse that Blanca suffered as a child led her to gain weight in an attempt to make herself less attractive, and led later to multiple suicide attempts. Thankfully, her desperate attempts to outrun her pain were soothed and solved in Overeaters Anonymous. “My practice of the Twelve Steps leaves me with some very empowering ways of seeing life,” she says. “My smiles . . . . are coming from a place of inner peace, confidence, and happiness.

I Couldn’t Stop My Compulsive Eating Alone: I Needed the Help of a Higher Power and a Fellowship

OA member A.M. recalls the exasperation she felt one day because she could not stop eating compulsively. “I can’t do it! I can’t do it!” she cried. To which her husband, also in a Twelve Step program, replied, ”No, hon, you can do it alone. I suggest you go back to OA.”

Step Four: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series

Stephanie, an abstinent compulsive overeater, and Nancy, a gratefully recovering and abstinent compulsive eater, host this workshop on OA’s Fourth Step: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

One of Many Miracles Is That I Said Yes to Being a Sponsor

“Me, a sponsor?” says Karen from Australia, ”That’s something I thought would never happen.” But it did. And as long as Karen works all aspects of the program, life is getting easier and OA is truly delivering on the promises of the program.

Explore More Stories

By Tag

By Content Type

Promises

I Used Food to Outrun the Pain of My Childhood Sexual Abuse. But I’ve Found Empowerment in Overeaters Anonymous, and Now There’s No Need to Run

I Couldn’t Stop My Compulsive Eating Alone: I Needed the Help of a Higher Power and a Fellowship

Step Four: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series

One of Many Miracles Is That I Said Yes to Being a Sponsor

Accessibility Options