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.”
Readings
Today I Can Celebrate a Sane and Healthy Relationship with Food
”I’d tried millions of times to have a sane and healthy relationship with food and failed miserably each time,” says Trish. After nine months in the OA program, she can now say, “I love my life.”
It Was the Insanity of My Life that Got Me Back to OA
“Gone are the binges followed by total despair for days,” writes Julian, who left OA after he felt he wasn’t making progress only to later realized just how much he needed our program.
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.”
A Child of War, A Joyful Recovery From Compulsive Overeating
Sam grew up in a time of war, when food scarcity was a real issue. When the war ended, Sam’s scarcity mentality and trauma did not . . . until he heard about OA. “It changed my life forever,” he says.
My Fourth Step Support Animal
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is this pet, or this person, in my life right now?” One of the joys of recovery is realizing there’s a reason.
Hope in Addiction
In this poem, Jacki asks Higher Power to be with her in moments both peaceful and painful.
I Stand Aside from My Discomforts to Stand Inside Wisdom
“Joy comes in finding the good, even in the bad. Not only would I rather find joy, I am also assured that Higher Power would want this for me also.”
Every Honest Emotion: A Letter to My Binge Eating and Food Addiction
Desperate and exhausted after an all-night eating binge, Jessica wrote a letter to her food addiction, and spelled out every scary, uncomfortable, and honest thought. After two years in OA, she now sees how writing that letter made it possible to find recovery and a worthwhile life.
My Higher Power = Life Force
Some atheist and agnostic OA members practice meditation in Step Eleven. For one agnostic, meditation has inspired a poem and a recognition of their personal Higher Power.