Am I planning to relapse? I found out by relapsing and going back into my disease of compulsive overeating that the disease gets stronger. Compulsive overeating is a progressive disease. Even though we get better,we are not cured of our disease. We only have a daily reprieve from our disease,as the Big Book of AA says. As a relapse survivor,I realized that if I am not planning to work and to grow my recovery,then I am planning to relapse. Do I have a sponsor? Am I working the steps with my sponsor? Does my sponsor have a sponsor? Is my sponsor working the steps with a sponsor? Do I make regular phone calls other than calling in my food plan or calling my sponsor? Do I call newcomers? Do I call a buddy or a sponsor when depression or fears causes the “committee” to re-adjourn in my head? Do I reach out to people in the program who are struggling with the food or with life? Do I protect my anonymity? Do I protect other members’ anonymity? Do I attend meetings regularly? Do I share at meetings? Do I share my experience,strength,and hope,or do I dump my self-pity,self-loathing,and fear onto an unsuspecting meeting? Do I use the tool of writing to journal,to explore my recovery or to work the steps? Do I read the OA Twelve and Twelve,the Big Book,the AA Twelve and Twelve, Overeaters Anonymous,Lifeline,etc.? Am I following a plan of eating? Who put that food plan together? Is my food plan nutritionally balanced? Does my food plan give me enough to eat? Does my food plan give me too much to eat? Do I call,write,or email my plan of eating in to a sponsor or an OA buddy before I eat? Am I giving service at a meeting,intergroup,regional,or national level? Do I have a talent or aptitude that I can put to use working to spread the message of OA? Am I spending time daily in prayer and meditation? Am I working the steps? What step am I on? How long have I been working on that step? I have a wonderful life today because I work the program of recovery. I do not work a perfect program,but I set goals to improve my program of recovery because I know that the disease is stronger now because I am stronger. I cannot take my disease for granted. I practice letting go of self will. I use the tools,I work the steps,I learn to let my Higher Power and the people in the program of Overeaters Anonymous help me when I need help. I do not have to recover from this disease alone. I cannot recover from this disease alone. Am I planning to keep my recovery or am I planning to relapse? Neill Mc Hi Fellow OAer’s, Here at Pinellas Inter Group Traditions,our 12th Step within Committee is committed to coming up with new ways to do 12 Step work with other OAer’s. Through the years I have kept many articles and different things that have helped me in OA in the past. I was sorting through these articles one day and came across my Step Up Ceremony. The original concept was to work the first 3 steps in 30 days by answering 30 questions. My sponsor would give me a question a day when called. The idea of discipline and using the tools were ingrained in me the first 30 days. These questions helped me learn about myself and my eating habits. Using the Big Book and the AA 12 and 12,I started my journey into recovery. I was asked to do things like look up the words compulsive and controlled. Write about the difference between the two. I read about why meetings were so important. What was anonymity? Did I have a spiritual belief? Could I believe in a Higher Power? This is a progressive disease. What is the critical nature of this disease? Do I recognize the actual dangers of my obsession? What does abstinence mean to you? How has food diminished your life? The questions and readings seemed to go on forever,through this I stayed abstinent. After 30 days your sponsor presented you at the Candle Lighting Ceremony. This was to introduce me to the group as a sponsor,having worked the first 3 steps. There were 5 Continue reading Candle Lighting Ceremony I stumbled in through the doors of OA in 2000,having hit rock bottom in my life with a thud. I had a car accident that left me in severe pain and unable to work. Six months later my mother died. We had always had a troubled,difficult relationship,and I’d never been able to tell her how I felt. When I came into OA I was deeply depressed and suicidal. I was involved in a demeaning relationship in which I allowed someone to treat me badly because I thought that was all I deserved. This was as good as my life would ever get,and all I wanted to do was die. The only way I got to sleep at night was by planning my suicide. Now I have changed my life completely. When I get up in the morning I’m excited. I’m living life on life’s terms,loving every moment with a deep sense of gratitude. OA has helped me understand and accept who I am. I am a compulsive overeater,and if I choose to,I can have a strange relationship with food. Before recovery,I used food to suppress my feelings. Food was my entire life:family,friend,lover and confidant. OA has given me an eating plan that keeps me safe and healthy. I avoid sugar,white flour and alcohol;eat three balanced meals a day;and get on with my life. I was a size 22 on arrival in OA;now I’m a size 10/12. I had always felt alone,with few friends. Nobody understood me because I was special and different. But food was always there and never let me down,so I locked the doors,took the phone off the hook and ate away my feelings,sinking lower and lower.
With OA in my life,I am no longer alone. I go to meetings and am surrounded by like-minded people who can identify with my idiosyncrasies around food. I listen to stories told by people who are like me. Their words and experiences are mine. The more meetings I attend,the more I develop a true sense of self. I feel more comfortable with being the real me. I have always felt inferior and had painfully low self-worth. OA has given me the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. I have admitted my wrongs,come to terms with my past and made amends. Now I feel like a useful,constructive member of society. OA has given me my present and my hope for a future. I am happy,content and at peace. For this I am grateful. — Anonymous,England We have a member who has been struggling lately,mentally,physically,and spiritually. She had not been to meetings. She had stopped answering phone calls. She was isolating. I was very scared. Scared of losing her to this disease. I brought it up to some of the others at a meeting,suggested we bring a mtg to her. Let her know we would be here,that we cared for her health and well being,wanted to help,etc. We went to her home,unannounced,she was not there at first,but while we made a different plan,she arrived.
We said a prayer,asking HP to join us before we knocked. We had a brief plan. Start with prayer,read a bit from Big Book,each of us shared our concerns,experience,strength,hope. We closed with a prayer. We felt uncomfortable,like we were invading her. Afraid she might react with retaliation or anger,however we put that aside and continued from the heart with love and HP extremely available. She may have been in shock,however we were welcomed. We had a blessed and peaceful meeting in the spring sunshine. Breeze gently blowing. I totally support,believe,and love this program. Now we wait….. WOW – what a great meeting! For the first time in a long time,we were able to meet on Sunday morning,instead of conflicting with the Green Dot meeting on Saturday morning. In addition to that,we had a private dining room and could actually hear each other,instead of competing with all the usual dining room clatter FANTASTIC! Continue reading IG Chairs Breakfast,March 29,2009,Little Rock,Arkansas Please send vouchers,request for funds,and contributions to: Region 8 Treasurer
P. O. Box 1277
Largo,FL 33779 | |