My name is Fernando C and I’m a compulsive overeater. I am 42 years of age and have had problems with compulsive overeating my entire life. Growing up, I faced two distinct challenges: 1) I was born into a family where food was scarce and 2) my father was an active alcoholic. Throughout my childhood, […]
Author Archives: OASVadmin
Humbly Asking and turning it over
Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. ”Each of my character defects is replaced by its opposite, and I am equipped with a new set of survival skills.” — Voices of Recovery, October 7. If I’ve done a good job at becoming willing to let go of my character defects, turning them over […]
Growth is Taking Responsibility and Being Self-supporting
Tradition Seven: Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. “Taking responsibility is a meaningful sign of spiritual and emotional growth.” — Voices of Recovery, September 8. When a basket gets passed at a meeting or the meeting treasurer posts a donation link in the chat window, it reminds me that this […]
The Deadly Disease No One wants to Discuss – Compulsive Eating
To sustain life, every living thing must eat – and, typically, human beings must eat several times a day from a wide variety of food groups. And yet, each of us will come to develop a relationship with food that can either lead to a happy and balanced way of being, or it can result […]
A Desire to Stop Eating Compulsively
Tradition Three – The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. The doors of Overeaters Anonymous are open to everyone who wants to seek this way of life. There are no bars to entry, no boxes to check to make us worthy of membership. There is just one requirement: a […]
Sharing the worst of myself led to the best things
Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. “We find we can cope with both good times and bad, learning and growing spiritually from each experience, as our Higher Power intended us to do all along.” — OA Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions page 49 […]
Understanding Autonomy Through Tradition Four
Tradition Four: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole. “All of us need the balance implicit in the Principle of autonomy to be the unique OA groups and individuals we are meant to be.” — OA Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions page 118 I was raised […]
Tools – Meetings: Virtual Meetings
“Newcomers are more likely to return if they see and hear recovery in action and if someone in the group gives them personal attention and encouragement.” OA Handbook for Members, Groups & Service Bodies p11 Had you heard of Zoom before the spring of 2020? I hadn’t. Those first virtual meetings felt so awkward. I […]
During the Pandemic I found a Quick and Easy Tenth Step Inventory: AEIOU and Always Y!
As a low bottom compulsive eater (that used to turn to all kinds of unhealthy binge foods to stuff my negative feelings until I became overstuffed, bulimic, and obese), one of the real gifts and surprising blessings that came into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the widening availability of OA meetings and events, […]
Thanks to Step Two I Came to believe
Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. “Having reduced us to a state of absolute helplessness, you now declare that none but a Higher Power can remove our obsession. Some of us won’t believe in God, others can’t, and still others who do believe that God […]
A Searching and Fearless Step Four Moral Inventory
When we face the guilt that truthfully tells us, “You made a mistake,” we’re freed of the shame that falsely tells us, “You are a mistake.” OA Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, Second Edition, page 36 I don’t know about you, but when I was new, I didn’t have that much experience with being really […]
Tradition Two: One Ultimate Authority
Tradition Two: For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority–a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. I don’t know about you, but I just love running the show, being in charge, telling other people what to do. When […]