Comparing Weight Loss Drugs to OA’s Twelve Steps

You’ve likely noticed the multitude of news headlines and social media posts regarding “easy” and “dramatic” weight loss resulting from “a simple weekly injection,” along with the promise of that injection being made available “in the near future” as a simple little pill. Such a “magic pill” was once the ultimate dream for this compulsive […]

Improving My Relationship with My HP

Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. “Our Higher Power is the only source of help that is always available to us, always strong enough to lift us […]

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 […]

Abstinence

Tradition Three in Overeaters Anonymous tells us: The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. When I attended my first few meetings, I heard people talking about abstinence and, in some cases, abstaining from certain foods and eating behaviors. I was appalled. I had spent a lifetime dieting and restricting as […]

Show Me the Way

I’m a compulsive overeater and a sugar addict, and also a grateful member of Overeaters Anonymous. Before coming into OA, I used sugar to calm my nerves and I was always nervous. I had a marriage that was dysfunctional, and I thought it was my husband’s entire fault. I tried to match his addiction with […]

What Do You Mean By “Doing the Footwork?”

Soon after I got into OA, I heard “Let go and let God.” Later it was “Just do the footwork.” I tried to understand how I was supposed to turn things over to my Higher Power, but also do the footwork. I couldn’t figure it out. What was the difference between taking back control of […]