Lynette 

AN Abstinent member shares her story.

In OA 18 Years, Up and down 100 multiple times in and out of OA.  Currently 4 years.

I used to think food was my problem. Life was my problem. Food was my solution.

I was sure being overweight I would get Covid and die but it did not stop me.c

In all `18 years I never left OA but i definitely hopped around meetings, sponsors, food plans.

I knew I could not do it alone, but I kept trying and THAT failed.

Behind a picture at an OA birthday I heard what I needed to jump back into the program for real.

Staying in the chair is not enough. I needed a sponsor and to work the steps and to do service.

Missed 1st 30 Seconds - Dow Compulsive over eater also celebrating 38 years sober.

I first got abstinent through HOW program.

In abstinence I remembered things I had suppressed.

I got sober at 31, quit smoking and ate to stuff all the feeling and it worked.

I was not willing to give up the food. 

No wonder I couldn't connect with God, I was worshiping my refrigerator.

Maintaining my abstinence is related to my being of service.

Feb 20, 2025 =8 years

I grew up in dysfunctional family like so many others. 

Food felt like an escape.

The voice of my disease told me I needed a smaller body. what ever it was.

I knew the squeaky tiles in my house so I could sneak to the fridge.

I became completely obsessed with food and my body.

I cried a LOT in the beginning. 

Now,  for me, it is OK to be vulnerable, I realize I am not the center of the universe. Living in the grey area is equivalent to being right sized.

My criticism of me can be as damaging as the food.

Today working my program includes sponsoring and being sponsored, being of service and living the principles in all my affairs

From Early childhood always full plates. Both parents were compulsive eaters. 

I learned how to sneak food without being heard or discovered.

I was the only kids in the point system program with my mom. I did not get it and hated it.

i went to college at about 300 lbs. I learned all about nutrition but it didn't help me.

My parents encouraged me to try OA. Much of my life was working but not my food.

I did my first meeting on Zoom and cried and still felt at home.

In the beginning is was all about the weight and I did not embrace all the work

The steps helped me to acknowledge I was perfectly imperfect.

The concept of a higher power did not come easily but it has come to me.

Even if I don't enjoy me feelings I allow them without turning to the food one day at a time.

Very active childhood. Family outdoor activities. 

I was driven to seek attention and approval. so I excelled.

It was a slow weight gain spanning 30 years, 2 kids 

Occasional diets led to a short term dip but adding more eventually.

I was led to the 15 questions and passed. I belonged.

There 5 OA Actions that worked for me.

Compulsive Overeater shares her journey of recovery.

By the time i was 21 I needed to give up a plethora of inappropriate behaviors. Food was my drug of choice. 

My dad paid me for every pound I lost.

I could present well but hated myself on the inside regardless of how I looked.

I raised my hand for my 'First 30 days' for 4 months.

Finally i have not had sugar since 1985

I was sober for 4 years but my world was grey because of my food.

I thought OA abstinence would be a daily struggle to not eat.

I no longer hate myself. There is more to improve but now it is because I love  self enough to change.

My higher power took away the self hate causing me to eat sugar.

I was filled with anger and resentment.

I weighed in at 370 for cancer surgery.

I don't remember how I found OA. At that time I was a wreck on many levels.

I was in program briefly and quit for 28 years.

I went on a brutal binge when my brother died.

Today I will go to any lengths for my recovery. That insures  I have received the gifts of the program. I am adjusting my character. I read with my sponsee. I embrace the prayers and the slogans to remind me of what is appropriate.

My mom, when she cooked it was for six kids even though there was just me.

I was a people pleaser but I never felt it was real.

My brother was a drug addict who got clean and introduced me to concepts of the 12 step programs.

I went to AA because that is all I ever heard of. I got a sponsor who was also in OA and led me there. He was my higher power. He passed away. I left.

Found me way back. My 3rd sponsor help me actually get a relationship with a higher power and got me writing in my big book.

My Nuggets Our  mind can complicate anything to avoid taking action. Only the first step can be done perfectly. Don't use the 4th step as a tool to beat yourself up.. When I would get upset I learned to pray for them immediately. It changed me. The process of finding the answer can be more important than the answer.