Sun, 23 June 2013
Alice gives us hope that it can be done, and that one can stay abstinent no matter what. She shares her experience, strength, and hope and takes us way back... |
Sun, 16 June 2013
Raised in a Catholic church, Annette shares with us how she did not believe in a god for the better part of her life because if there was one, he would have made her thin like she prayed for time & again. She emphasizes that she is brought up by a “pack of wolves”. During the course of her eating career, she goes to Winchell’s and orders from a staff that does not even speak English, but still is able to get across to them that she needs enough doughnuts for a work party, when it is really just for her consumption and she would have it devoured within two days. She comes to OA in 1985, mainly because it is free and her mother always had to pay lots of money for weight loss programs. She takes on service commitments early on in her recovery. She discusses her unmanageability with smoking cigarettes and how her doc diagnoses her with emphysema and chronic bronchitis at thirty years old. Annette talks about what she has to go through to become abstinent from them, and how it leads her back to consuming sugary snacks, and furthermore, to a new acting out behavior of binging & purging. She almost dies from this newfound hobby. Ultimately, she comes to believe in a God of her understanding, and that this Power is truly in control. If this Power could help her to stop smoking, then it can help her become abstinent from compulsive overeating. Having seventeen years of abstinence currently, she has maintained a ninety-five pound weight loss coming from a top weight of 250 pounds. Join us on the journey that is the experience, strength, and hope of Annette L… |
Sun, 9 June 2013
Nancy B’s story is that of a woman who has gone to the bitter ends with her compulsive overeating habits. She is captivating as she shares her experiences of what it was like for her within the depths of this cunning & baffling disease. She tells of how she wouldn’t shower for weeks at a time as a consequence of it, and paints a clear picture of the demoralizing nature of the disease for us. She reveals how she is physically & sexually abused as a kid, and exposes some of the pain & suffering that would lead up to her ultimate acting out behavior involving food. Nothing seems to work for her—not food, not romantic relationships, not drugs. In the end, the one thing that has proven to do good in her life is the fellowship of OA, and she powerfully conveys the ways in which it does… |
Sun, 2 June 2013
You will be inspired by Michael N.’s story of how he lost 400 pounds over 12 years in OA. He tells how he first was exposed to OA in high school, but didn’t get serious about dealing with his compulsive eating until he reached a point of desperation and the feeling of being isolated from everyone else, at which time he was reintroduced to OA when he called in to live radio program! The producer told him that he never had to suffer alone again when he was a member of the OA family. This turned out to be very true, because Michael was warmly welcomed in the OA. His sponsor, who had also lost 400 pounds, helped him reach a spiritual solution to deal with his eating obsession. Michael talks about how he learned that pain is an opportunity for spiritual growth. Today, Michael is now able to help OA people with spiritual issues. An important message he has is to keep coming back. |