The Tools I Didn’t Realize I Was Using

When I saw that this month’s topic was the Tools of Recovery, I was intrigued. Although I’ve been in OA for many years, I realized I had never actually sat down and read through all of the tools as a group. It was a wonderful reminder because I discovered that I use many of them regularly—without even consciously thinking of them as “tools.”

The foundation of my recovery, however, has always been Steps 10, 11, and 12. Those are the tools I use every single day to maintain my recovery.

A Plan of Eating is the physical aspect of my recovery. My food plan is actually with God. I don’t usually plan my meals ahead of time. Instead, when I become hungry, I pause and ask, “God, what would be the most nourishing thing for me to eat right now?” That simple practice has become an ongoing conversation with my Higher Power and helps me stay connected rather than reactive.

Sponsorship has always been an important part of my recovery. I sponsor others, and when someone asks me to sponsor them, I almost never say no. Reading the description of this tool reminded me that sponsorship supports the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of recovery. Somehow I had forgotten that. I simply knew it worked, both for the people I sponsor and for me.

Meetings continue to nourish my recovery, although not in the same way they once did. I don’t attend many meetings these days, but I have a home group that I faithfully attend every week. That one meeting keeps me connected to the fellowship that has given me so much.

I also use the Telephone tool regularly. Between outreach calls and various WhatsApp groups, I have many opportunities to connect. Sometimes I reach out because I need to process something that I’m struggling with. Other times, I simply want to be available to another compulsive eater. Whether I am receiving support or offering it, I always seem to benefit.

Writing was one of my strongest recovery tools for many years. At one point I followed the practice of writing three pages every morning. It almost became a form of meditation. No matter how I felt when I began writing, I usually came out differently on the other side. Writing helped me process emotions that I didn’t even realize I was carrying. I also discovered that there are only so many days, or weeks, that I can complain about the same thing before it simply runs out of steam. Eventually clarity replaces repetition.

I read Literature often. Recovery literature inspires me and gently reminds me of truths that I seem to forget over and over again. Sometimes I open a book and find exactly the sentence I needed to hear that day.

The Action Plan is probably the tool I understand the least. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a formal action plan. If I do have one, it is simply this: continue practicing Steps 10, 11, and 12 every day. Everything else seems to grow naturally from there.

I’ve also come to appreciate the importance of Anonymity in new ways. Of course, it means placing principles before personalities and respecting what others share in meetings. As one of the editors of our newsletter, I’ve learned even more about protecting anonymity. Questions arise regularly about what can and cannot be published, and I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for why we protect one another’s privacy. Something as simple as not using identifiable faces in publicly available materials reflects our commitment to this tradition.

Finally, there is Service, one of the greatest gifts of my recovery. Service has given my life meaning, purpose, and connection. At the same time, recovery has taught me that service is not about overextending myself or trying to save everyone. Today, service means giving the best I can, within healthy limits, while remembering that I matter too.

Reading through the OA tools reminded me that recovery isn’t built on one practice alone. It is woven together from many small, faithful actions. Some I consciously choose. Others have become so much a part of my life that I no longer notice them. Perhaps that’s the greatest gift of recovery—that over time, the tools stop feeling like tools and simply become the way we live.

-Val B

Photo by benjamin lehman on Unsplash

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