“When I was lonely, food was my friend.
– Overeaters Anonymous, 1st Edition, p. 56
It soothed and comforted me
and filled the hole that was there when I felt unloved,
which was most of the time.”
I resided in misery prior to finding OA, using food as an attempt to extinguish the self-loathing that I felt every minute of every day. It was so much easier then to ruminate my resentments towards myself and others, giving me the excuse to eat over my feelings.
Where I live there are plenty of storms coming in from the ocean. It is customary here to stock up with what are affectionately called “Storm Chips”. Well, this was all well and good, but there simply weren’t enough storms for me! So I coined my own phrase, and effectively instilled it in those closest to me at the time, that I also needed “Therapy Chips”… to allow for my daily intake of what I now recognize as one of my red light foods!
The joy and beauty of this program is feeling accepted by my fellows, for all my past actions, my personal defects, and the support I have received. Members of OA loved me unconditionally until I could love myself. This was the first step in learning how to accept being loved, and carried me through to allowing myself to be loved by my Higher Power, and ultimately finding love for my own self. It is only in loving myself that I can truly be of service to others, both in program, and in my personal and professional life.
-Inspired by Voices of Recovery, pg. 141 {May 20th}.
Submitted by: Anonymous
©2024 Experience Strength & Hope Newsletter,
All rights reserved. Proudly sponsored by OA Foot Steps VIG #09670.
All Rights Reserved. Voices of Recovery excerpt pg.141 ©2002 Eight Edition c.2017; property of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.
Did you enjoy this article? We would encourage our members to use this post, and others like it, at their meetings, or for private reflection. We also encourage you to share this post to other fellows to help the compulsive eater who still suffers. Please let us know if you have an idea for an article or an upcoming theme, or have any questions or suggestions. Email our editorial staff at [email protected].
The experience, strength, and hope expressed in this article, reflect the individual OA members and does not represent OA as a whole. Other OA groups and service bodies are welcome to reprint articles from Experience, Strength & Hope Newsletter without permission. When reprinting from other OA newsletters, be sure to credit the source.
