Food for Thought: September 1st

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

We practice the OA principles in all our affairs, twenty-four hours a day. Ours is not a diet program but a way of life. When we were eating compulsively, food occupied the central place in our lives every day. Abstinence replaces food as our prime concern, and maintaining abstinence means working the program.

When we do this, we are amazed at how well the day goes. Our work is easier and more productive. We spend less time and energy hassling with ourselves and other people. Best of all, we do not always have to be right. Being able to admit mistakes delivers us from egocentricity.

Being straight with ourselves enables us to be straight with others, and they in turn respond more positively. We are less concerned that everyone likes us and more concerned about growth in the program. By placing principles before personalities, we get less snarled up in confused, game playing relationships.

May You be foremost in my mind, twenty-four hours a day.

From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation.

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Abstinence is not a 'diet'.......it is a lifestyle. When I commit to not overeating, and to avoiding my trigger foods entirely, a whole new world of peace & serenity opens up to me. I no longer consider food an important part of my life, never mind my entire life! When junk food is removed from the picture, who cares about food? I eat it to fuel my body, taking small feedings at regular intervals throughout the day, and that's that. A whole new & wonderful world opens up to me, one which I'm free to enjoy without reserve.

Honesty keeps me abstinent and on track. I am unconcerned with who 'likes me' because I like me.  And so does God. I practice honesty & integrity in all that I do, and that creates less chaos and game playing in general.

For today, I am grateful for an abstinent lifestyle and the freedom it provides me.