For Today: March 22nd

For Today: March 22^nd

Great perils have this beauty, that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers.

Victor Hugo

Before finding OA, I could not have imagined entering a room full of strangers and telling them how it feels to be a compulsive overeater. Feelings may be freely expressed in group therapy, for example, but if I am the only compulsive overeater in the room, I am a stranger to the others. The great peril I face is something they do not share and can never understand.

That is why, in their divinely inspired wisdom, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous struggled to keep AA for alcoholics. As Bill W. pointed out, all we have to share is our experience; what we have not experienced, we cannot share.

For Today: The great peril of compulsive overeating makes sisters and brothers of all of us in Overeaters Anonymous.

What is spoken here is very, very true. When I put myself out there and speak MY truth, I run the risk of not being understood…..or having people pretend not to understand the disease of compulsive overeating.  It’s tough to deal with others who choose to live in denial. In OA, the veil of denial is lifted, finally, so compulsive overeaters are free to discuss the disease openly & honestly. Only then can we have hope of putting the disease into remission & getting ourselves into recovery.

For today, I pray to speak with others who DO understand my words, within the confines of OA & others who share my experience.

For today, I pray to not allow fear of not being understood to stop me from speaking my truth.