Speech is a mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so is he.
Publilius Syrus
Does what I say spring from abstinence and sober thinking or does it come out of the self-pity and fault-finding that characterize my illness? People who are living in the recovery talk program. Though they freely share their misadventures & errors in judgment, they are quick to take responsibility for their actions.
In private conversations, as in group sharing, it is my speech that identifies me either as an OA who is actively working the program and learning to accept the truth, or as a member who is still suffering from compulsive overeater thinking.
For Today: My talk reflects my progress in the program. Listening closely to what I say will show me what I need to do.
Compulsive overeating is a disease of behavior more so than a matter of simply eating too much, which is
why a diet isn’t going to be a remedy. Self-pity, fault-finding, finger-pointing, negativity, blaming, judging….these are all symptoms of a disease which cannot be cured by following Nutri-System or Weight Watchers.
Compulsive overeaters may lose weight, but they find it nearly impossible to maintain the loss because they haven’t changed the behaviors that led to the overeating. Until we deal with ourselves truthfully & honestly, we look for diets to fix a problem that is rooted in the soul rather than the body.
Compulsive overeaters may lose weight, but they find it nearly impossible to maintain the loss because they haven’t changed the behaviors that led to the overeating. Until we deal with ourselves truthfully & honestly, we look for diets to fix a problem that is rooted in the soul rather than the body.
The 12 Steps are a blueprint to a new & honest lifestyle…..a way out of the convoluted thinking patterns that brought us to our knees, over and over again.
In my OA weekly meetings, a newcomer stands out as being a newcomer precisely because he doesn’t talk Program talk. He is still mired down by his skewed thinking & has yet to learn what OA is all about.
The oldtimers do talk the talk, and we are there to guide the newcomer into the program & to finding the literature, etc.
If I am a true OAer, I will talk the talk as I walk the walk. If I make a mistake, I am going to admit it & own it, not make excuses or come up with reasons why I ‘had to’ eat birthday cake or whatever. From my actions, the newcomer learns the difference between truth & fiction where food is concerned. He is able to eventually ditch his denial as he witnesses the oldtimers speaking the truth. It’s definitely a process….and the newcomer has to be willing to change, to give up the comfort of his old ways for the promises of a new life without the burden of compulsive overeating weighing him down.
The oldtimers do talk the talk, and we are there to guide the newcomer into the program & to finding the literature, etc.
If I am a true OAer, I will talk the talk as I walk the walk. If I make a mistake, I am going to admit it & own it, not make excuses or come up with reasons why I ‘had to’ eat birthday cake or whatever. From my actions, the newcomer learns the difference between truth & fiction where food is concerned. He is able to eventually ditch his denial as he witnesses the oldtimers speaking the truth. It’s definitely a process….and the newcomer has to be willing to change, to give up the comfort of his old ways for the promises of a new life without the burden of compulsive overeating weighing him down.
For today, I pray to continue speaking the truth & touting the OA way.
COE and other addictions are rooted in our thoughts. It takes practice to change our way of reacting and acting. Learning that my behaviour is up to me and that no matter what is going on around me, the way I behave is the only thing I can control is an ongoing process.
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