For Today: September 19th

Much learning does not teach understanding.
Heraclitus

The OA program is not an academic one.  On amount of learning and academic achievement ever enabled me to deal effectively with my illness.

OAs tell of reading books by the score, to learn how to stop overeating, going through volume after volume on psychology, philosophy, theology, metaphysics---to say nothing of diet and exercise books.

Understanding of the true nature of my illness came in the meeting rooms of OA. The people who spoke were not there as scholars or experts of any kind; they were compulsive overeaters like me, except for one thing; they had found a way to become free of the obsession.

For Today:  This is a spiritual program, and an academic one.  To understand myself and my illness, I attend OA meetings and follow the direction of the 12 steps.

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When I read step 1, We admitted we were powerless over food-that our lives had become unmanageable, I cried with relief.  YES, that was MY situation!!!!  Finally, someone understood! All the books and all the diets in the world were not effective for me; nothing worked, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a grip on my eating & drinking.  I couldn't do it alone.  My life had certainly become unmanageable, too.

When I surrendered my powerlessness over food and asked God to help me, everything changed.  I was finally able to commit to a food plan and stick with it; the obsession with food LIFTED and I was finally able to quit thinking about it..........that was a miracle!

The miracle continues for me, with the help of God, the program, and my fellow OAs.  I am not alone with my illness. Recovery IS possible, one day at a time, and for today, I choose to do the footwork by staying abstinent. The payoff for abstinence is far greater than the taste of any food on earth. Nothing is worth risking my program for.