I got up earlier than I wanted to this morning and went to another 90-day OA meeting. I heard just what I needed to hear—several unrelated messages as well as an underlying theme that fit right on with my whole “mind-conversation” of yesterday. Recovery comes as we study, understand and apply the big book. Permanent recovery from our “seemingly hopeless state of mind and body” requires our real completion of step 1: acknowledgement that I am and ever will be an addict. There is no easier, softer way.
I still don’t like that, but again, for TODAY I am willing to accept it and act on it.
Here are a couple of thoughts from friends and from the meeting today that stood out to me:
“Eat to nourish, not to numb”.
“Because of the kind of addict I am I can’t have any wiggle room in my program. Fluffy (the easier, softer way) doesn’t work for me. Fluffy can kill. We need to work the steps and study the Big Book.”
“I had to get a whole lot of ‘no’s’ before I finally got to the ‘yes’.”
“Knowledge is Power.” (How lucky are we when we finally understand we are addicts and can’t control our problem…only then might we be ready to accept the solution.)
“The role of a sponsor: to smash people’s delusions and excuses!”
“I am a tried and true food addict. My life has been filled with efforts to prove that I am able to eat like a ‘normal person’. The idea that someday I will be able to control and enjoy my overeating is my great obsession….. The delusion that we are like other people (and can eat what we want to) has to be annihilated! (My legs are broken and they are not going to grow back.)”
At my sponsor’s request, I am going to try to wake up really early tomorrow and call into a panel meeting from back east on the “coffee shop”—(okay all you non-coffee-drinkers…ignore the name). If I miss the live meeting I will definitely listen to the recording online later.
Sunday, November 7th 8:15 AM ET (5:15 Pacific Time, 6:15 Mountain Time)
Abstinence Panel meeting. A panel of speakers will each share about their abstinence, and after they have finished there will be an opportunity for questions and answers. This meeting will be recorded.
As far as I can determine, the phone number and I.D. # for all their meetings is:
Conference Line
1-712-432-3900
Conf. ID: 897578
The “coffee shop” website is: (I finally just put a direct link on my desktop to it so I could click to is easily and regularly.)
They have lots of Big Book resources (online copy, search engine, and all their daily big book study meetings recorded so you can listen as you need them.
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