VOICE OF RECOVERY: A Daily Reader©, Overeaters Anonymous©, Feb 21.
“In OA we learn that our recovery comes to us through the principles of the program, not through personalities.”
--The
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 203
We are taught, through loving
acts of tact and kindness under difficult circumstances, that we are given far
more than a normal body size as a result of taking OA’s Twelve Steps and
remaining abstinent.
Since recovery in OA is a
transformational journey, conflict with others is inevitable, and often
unavoidable. The shame and low
self-esteem which preys on us afterwards is the voice of our disease, calling
us back.
Today, I can view my differences
with others, both personal and philosophical, as opportunities to identify and
overcome my knee-jerk reactions to the world in which I live. I can tolerate the feelings and sidestep the
temptation to abbreviate my discomfort by speaking or acting inappropriately,
knowing that a short-term “fix” won’t work for someone like me.
I pray that I may always seek
God’s help to move towards the most harmonious relations with others, knowing
that my abstinence may hinge on my reaction to life in this moment. The OA principles will always lead me in
that direction.
