Progress not Perfection: Lesson from a Turtle
How does the turtle make progress?
Working the Program
My Sponsor Said, “Send it to Lifeline”
Ana reflects on Lifeline’s role in her recovery and in those of her sponsees. Listen to this short recording and become inspired to send in your story!
My Steps to Sanity with Food
Taking an anniversary cruise while carrying 300 pounds (136 kg) of body weight left Elizabeth feeling despondent and suicidal. When she joined OA, her weight loss journey began. But her greatest progress so far has been working the Steps to covering and recover from the dysfunctions that have been driving her compulsive overeating.
Totally Committed
Mary Ann weighed 236 pounds (107 kg) and was facing a fatal liver condition. That was her wake up call. She came to OA, threw herself into the program, lost 106 pounds (48 kg), and has found spiritual, physical, and emotional recovery.
Letting Go of Perfectionism
“I used perfectionism as an excuse for not doing the next right thing,” says Amy. ”If I waited to be ‘struck abstinent,’ I’d be dead and buried in a piano box.” Instead she has turned stubbornness into perseverance, worked her program imperfectly, and is maintaining a 200-pound (91-kg) weight loss.
More Loving Friendships
From only a few relationships driven by selfishness, fear, and people pleasing to an abundance of healthy friendships—an incredible change made possible by working the Steps.
Cornerstones of My Recovery
E.C.’s has persisted in OA for more than 20 years, and the inevitable result is abstinence from compulsive overeating and a strong program of recovery.
Peaceful and Serene
“I knew I had huge self-will…” says one member who came in broken after trying to work the program her own way. But she was also desperate and willing, and her willingness led to progress, and her progress eventually, and inevitably, led her to her dream of “a peaceful and serene life.”
Twelve by Twelve
Sharon’s old life was one of constant bingeing and restricting and a false belief that being thin meant being happy. That all changed as the result of working the Twelve Steps, and in this story, Sharon shares her two main methods for working the Steps: 1) quickly every day and 2) slowly and thoroughly over weeks and months.
Step One: “The Importance of Working All Twelve Steps” Podcast Series
Tina, recovering compulsive overeater, and Ronnie, a compulsive overeater, host this workshop on OA’s First Step: “We admitted we were powerless over food; that our lives had become unmanageable.”