Recovery Is a Process

Slowly, what I heard began to take hold. First was acceptance. I’d been angry with myself for my relapse. I finally began to accept that relapse was part of my process and to let go of the self-hatred. I accepted that God and others loved me. I was able to let them see the real me—not just the part I chose to show the rest of the world. With the understanding and support of my husband, sponsor, and friends, I slowly learned to love myself….

I learned humility. Being myself was enough. I am neither better than nor less than anyone else. I can listen, learn, and keep an open mind, but comparisons had to stop! Last, I learned about belief. I had always equated belief with faith. Through study, I discovered that belief means simply how we think. It comes before faith. When I act on belief, I think something will work. Faith happens after I have proven to myself that something is true. I heard someone say: “We become what we believe.” Suddenly I realized I never thought I could recover. I became willing to believe in the possibility of success and recovery for myself. ~ Story: “Losing Pounds, Gaining Ground”, Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition. Overeaters Anonymous. Kindle Edition.

I’ve been coming back to Overeaters Anonymous
since 2007. I’ve never stopped learning,
never stopped growing, never been permanently cured
of compulsive food behaviors. I’ve grown to respect myself,
I’ve learned the hard way what “outside issues” means in
Tradition Ten by sharing the wrong gifts.
I learned humility in many ways, most directly
by not talking about major parts of myself
when asked to speak about what it was like,
what happened, and what it was like then.
I could not believe it when my sponsor
directed the omissions. She was right!
I have come to admire the wisdom of Recovery.
I am willing to believe in the possibility of success
and recovery for myself…and everyone else
who keeps coming back!  

DoingItSober site