About going to meetings...one idea only..."Don't Give Up" That is it, and that is the secret. [View all]

Last edited Fri Mar 15, 2019, 10:58 PM - Edit history (1)

..People go to meetings, and don't like them. So they give up. Ok..But they come back. That is what happened to me. Yes, I went to a meeting and didn't like it. Too much God talk, too much holding hands and a prayer at the end..So, I decided this wasn't for me. It was Overeaters Anonymous..and I didn't need them cause I was going to loose and control the weight and my eating on my own...So I did...Summer 1979
..That summer I lost and kept off about 20 pounds..and kept it off for a while. I was exercising and thinking I got that licked. That was what I was thinking. So, I had the summer off, (taught high school) and when school started in September, I was fit and trim. But the pressure built again, (as it always did) and I gained back the 20 plus another 25. So by the next summer, in June, I decided to give OA another try. Went to a different meeting, a little closer to where I lived. I weighed about 215 pounds. It was June 1980. I felt more comfortable for some reason, and a few days later, I got a call asking if I had a any questions. I said no, and ..........................
.......I kept coming back, and back..and back..So in a couple of years, I lost about 55 to 60 pounds, and kept it off for 37 years. I have been at or close to a normal weight since 1982...(about 160 pounds)
...In 2006, I had another case of depression. On and off, and on and off...depression etc, etc...I was taking an anti anxiety medicine that was related to valium. (clonopin) It wasn't valium but it was a "benzo"...I had read that the benzos increase depression and in some cases cause it. Yes, it calmed me down, and I kept the weight off, but I was in a daze..So, after reading about it, and talking to people..I started going to AA in June 2006..Keep in mind, I had been going to OA for over 25 year at that point, so I knew the 12 steps, but AA was different.
...On October 31, 2006 I went off the benzos for good. Withdrawal was terrible, and I did not go into rehab. But I made it and have been going to AA since 2006, and often I also go to OA. What is the point?..These meetings saved my life. Not only the help and kindness of the people, but following the steps and some of the sayings.."One Day at a Time" "Keep it Simple" "This too shall pass" and so on.

Don't give up. Keep going to this meeting or that meeting. Find people you feel comfortable with. Some meetings are more comfortable than others. Also, some people like more structure, so some are more structured than others. It is up to the meeting goer, to discover what works best for him or her. Just don't give up. I weigh about 160 and haven't had a drink or bezo since October 31, 2006. The program saved my life. Yes, there is more, but that is enough for today. Yes, I have been here and over there. After 2 or three years in OA, I threw away the scale and haven't owned one since 1984. I know approximately what I weigh, and again OA and AA saved my life.
...Thanks for reading this,..and please, give another meeting a try. OK?...........Stuart G.