Overeaters Anonymous’ definition of Abstinence is “Abstinence is the action of refraining from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors while working towards or maintaining a healthy body weight. Spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery is the result of living and working the Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Step program on a daily basis.” (Follow this link and read more on OA.Org).
Abstaining is refraining from (stopping) food abuse in all its forms.
There is a culture within our fellowship to say “my abstinence” when the person sharing is actually talking about their plan of eating. I don’t use the term “my abstinence” and I try to teach the people I work with not to either because this language separates us from each other. When I see myself as different, I have a hard time connecting with and trusting people.
A food plan is a tool that will support a person to be abstinent. It is personal because we do not always have the same problem foods or behaviors as the next person. For example, I often refer to myself as a volume addict. I am satisfied with two cups of salad. If I go to a restaurant, the serving size is more like 5 cups, and I have happily eaten every bite because I like feeling slightly too full and having larger quantities. My food plan includes measuring how much I am eating because I will compulsively overeat foods that I am not even addicted to. A binge eater or someone who restricts their food will need to have a different food plan than me and from each other because they have different needs.
Step 1 says we are powerless over food. I hope I have explained powerlessness well enough in my previous blogs that step 1 means we are powerless from refraining from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors. We could not refrain from abusing food
“Spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery is the result of living and working the Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Step program on a daily basis.” (OA.Org)
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