2. Came to believe and to accept that we needed strengths beyond our awareness and resources to restore us to sanity.
This is a tough one for me. When I was in my teens and twenties, and even into my thirties, I thought I could lose weight on my own. I knew a lot about nutrition, I could do it if I just set my mind to it. It was a question of willpower.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn my late twenties, I accepted that I would need some “help,” but that I would still need to do a lot of work on my own. I tried diet books, Weight Watchers (4 different times), and Jenny Craig. I paid for meal planning services to make shopping a cooking easier but still keeping it healthy and interesting for me and my family.
Now I’m 37 and I’ve finally realized that I can’t deal with my addictions without an HP–the fellowship of other sufferers who attend OA meetings, follow the steps & traditions, and use the tools to manage their addictions. After two and a half weeks of reading some texts, attending meetings, and listening to some podcasts, I already feel calmer. (I’ve also started a new anti-depressant cocktail at the same time…damn you confounding variables!)
I need more than just me.