Tales of Terror: My Days as an Active Addict

The Springtime Blues

As I begin to see winter clothes filling the racks in honor of “back-to-school-days,” I feel comforted and cozy. It happens every year. No matter how blah I may have been feeling, when I enter a store and see sweaters and long pants, mittens and scarves, and my personal favorite, boots, I suddenly feel like…AHHHHHH! Why? Because …Continue reading →

Aug

The Drunken Remark

Way back when in the early 1990’s, the guy I was dating at the time suggested we go to a local bar that was attached to a bowling alley. I was not thrilled, but at least I thought it would be interesting to see what it was like inside this place that I had driven-by …Continue reading →

Jun

I Was A Human Garbage Disposal

I don’t know when I started eating food out of the garbage, but one day it just happened… and it kept going for years. My first garbage-picking memory starts out nice enough. Every Saturday night my family would gather downstairs to watch a show or movie and mom would make pigs-in-a-blanket. That tradition is one …Continue reading →

Jun

My Thin Evil Twin

In my entire 44-and-a-half years of life, the closest I ever got to my ideal weight was within 10 pounds in the summer of 1989, after a solid year of white-knuckling-it in program. It lasted a 3 whole months. And that was just enough time for me to meet… . . . MY THIN EVIL TWIN …Continue reading →

Jun

The Horror Of Pumping Gas

When I was in college, I was so emotionally crippled by my food addiction that I couldn’t even go out in public unless I was with someone. I am not talking about agoraphobia here. I was not afraid to leave the house. I was afraid of being seen. I was afraid of what people were …Continue reading →

May

Summer Of The Measured Binges

WARNING! BINGE FOODS MENTIONED HERE!! The summer after 11th grade, as I swam in the backyard pool, my mind was swimming with visions of a thin senior year. As was my custom, I vowed some time during the last week of school to stick to a strict diet of carrot sticks and water for the entire …Continue reading →

May

My Last Diet

Without mentioning any names, I want to share with you what it was like during my last attempt to lose weight through dieting. (This was about seven years ago, during one of my OA “vacations.”) It was through the use of a famous program that I’m sure has helped thousands of people. I just happened …Continue reading →

May

Cookout Pigout

WARNING! BINGE FOODS ALERT! Here is how I used to act-out my food addiction at the typical family cookout in my ‘tweens… My first order of business was always to volunteer for the jobs that would allow me to “feed” my habit. I usually got my way, too, since I was the oldest, and because I …Continue reading →

May

Beauty And “The Beast”

In 1990, I got my first teaching job at a wonderful local preschool. I was so excited. But on my first day, I was scared to death that the children wouldn’t like me. Luckily, my best friend (who just happened to be the person training me) told me exactly what I needed to hear – …Continue reading →

Apr

The Easter 12

When I was 12 years old, I was in what was to be one of the many commercial diet clubs I’d try during my lifetime (this particular time was almost exactly 33 years ago to the day, by the way). I obviously did not yet have enough “food smarts” to wait until after that annual chocolate-fest …Continue reading →

Apr

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