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“STOP IT!!”

I used to view my negative thought patterns in much the same way I viewed my eating disorder: as something that was beyond my control.  Now, for the first time in my life, I am realizing that there are no “good” or “bad” thoughts/feelings, just as there are no “good” or “bad” foods – – there …Continue reading →

My Cure For ‘Skatter-Brain’

The best way I have found to date for quieting down my brain is not at all I expected it would be.  I was having lots of trouble “emptying” my mind, supposedly so I could meditate, but I never got that far.  To me, that task was so difficult that after several days, I was actually …Continue reading →

“Hat-Blat”

One of the phrases you will hear if you go to a few AA meetings is “H.A.L.T.”  It is a mental reminder designed to help alcoholics kill the urge to drink by asking themselves if they have let themselves become too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired.  I’ve added a couple of things to …Continue reading →

Be Prepared!

One of the best things you can do for yourself as you begin your new abstinent life is to make sure that your cupboards and your fridge are stocked with plenty of abstinent food.  Following your food plan involves a lot more than just resisting you binge foods.  It also requires that you be pro-active …Continue reading →

Stop “Measuring” Yourself!

One of the toughest things for food addicts to give-up is our impulse to measure ourselves, whether by getting on a scale, using a measuring tape, counting calories, monitoring our time at the gym, graphing our progress, projecting how long it will take us to lose a certain amount of weight, or marking the number …Continue reading →

What is a “food plan” and where can I get one?

A “food plan” is a written list of what you can and cannot eat.  It is what you will use to decide if you are abstinent or not.  Food plans can come from a doctor, a nutritionist, a book, a “diet club,” or from your food sponsor.  Some sponsors will tell you that they will …Continue reading →

What goes on at a 12-Step meeting?

If you have never set-foot in a 12-Step meeting, the whole thing can seem a little intimidating.  Following is a format that most anonymous meetings follow, more-or-less.  It is my hope that if you know what to expect ahead of time, you will be more likely to stop-by and check one out. When you first arrive.  …Continue reading →

What is “prayer?”

When I first started-out on my “spiritual quest,” I thought that prayer meant what I did when I got on my knees beside my bed and recited something I had memorized in CCD class but barely understood.  Wrong!  I have since learned that it is what I do any time that I talk to God …Continue reading →

Sponsors Are NOT Your Higher Power

One of the most difficult lessons for those new to 12 Step programs to learn is the fact that, sooner or later, their sponsors will let them down.  Why?  Two reasons: newcomers tend to put their sponsors on pedestals, and sponsors are only human.  But rather than seeing this as a limitation, try to look at it as …Continue reading →

The White Tiger

The first time I tried Creative Visualization, I had very low expectations.  After all, I had been trying for weeks to do five minutes of “quieting my mind”-type meditation daily and had repeatedly failed.  Every 30 seconds I would open my eyes and peek at the clock, wondering why time suddenly seemed to be standing …Continue reading →