FOOD FOR THOUGHT - OA OCTOBER

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, October 25, 2014

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Abstaining from Harmful Relationships

Habit sometimes locks us into relationships, which are not in our best interest. It is easy to mistake dependency for love. When we stop overeating compulsively, we can evaluate our attachments to other people with greater clarity and perception than was possible when we continually escaped into food.

Our OA friends act as sounding boards for us as we try to sort out the healthy from the unhealthy relationships in our lives. We may find that for our continued growth we need to move away from old emotional entanglements, which are hampering our progress with the program. Abstaining from a harmful relationship can be as difficult at first as abstaining from compulsive overeating! The same physical restraint is necessary to keep ourselves from following old habit patterns.

By taking Step Three, we make all of our relationships with other people subject to the will of our Higher Power. When God comes first, other loves fall into their proper places.

Show me how to love.

When I came into recovery, I realized I didn't know what love was. All I knew was what love was not. So much of my life had been comprised of old tapes and abuse. I was told, "Let us love you until you can learn to love yourself." The only relationship you should be in, especially in your first year is with your Higher Power, your sponsor and yourself.