“What?” I screeched (on the inside). My sponsor had just suggested that I withdraw a large sum of money from my savings account to visit Nordstrom to get fitted for a good bra. This suggestion came on the heels of my admission that I did not want to purchase my clothing from second-hand stores or thrift shops anymore. When I came to FA, not only were my clothes worn out, faded, and ill-fitting, but they were also stained, not washed very often or well, and certainly were not ironed. A while ago, I had planned to go shopping for new clothes one Sunday morning after my committed meeting. I called my sponsor in a panic because I was not sure I could shop and get home in time for lunch. She agreed that I should go home and have lunch. She said that she had so much fun shopping, that... Continue Reading
I am of Italian descent and was born in America. I turned 50 years old in September. I have had the pleasure and the opportunity to visit my family in Italy quite often. The first time I traveled there, I was 4-years old and I celebrated my fifth birthday in the home in which my father grew up. I also celebrated my 25th birthday there. As a young adult, I visited often, even spending a year studying there and a summer having fun with my favorite cousin. After I married and had a child, we went there and took our 11-month-old daughter. I had not been back since. How I longed to see them and wander the streets of my beloved Firenze (Florence) again. So I began to pray. I said, “God, if it is your will for me to return to la terra maternal (the motherland), then show me... Continue Reading
I prayed for many years for a way out of the prison and cycle of misery I was in. For someone who has battled food and diet obsession all of her life, it is unimaginable that I would find myself in a right-sized body, maintaining a 111 pound weight loss for almost two years. Thank God for a misery and desperation level that brought me into FA, willing and ready to go to any lengths to not only achieve abstinence, but recovery. I am so thankful to have finally found the solution to a major problem. How did I get there? The first thing I did was to find a sponsor who had what I wanted. It was so helpful to find a sponsor who kept the focus on me. I was a huge caretaker, always taking care of everyone else, but myself. I was blessed to find a sponsor... Continue Reading
I was 24, and I had struggled with bulimia, drugs, and alcohol for over 10 years. I left home at 14 and moved to a big city to live with my sister. I instantly gravitated to the darker side of life. I spent more time partying than studying. I couldn’t focus in school, and my food addiction led to drug use and daily bingeing and purging. I increasingly became more rageful, angry, and negative as my disease progressed. My diagnosed depression had led to my using anti-depressants at age 16. After graduating from college, the party was finally over. I had recently split my pants while bowling, and I officially felt fat. The bulimia stopped working, and every weekend I looked forward to escaping by smoking pot and getting drunk. I was in financial debt and felt like my world was slowly caving in. I was negative, depressed, and purposeless.... Continue Reading
I had months of all-day sickness and a strong aversion to my abstinent meals when I was pregnant with my second child. I never thought it would end with my baby dying due to a sudden placenta abruption ten days before my due date. I never thought I would deliver him eight hours after he was pronounced dead. I never thought I could ever stay abstinent through something so heart wrenching. But I did. How did I do it? I did it with the help of my sponsor, who showed up for me in ways I have never seen anyone show up for another person. Among many other things, she listened to my intense grief for months, comforted me, and reminded me that I had been through a traumatic experience. She helped me walk through (and overcome) resentments toward the medical staff that sent me home with symptoms two hours... Continue Reading
