Today marks 11 months abstinent from compulsive eating behaviors. I'm 85lbs (39kg) lighter than I was last January, maintaining a healthy weight for two months now. What's more, I found a better, saner way to deal with all the shit life keeps throwing at me, and a community of people who are right there with me.

I'm no longer numbing myself with food. I'm no longer binging. I now eat to nourish myself and not to slowly destroy myself, and it's been life changing.

#Recovery #OA #TwelveSteps

AA wants soooo badly for the 12 Steps to be their major contribution to the world, when the steps are mostly general self help and nothing really special imo. The *real* genius of AA is actually the 12 Traditions, which is what I attribute AA’s ability to spread throughout North America and the rest of the world.

It really is an amazing example a democratic, horizontal (mostly) mutual aid organization. The 12 Traditions of AA are a lot less well known (virtually everyone knows that the first step is some variation of “admitting you have a problem” and that if you allude to your “higher power” or “making amends” that your likely in AA/NA/Al-Anon) so I’ll list them here

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

#addiction #recovery #harmreduction #alcoholicsanonymous #NarcoticsAnonymous #AlAnon #TwelveSteps

I may have developed an obsession with Victorian writing slopes/boxes. Is there a support group for collectors of writing boxes, fountain pens, and stationery items?

Please advise, posthaste.

Meanwhile, I am uttering the distress call of my people.

#twelvesteps #stationery #writingbox #slopedesk #fountainpens #bluestalking