Submit Your Story

One of my very favorite things in recovery is listening to speaker shares.

For so many years, the way I ate was my deepest, darkest secret. I told my friends and family so many personal details about my life, but none of them knew that I regularly ate until I was sick, hid candy wrappers under layers of trash, stole food, blamed the kids, and hated my body so deeply that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Then I walked into an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and heard other people telling my story.

There are lots of places to share and hear and read first-person accounts (some are listed at the end of this post). If your medium is writing and you'd like to share your story here, I'd love to publish it for you.

I'm looking for stories from compulsive overeaters who have been sober for at least six months. Tell us what it was like for you, what happened, and what it's like now. The optimal length is 400-2000 words. We will use first names only, or if you prefer, total anonymity. I may do some light editing for readability, but you'll have final approval before I share anything.

If you'd like to share your story but don't know where to start, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say this prayer: "Show me what I need to be shown." Then set a timer for 10 minutes and just write. See what happens.

You can read my story here, and in a forthcoming anthology about eating disorders that will be published in Summer 2019.

Send submissions or questions to HappyJoyousAF@gmail.com.

Other places to binge on recovery stories the way you used to binge on Double Stuf Oreos:

• The OA LAIG Speaker's Bureau has more than 400 podcasts, available on the web, in iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts
• A Vision for You is a great daily phone meeting (listen in live at 7 a.m. or 10 a.m. EST or listen to a recording anytime). They have special editions every Sunday with special topics, often including speaker shares. 
• OA World Service has some interviews with members.
• The OA "Brown Book" (Kindle or paperback) has over 40 personal member stories.
• Lifeline Magazine is a monthly OA publication, available for $30 a year (12 issues)
• Many face-to-face meetings are speaker meetings every week, others feature a speaker once a month.