Hi Everyone,
I've been thinking about joining OA for a while now. I got the 12 steps book and am reading through it now. If it looks like it might be appropriate for me, I plan on starting to attend online meetings (there are only a few face-to-face meetings in my area and I am limited without transportation, so they won't work).
1. The spirituality issue is a little concerning to me. I was raised by an atheist who had a very unhealthy relationship with spirituality (not just God, but the idea of any spirituality). While I do not agree with these views, I'm still in the process of figuring out my own relationship with spirituality. I do believe in a higher power but not necessarily God. I'm concerned about how this is handled in meetings. My sister attending an AA meeting with a friend once in Virginia (just for support - she never touches alcohol :-D) and she mentioned how the meeting was very heavily into the concept of God in the Christian sense, not God as everyone individually identifies the concept. So this concerns me. I'm afraid that I will be pushed into trying to believe in something I don't know if I believe in.
2. Do I have to find a sponsor right away or participate in meetings right away? I've never openly spoken with anyone (other than my sister) about my food addictions and binge eating and I feel like I will need some time to adjust. I will feel much more comfortable if I can just listen for a while before I participate.
3. Do you have to adhere to a specific food plan? I know this is part of the program. I was listening to some of the podcasts on the OA website and someone there talked about the food plan as if you are required to do a specific food plan (she mentioned it was very similar to the kind of recommended food plan given by the American Diabetes Association). I have been on a food plan of my own since May (vegan and low fat), which I truly enjoy and have felt good with. While it hasn't stopped my binge eating, it has curved the frequency of them considerably. I don't want to give up that plan for something that might not be good for me (especially because I am a vegan). So will I be able to stick with my plan?
Sorry for all the questions. As I said, I'm still reading up on the literature.
Thank you!
Tam