Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous

Available Episodes

5 of 111

122. Learning to Dream
I grew up surrounded by addiction, though my parents had found recovery early in my life. I was a relatively skinny child. Diagnosed with ADHD at five years old, I was on medication that suppressed my appetite. In 5th grade, my parents and teachers decided to try taking me off meds for a year, and I went from a size 8 slim to a 16 husky, gaining 60 pounds. When I went back on the medication to improve my ability to focus, it never again suppressed my appetite. By 19, I weighed 240 pounds. I was lonely, broke, and down to one pair of pants with the thighs rubbed out. It was less embarrassing to ask my mom to take me to a meeting than to buy me the next size up. At my first Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) meeting, I got a sponsor and began working the program. I’d had such a small view of what my future could be, but FA unleashed my ability to dream wildly and achieve those dreams. In the sixteen years since, my life has been transformed beyond what I could have imagined. I'm married, raising two kids, and living with peace and freedom instead of obsession and compulsion. FA saved my life. #FoodAddictionRecovery #FAStories #RecoveryJourney #LifeBeyondFood #FoodAddictsInRecoveryAnonymous #BreakingFreeFromFood #RecoveryWins #OneDayAtATime #HealingWithFA #FromStruggleToStrength #FARecovery #SelfLoveThroughRecovery
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121. The Guardrails of Recovery
When I found Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), my weight wasn’t my real problem – it was the complete madness I experienced around food. Food had controlled my life since childhood. I grew up in my great-grandmother’s house, and the kitchen was my sanctuary. I was a fearful child; the sound of the doorbell sent me running to hide under her skirt, but food meant love and safety. I started using food to make myself feel better in high school when I was being bullied. Even after things got better, the feelings of insecurity didn’t. Food became my way to cope, and college only made it worse. I would seek refuge in a damp basement study space where I could eat alone. When my sister passed away at too young an age, weight began to show up on my body. Work in Washington, D.C. was challenging too; eating huge portions, hiding to eat, lying to cover it up – it was exhausting. I always made excuses to leave social events early. When someone at church asked what I put before God, I immediately knew my answer: food. At my lowest point, after consuming a bucket-sized family meal, I passed out in my car at a toll booth and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Through multiple sponsors and countless relapses, I eventually found true recovery. Today, FA serves as my guardrail, preventing me from driving off the cliff of food addiction. My relationships have improved, and I’m no longer hiding. I have so much gratitude for this program. It is my blueprint for living.
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120. Beyond the Bottle: Facing Food Addiction
From vodka at 13 to nightly binges of flour and sugar in adulthood, my life was ruled by addiction. At 23, weighed down by blame, insecurity, and shame about being gay, I attempted to take my own life. At 24 years old, I found sobriety in A.A. After decades of struggling with food, weighing over 240 pounds, I discovered Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). In FA, I began a journey of abstinence that transformed my life – body, mind, and spirit. In FA, I stopped blaming others and learned how to be honest with myself. I reconnected with a higher power and returned to a healthy weight. I even went back to school at 48, earned a degree, and experienced a rewarding final chapter in my career before I retired. I have also endured profound loss. I lost both of my parents within six weeks of each other, and not long after, my brother and sister. I was able to walk through grief abstinently, supported by the tools in FA and with a higher power guiding me. At 64, I live one day at a time, forever grateful for the Twelve Steps and the many, many gifts of recovery. #lgbtq #grief #spiritualcondition #sober #abstinent #workingthetools
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119. 43 Years of No Longer Being Controlled by Food
The oldest of six children with parents who were overwhelmed, but tried hard, she found comfort in food from an early age. Despite being an average student at a healthy weight, she struggled with self-doubt and a fear of failure. After leaving home, food became her go-to coping mechanism for fear, doubt, and insecurity. Throughout her recovery, she faced many health challenges — including multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and numerous surgeries. When she found Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), she thought she could manage on her own. However, true change only came when she followed suggestions, got a sponsor, and used the tools of the program. She now has deep and meaningful relationships, and she finds joy in the simple things. Her story is an example of the advice to “stay until the miracle happens.
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118. The Real Magic
My earliest recollection is from the age of four – being shy and awkward, always afraid to join other kids at play. I was a picky eater and would take a long time to get through what was on my plate. Still, I began to put on the pounds, and I got it in my head that losing weight would change everything. I’d be confident, outgoing, and finally feel like I fit in. So, I went on a diet. Then, I binged. At first, it was just Friday nights, like a little “date” with food. Then it was the whole weekend. Before I knew it, I was binging every night. By 19, I was deep in bulimia – hiding food, purging, taking laxatives, anything to keep my weight down. I kept looking for a “magic fix,” but nothing worked. One doctor told me to eat in moderation, and another told me to go to a 12-step program. I went, but I didn’t think I was that bad – until I was. Years went by. I lost jobs. I even ate out of garbage bins. I joined another program, but I manipulated it to eat what I wanted. I worked the steps, but not really. And my life? It didn’t change. In 2009, I found Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). I was skeptical, but something clicked. I got a sponsor, and I’ve been abstinent ever since. At first, I complained about the structure – the weighing, the meetings, all of it. Eventually, I stopped fighting it, and when I did, everything changed. Today, I’m fully engaged in life – not just in a smaller body, but with a healthier mind and spirit. I show up for my family, connect with people, and have real friendships – real confidence. Food no longer controls me, and I finally feel free. #bulimia #bulimic #bingeeater #bingepurge
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