I was born two months early, weighing just 3.5 pounds, and from the start, life felt like an uphill climb. My mother couldn’t nurse me due to complications, and I never got the kind of nurturing I longed for. My first "drug" was my thumb, which I sucked well into high school – a secret sedative that calmed me. Food became my next source of solace. By the time I was 3, my parents were worried enough to take me to a pediatrician after finding me eating cold spaghetti straight from the fridge. They were determined to control my eating, weighing me daily and taking me to diet doctors – even giving me a calorie counter in first grade. None of it worked. As I got older, I tried to fill the emptiness with sex, drugs, and rock & roll, more therapy, and constant "geographical cures" – from art school to cross-country road trips. As an activist in the 1960s who cared deeply about the world, some major events broke my heart and seemed like too much to handle. Food was always there, comforting me when nothing else could. In my 40s, I quit smoking, and with no other crutch, my weight spiraled out of control. In 1993, I found Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). Skeptical but desperate, I prayed for help, and something shifted. With the support of my sponsor, I found abstinence and, for the first time, peace. Slowly, as the food cravings disappeared, I discovered joy, faith, and love. I married a man who is perfect for me; he appreciates my recovery, and our love keeps growing. I’m living a life I never imagined, free from food addiction and forever grateful.

#sexdrugsrocknroll #geographicalcure

From a young age, food was my escape—a source of comfort and control in a chaotic world. Growing up in public housing, with a dysfunctional family and an alcoholic father, I turned to eating as a way to soothe my emotions, hide, and find peace. But as I got older, food stopped working the way it once did. Fear of judgment and feelings of inadequacy began to weigh on me, affecting my relationships, my work, and my sense of self. Health problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes loomed over me. Despite my growing fear, my food consumption spiraled out of control. On the brink of losing my job and facing bankruptcy, I hit rock bottom. That’s when, in 2014, I discovered Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). Through FA, I found a lifeline. In less than a year, I went from 316 pounds (143 kg) to 187 pounds (85 kg). But the transformation wasn’t just physical—I regained confidence, improved my financial stability, and adopted a healthier, more balanced outlook on life. I cherish a deep sense of gratitude for my recovery, crediting my journey to the support of my Higher Power and the FA program.

She grew up in a loving family, but she often felt like an outsider because her family was thin and ate in moderation. Despite good grades boosting her self-esteem, the stress to excel led her to overeat. Food and fantasy novels became her escape. In college, she used food to push through the stress and cope with life. Afterward, she spent decades yo-yo dieting, and struggled with the pressures of being a working wife and mom. By her mid-forties, she was overweight and overwhelmed, had high blood pressure, and was prediabetic. She then did an internet search using the words “food” and “addiction”, which led her to discover Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). She finally felt relief at her first meeting. Through the support in FA, she lost weight, improved her health to her doctor’s delight, and discovered that life wasn’t a burden but a precious gift to share