Searching for a higher power

Hi _______________,

One thing that helped me was finding out that several of the early members of Alcoholics Anonymous were atheists. They were able to get and stay sober even in the context of the very traditional religiously toned language in common use in AA back in the 1930's and 40's. Another idea is to substitute the terms "higher or 'helping' power(s)" for "God as we understood Him". The concept is that they or it, be a power outside of yourself — that is not you, more knowledgeable would be good, that you can rely on to help you in your recovery. A lot of people start with the power and love of their support group as a higher power and just let it graduate from there to whatever evolves for them personally. Helping powers can also be a collection of doctors, therapists, nutritionists, faith in the OA program... all valid powers that can help you to heal and grow and recover. This can be thought of as where we get the additional power we need to implement a working program of recovery. It's just so hard to do it by ourselves.

In a letter written in 1954, Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA (the people that developed the original 12 Steps that OA now is based upon) wrote, "We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect. Each man's theology has to be his own quest, his own affair."

My main point is that we don't need to have chosen any particular spiritual pathway or belief system to use the Steps successfully. We can even be atheists and have what amounts to a spiritual experience. Doesn't mean a religious conversion experience; it means the profound change, brought about by working the 12 Steps, in the very core of our selves or being, that allows us to keep our Binge Eating Disorder in remission one day at a time. At least this is how I see it. Hope this helps.

Love, Dave