The
Unofficial Guide to
Abstinent and Serene Holidays
“It works if you work it,” the saying goes. With the holidays upon us, we need to work it more than ever. Family gatherings, office parties, and seasonal sights, sounds and smells can trigger us to take that first compulsive bite. What can you do to help yourself stay abstinent? First of all, keep up your disciplines, no matter where you are:
 | Take a mini-journal to write down your food and your feelings (our disease doesn’t go on vacation when we travel) |
| Purchase a phone card (available at any food or drug store) so you can keep calling your sponsor and OA supports without running up your hosts’ phone bill |
| Keep up your regular meeting schedule, and if you have to miss your usual meeting, pick up a different meeting within a few days. Before you travel to a different area, call WSO or go online to find meeting times and places |
| Plan ahead for travel delays – especially with recent airline security changes. Pack your meal in disposable bags or containers, or find out ahead of time where you could eat abstinently, should your flight be delayed |
| Take some OA literature with you to pull out when you need centering |
| Play with the babies while their parents visit at the table |
| Do the dishes – not only does it get you away from food that’s “not yours,” it’s a great opportunity to be of service |
| Look around for someone who looks lonely (the holidays aren’t just tough for compulsive overeaters), and go talk to him or her – anything that gets us out of our own heads will help |
| Look around you at the people you love (and sometimes grumble about), and send a special “thanks” to your Higher Power for another chance to celebrate the season together |
| Making a gratitude list is always a great way to change a lousy attitude |
| If you are having trouble feeling close to your H.P. in the midst of all of the chaos, take a moment to step into a place of worship or find a place of beauty to reconnect |
~Susie H., Beverly