I grew up with a young, single mom, and the early years at home were tumultuous. Finances were tight, and things often felt unstable. From a very young age, I could eat as much as my grandfather. There was no real connection between feeling full and stopping. I was a chubby kid, taller than my classmates, and became very aware of how I ate in front of others. I tried dieting, but I couldn’t stick to anything. I remember thinking, " Why lose weight if I’m just going to gain it back?”

Even as a teenager, I sensed something deeper -- that I was dealing with a real condition. I attended my first Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) meeting as a senior in high school. I heard food addiction described as a medical issue rather than a failure of willpower, like I had read in fashion magazines. That changed everything. When I began following the FA food plan with clear boundaries and structured meals, life started to shift. I experienced mental clarity, my anxiety began to ease, and I felt a sense of peace.

After twenty-eight years in FA, the obsession is gone. Removing sugar and flour, along with using the tools of the program, has taken away that constant need to eat -- something no diet ever did. I felt supported through every stage of life, from weighing and measuring food in my college dorm to dating, marriage, and raising three children.

The daily routine of recovery in FA is second nature now, and it has created space for me to grow into who I am. Today, I have a Higher Power, a beautiful community, and a full life. This is a “we” program. I don’t have to do this alone, and I no longer live in the struggle

I grew up in a tumultuous home where appearances mattered, and secrets were kept. I learned early how to look fine on the outside while hiding what was really going on – and that habit followed me straight into my food addiction.

In school, I thrived. I was smart, the teacher’s pet, and loved gold stars and approval. Inside the classroom, I felt confident and included – even by the cool kids. Outside of it, I was deeply insecure and desperate to belong.

From a young age, I could eat enormous portions. Food never shut off for me. By seventeen, I was over 200 pounds, swinging between extremes – exercising to the point of injury, fasting for weeks, or bingeing until I was in physical pain.

When I came into Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) eighteen years ago, I did what I knew how to do: I tried to look good – to my sponsor and my fellows. Then came my moment of truth. I was told that if I kept managing my image and hiding how I really felt, I would eat again. I heard the expression, “We’re only as sick as our secrets.”

That realization changed everything. Today, honesty is the foundation of my recovery in FA. I’m maintaining a weight loss of more than 100 pounds, but what FA gives me goes far beyond neutrality with food. In FA, I have found balance and joy in my personal and professional life, and compassion as the primary caregiver for my aging mother. At sixty-one years old, I no longer seek constant approval or gold stars. Working this program, I am truly free from addictive eating and living a deeply satisfying life.

I was adopted at birth by two loving parents, and I had a beautiful childhood. But everything changed when I was bullied in middle school and started eating to cope. While my mother wanted to talk about feelings, my father would take me out to dinner, and food became my emotional anchor. I didn't notice the weight creeping on; it felt like I just woke up one day overweight. I even had medical conditions requiring me to avoid certain foods, but I couldn't stop eating them, no matter how hard I tried.

High school brought some improvement through sports and socializing, but I also tried dangerous diet pills that sent me to the emergency room. I first heard about Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) at 15, but I didn’t want anything to do with it until I hit my top weight of 185 pounds at 22 years old. I was so desperate and knew I needed help.

My addiction went beyond food. I stole, cheated, and accumulated debt, all of which I believe were connected to being an addict. FA and the Twelve Steps changed everything. I became employable and got out of debt. FA supported me through pregnancies, postpartum challenges, cancer, surgeries, and the pandemic – all while staying abstinent.

Today, I am a working artist, married, and raising two children, living an incredible life. I identify as gender-queer, and FA gave me the tools to show up fully as myself – authentic, confident, and free. I cook healthy food for my family, care for my body and mind, and embrace each day with joy, balance, and connection. I came to FA to change my relationship with food, but what I truly gained is the most extraordinary gift: the freedom to be exactly who I am.