I'm OK-Transfer Addictions

Thank you everyone for being so supportive as I walk the path to sobriety. I made it through the holidays! I attended an A.A. meeting every day, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. I had a few really rough days, I have to admit. I kept trying to post to this board from my computer at home and the OH site wouldn't accept my User ID and Password so I couldn't post. I am back at work and it seems to be working fine... Anyway, did any of you see the Oprah show in October on WLS and addictions? It was the real wake up call that got me so upset. It would really be worth your time to look at some of the posts to her message board after it aired. Go to www.oprah.com. At the top of the screen, you will see a Search prompt. Key in Skinny. When the page loads, click on Suddenly Skinny. Then click on Join the Discussion on the Message Boards (in the middle of the page). This will bring you to 386 messages that viewers posted about this show. Please read the following posts: 88,92,112,, 114, 107, 108, 118, 125, 127, 139, 154, 156, 180,185, 187, 214, 223, 241, 242, 248, 260, 264, 268, 271, 274, 275, 276, 280, 281, 282, 283, 285, 286, 295, 299, 315, 319, 320, 324, 327, 335, 337, 359, 366, 370, 371, 372. I was stunned and shocked. But more importantly, I saw myself! It put the fear of God in me to quit. Reading these posts will break your heart but hopefully save someone else the agony that may be in their future. I cancelled all party plans I still had on my calendar over the holidays. It was the only way I could stay sober. I just couldn't put myself through the agony of watching everyone else partying and enjoying a glass of wine or two. I would have been the topic of conversation, for sure, and wouldn't have remembered a thing. I also would have lost what self-esteem I have left. Thank the Lord for A.A. and my support here. Please keep praying for me. Hugs, Karen

Oprah's site is quite an eye-opener! Where was I when all of this was being discussed EARLY in the WLS journey? Karen, I applaud your strength in avoiding the holiday parties, and it was the right thing to do at this stage, but you cannot become a hermit. You must cultivate friendships that do not include drinking. Hopefully, your TRUE friends will be able to transition your friendship to a non-drinking setting. But even so, you need to seek out new non-drinking friends where alcohol is not a part of the environment. I am blessed to be a part of a church family where drinking is not part of the culture. This bunch of friends can be wild and crazy without the stimulus! It seems we are constantly in the process of rebuilding our lives! Hopefully each iteration will be a better version of ourselves! Happy 2007! Joy

Karen, I read through a ton of the posts and all I can say is WOW. I'm not sure why, but I really appreciated this comment "No one that I have ever know chooses to replace one addiction for another. This is happening to people who weren't aware that there was anything other than being fat that was making them unhappy. It takes getting thin for all of those past demons to materialize. How about we try supporting the victims of these atrocities rather than blaming them? " I'm still a food addict and always will be. Hugs, Connie