Over the weekend, I attended an Overeaters Anonymous meeting at the Birmingham Unitarian Church in Bloomfield Hills. This meeting was open to OA members and non-OA visitors. Each meeting is composed with special topics such as, a book study, lifeline, speaker, or newcomer’s stories have a defined topic of discussion. However, these meeting have certain bylaws that are strictly followed, which is the only requirement for OA membership and that is the desire to stop eating compulsively. Each attending member is asked to respect the meeting’s group conscience and give a voice to any person who has the desire to stop their addiction of overeating.
This meeting lasted about 1 hour and I felt very welcomed in this warm compassionate setting. Attending this meeting, I knew that I wasn’t going to be judged or looked down upon because of my situation or issues. Everyone who attended this meeting has a story to tell and that is why they choose to come. I choose to attend this meeting because of my past struggles, so I felt that I could relate to the material that was presented. The ...
I attended an open Overeaters Anonymous meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. Members gathered in the basement of Overbrook Presbyterian Church on N. High St. in Columbus, Ohio at 7:00 p.m. The meeting lasted a little over an hour. Upon entering the room, everyone sat around a large, rectangular table that was sparsely populated for the size of the group. The number of members fluctuated between twelve and fifteen, as some individuals came in late and others came and left before the conclusion of the meeting. By way of demographics, all group participants were middle-age. The ratio of females to males in attendance was approximately 4:1 and the perceived leader of the group was female.
I visited the Ronald McDonald House on September 15, to meet a family that was staying there because they had a very ill child. I was there to interview Mr. and Mrs. Davis who’s had their five-year-old son, John was at Children’s Mercy Hospital. The Davis family was there because John has leukemia and needed chemotherapy. When I first met John, I was at a loss for words. I saw a five-year-old boy that didn’t have any hair (like me) and was thin like a cable wire. I thought it was great that John got to say with his family on good days. What amazed me so much was his spirit and thrust for life. Because they had faith in their little boy getting better, his parents were very much the same. I asked them what made them so upbeat and positive. They told me that they were getting the best treatment around and being close to him everyday really helped. I didn’t quite understand what they meant and asked them to explain. They told me that staying at the RMH with their son meant everything to the whole family. Instead of being in a hospital bed, or hotel room, the Davis’s kept close and were able to do everything that a family would do. Such things included playing with toys, having meals together, taking walks, enjoying closeness with one’s family, and all in the comfort of a home.
...ethnicity or culture; it happens to anyone such as, doctors, lawyers, teacher, judges, students and many more. My observation of the meeting was that every member seemed to really listen to each other’s sharing, where each member shared an experience, and others could relate to that particular experience or had similar experiences, such as struggling with promiscuous behavior or relapses in attending meetings, but they still stuck with the program because they wanted change in their lives. No one was rushed in their sharing, and everyone was opened and friendly. It was a cohesive group. I felt a sense of that openness, when I was introduced to everyone, and included at close of the meeting, where everyone one formed a circle, held hands and recited the serenity prayer. Overall, it was a new and knowledgeable experience Another Chance gave me.
After a long day I returned home and was greeted again by my mother. She immediately asked how my group presentation and the rest of my day went. In spite of her already unpleasant day, she was still concerned with mine. I, in turn, turned the conversation to how she and my grandmother were coping with my great aunt’s passing. Throughout this entire conversation we both were using a great deal of empathy and
Being obese seems to be a growing epidemic in the United States. It is not, just a problem with appearance and social life. Each person is accountable for its own health, control its own eating habits and the time devoted to exercising. Can we all be responsible to the decisions of a group of people? The answer, that shared by several is probably not. Nevertheless, in the last few years, this medical condition that increases the likelihood of a range of diseases in which excess body fat has accumulated to the point that it may have an unfavorable effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increase health problems (Wikipedia, par.2). Obesity-related diseases are common these days, for each person there are significant risks of exceeding their own limits. It is difficult knowing that there is a person that can endanger their health, but continue with the same bad habits that can cause permanent damage. Obesity is becoming a problem that slowly gets out of hand, but little is being done to counter its growth. Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Also, their symptoms are complex and specific to each person. Finally, society should not accept obesity as a disability. Therefore, obesity it is a growing food dependency problem that must be prevents and fights rather than consider a life style.
On July 21, 2013, I attended my first Overeaters Anonymous. Overeaters Anonymous is a worldwide support group for those who are extremely overweight, even morbidly obese; moderately overweight; average weight; underweight; still maintaining periodic control over their eating behavior; or totally unable to control their compulsive eating. This paper describes my experience and thoughts of attenging.
This was Healing Hearts first meeting of this school year. At 5 p.m. I left campus with my roommate, who also volunteers at Healing Hearts with me, and we drove to Newport News’s Human Services at 6060 Jefferson Ave. The tall building can be seen as soon as you get off the overpass. Originally a bank, Human Services now occupies the majority of floors in the building. We get there around 5:30 and go to the 2nd floor where we are provided dinner. Tonight it was Jimmy John’s; I had a turkey sandwich and a bottle of water! We sign in and sit next to our supervisor Julie, in a large room with tables setup in a rectangle around the room. This is the first time we’ve seen her since the end of school last year, so we spend this time catching up. She
Something I found uplifting was how caring some parents were for their children, especially in these conditions. One example was a parent who brought their child in for some sort of allergic reaction to insect bites which happened just an hour earlier when her child was playing
In light of my pre-practicum, I have undergone many transformations including: academically, individually, psychologically, and socially. Besides, this pre-practicum experience remained undoubtedly one of the best learning exercises that I have been involved with. This agency has helped me to empathize with the struggle of the client with HIV/AIDS within and outside the LGBTQ community. It created an awareness in me that assisting those in need really renews another person’s hope, and that in turn may cause them to pass that hope on. Through this experience, I have appreciated that I am exactly where I want to be, and have learned the realities of being a counselor in an agency. I feel that this experience has given me a perspective that I will value throughout my
It started off as most of the visits do, with case studies and office work, but what I didn’t know was that the social worker I was meant to be with was running late, and we were only burning time, in a way. Once my worker arrived she said the words I had been waiting to hear for the past month and a half “would you like to go on a visit?” At this very moment I think my face must have looked like a child who was just told they could have ice cream for dinner. As we drove up to the mountain, I was briefed on the foster home we were visiting as well as the family whose children were in care. We also talked about one other visit she had planned, that had fallen though; this one was to take place at a maternity house. As soon as we knocked on the door an older woman and the sounds of a jumping, giggling, little baby boy greeted us. We sat and discussed his growth, health, and overall wellbeing, while playing with the little man. While clumsy and falling often, he was just leaning to walk and his foster parents couldn’t be more proud. On the way back down the mountain I was told more about his time with this family, as well as his older siblings. It was an amazing thing to see, and I’m so grateful I was able to witness this particular
This elderly interview took place at A.A's beautiful home located along the Colorado River in Big River, California. The weather was perfect. It was in the 70's and there was a slight breeze. When I first arrived we all sat in the kitchen while his wife made coffee. A.A was not feeling too great which was to be expected. He was in pajama shorts and a sweatshirt. He looked very tired and had dark circles around his eyes. His wife was gathering his medications and breakfast. I sat there catching up with them while he finished his morning meds. She had mexican food cooking in the crockpot as well and their house smelled so amazing. The walls of their home are covered in pictures of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. That gave the home a warm and cozy feel. A.A got a couple bites of breakfast down with his morning medications
As my friend Jenni and I entered the hall of the big church, a feeling of apprehension overwhelmed us. Our feelings were soon comforted when we entered a sea of smiling faces and outstretched hands. A sense of belonging engulfed us. Ms. Shirley, an older colored woman was first to extend her arms. She did not know us from Adam, but it did not matter. She threw her arms around us. "You girls have the prettiest smiles", she declared. "I am so glad you came to be with us this morning." Words can not describe what the act of kindness did to our feelings of apprehension, and that was just the beginning.
The group members chosen was an African-American male, Caucasian female, and an African-American/Puerto Rican lesbian. Their ages eighty, sixty-one, and forty-three respectively. Each participant was chosen as a representation of diversity across age, gender, ethic, and social backgrounds. The African-American male is a retired labor movement organizer and has a daughter who has been clean now for several years. The Caucasian female is a therapist in the field of addiction and has twenty-two years clean. The African-American/Puerto Rican lesbian is a dog groomer who has struggled with staying clean for the past twenty-three years. Each person chosen has a personal connection my father, my sponsor, and my ex-partner of three years. Although the group appears to be diverse they all have a common denominator each on...
In the group therapy session, I was able to evoke feelings from the person sharing their story with my words of encouragement. It was a painful subject. I could see the tears forming in her eyes and the since of acceptance on her face after I encouraged her. “The more real and the more emotional an experience, the more potent is its impact” (Cappa, S., 2016, Residency notes).
Those who are overweight and obese not only impact themselves but they also impact their peers and fellow citizens. The responsibility of American’s to help those who are suffering from obesity is absent. This is understandable, considering we are not responsible for the actions of others. However, change arrives when other’s no longer stand idly by watching suffering. Those who suffer from addictions or psychiatric abnormalities experience greater success in getting back on...