A lot of what is in this book, in one way or another, comes from concepts from the Big Book. The trouble is that if people have been continuing to go to meetings but staying in relapse, it’s obvious the way the message has been sent (or heard) hasn’t hit home in a way to jumpstart their abstinence.

I just want to make mention of something that those who have been in program for a long time may have a problem with: the emphasis on a more scientific approach. To quote the Big Book though: “after all God gave us brains to use.”

I often say that we learn by reading books. The key there is the plural: books, not book. The Big Book saved my life, as did the Steps, but I sometimes see people treating the Big Book as an evangelical treats the Bible: if it’s not in here, you don’t need it for sobriety (or abstinence in our case). It frustrates me that many programs don’t allow even a mention of “outside literature.” There are many, many outside books, articles, and talks that are perfectly congruent with the Big Book. If something might help someone struggling with relapse, especially someone who’s been in program long enough to quote large chunks of the Big Book, why not use it? Sometimes, just a re-framing of an oft-repeated program phrase or slogan might “click” for that person.

Many meetings tend to spend a lot of time emphasizing the spiritual aspect, which is fine of course (and the bottom-line key to recovery). The problem comes for some people because sometimes meetings can become so “God-heavy” that they can begin to resemble a revival meeting. Even though I don’t have any serious disagreements with anything said, I always worry about meetings in that vein. While they’re fine with long-timers like myself, I worry about how that message lands, in terms of appealing to newcomers and/or people who have trouble making the program “stick.”

I tend to keep my writings (and retreats and workshops) in more of a “real world” vein. I think it helps those still battling to find a Higher Power, or perhaps those that reject the concept totally. Again, this is fine, as you will only hear reference to this Higher Power from time to time, and it doesn’t have to have anything to do with your recovery (although I think it makes it a lot easier for me). Many people with not much of a connection with a Higher Power (or desire to find one) find the concept of their “higher selves” to be the desired alternative. Perhaps it’s simply the person that you were born to be, before you got sidetracked with compulsive eating.