3 minute read
Sleep Solution
from December 2022: Renewed Strength. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA)
by FA connection Magazine, for food addicts, by food addicts
A good night’s sleep is a true blessing. Before I joined FA, whenever I went to bed I would start to choke and cough violently. I had to get up from my bed and sit in my recliner, which was in the living room where my husband was trying to watch TV. The wheezing and intense coughing hurt my stomach. Holding a small pillow tightly over my stomach as I coughed helped the pain.
Even at 322 pounds, I was in denial about my food addiction. It seemed to me I must be suffering from some mysterious nightly allergy problem. My doctor gave me an inhaler for the wheezing and advised me not to use perfumes and room fresheners anymore because I might be allergic. All of that gave me no relief from this nightly ordeal.
It wasn’t until I came into FA that I realized I do, indeed, have allergies, but to flour, sugar, and quantities. I tried not eating before bed but was never able to do it. After supper, I snacked in front of the TV until I was so full of food it made me exhausted. I would then go to bed, choke, get up, grab a pillow and blanket, and head back to my recliner. When I finally fell asleep sitting in the chair, I snored loudly. My poor husband put closed captioning on the TV and endured yet another noisy evening.
My very first night in FA, I went to bed early. I was feeling sorry for myself because my husband was snacking and watching TV. It was too much temptation for me. That night, without the snacking to keep me up, I fell asleep easily in my own bed. I slept all night with absolutely no coughing or wheezing.
It wasn’t until my first night of abstinence that I made the connection between the choking and my eating. It was a true miracle. The next morning, I got up bright and early and called my sponsor. I told her with joy and amazement that I had been abstinent all night.
One day at a time for the last six years, because I have FA, I have slept quietly in my own lovely, soft, warm bed rather than in a recliner in the living room. My husband can watch TV as late as he wants and I enjoy the miracle of a good night’s sleep, all thanks to FA!
