July: Play-Full

1 day ago
7 min read

July 2026

"Playful, is in fact, a return to the very essence of who we truly are.”

For our July issue, let's have some fun! It's playtime, and we want to celebrate the freedom we experience through our choice (one day at a time) to say goodbye to our addiction.

Most of us remember the drudgery of the disease. "We organized our work and play activities around our eating, and our days gradually became controlled by what we needed to do" (pg. 29). Our obsessions gave us an excuse to act out in our addiction and to avoid social situations. We were absent from work, family, and life itself; trapped by rigidity and control, we struggled to be spontaneous or vulnerable. How we missed out on opportunities to be playful!

Today, our lives no longer have to be shaped by the demands of our disease. This freedom gives us space to return to old hobbies, discover new ones, and reconnect with the childlike part of ourselves that has always known how to play. Once afraid of losing control, we can now see the value of nurturing our wild, spontaneous side. We seek out fun, spend time with others who want to play, and learn to find wonder in daily life. With gentler expectations of what play should look like, we can laugh at our mistakes and enjoy the discovery of new experiences.

By being present, we can discover joy in simple things: seeing a rainbow, listening to the rain, dancing in puddles, enjoying children and animals, creating art, listening to music, or exploring nature. We are learning that a playful attitude can grow in any circumstance, and that our bodies can move in joyful, healthy, and freeing ways.

people playing and splashing at the beach

Finally, let’s remember that our HP (Higher Power) also guides our learning process to become more playful. He desires us to be happy, joyous and free (AABB, pg. 133). When we are open and ask HP to show us moments we can engage in play, we inexplicably come across more opportunities for fun. We may even be surprised to find that we can create our own playful fun!

See the Invitation to Play article below for more.

Personal Reflection: Everyday play!

For this month’s personal reflection, we invited one of our especially playful, spirited members, Suellen, to share how she experiences play in recovery today.

In our conversation, Suellen reflected that she has always had a childlike sense of wonder and has found joy being with nature, in particular making friends with animals.

She recalled when she was malnourished and consumed by anorexia and bulimia, that part of her dimmed. It was difficult for her to find the energy and strength to do everyday things. She found it hard to think clearly, like being able to concentrate on a book without having to re-read the same page repeatedly.

As Suellen began recovering in ABA, her playful side grew brighter, inspiring her to create again, build friendships, and have a little fun. In this article, Suellen shares her playfulness through personal photos that capture how she has rediscovered play in her life. Just as a smile can brighten someone’s day, so can a playful spirit like Suellen’s.

garbage can decorated with colorful groovy flower decals

A picture of Suellen’s garbage bin that her friend and she had fun creating together.

It’s decorated on all four sides with outdoor whimsical stickers and when giving directions, all she has to say is a teasing, “You’ll know it when you see it.” One time, she even returned home to find an anonymous post-it note on her door with the words, “Great trash can!”

colorful diamond dot art of 4 groovy chicks

Suellen titled this art piece “The Hippie Chicks.” She created the diamond dot painting with peel-off rhinestones. When she saw the box at the store, she instantly knew it had to be hers. Today, the completed piece hangs in her window- how can these Hippie Chicks not help but make you smile!?

Selfie of Suellen and the butt of a chicken

"You got mooned by a chicken!" Suellen went to take a selfie with this guy, and just as she was ready to click the photo, the chicken turned around at just the right moment. Who says chickens don’t have a sense of humor?!

close up of a goat sticking its tongue out

Suellen shared more about her love for animals. “Goats, dogs, chickens- animals are forgiving and comforting. They can always make me laugh and bring a smile to my face. Animals are a part of my spiritual program because I feel such a connection with them. The way I meditate in the mornings is I lie on the couch with my dog next to me. I pet her while I listen to contemporary Christian music. Something about petting the dog is very soothing. I used to cuddle my chickens; even the rooster liked being cuddled. Roosters get a bad rap, but not all are attack roosters, mine weren’t.”

An Invitation to Play- Questions for thought and a response from our Fellowship

family playing outside with the dog being tickled on its back by a dad with his daughter on his shoulders

“Life is playfulness…we need to play so that we can rediscover the magic all around us.”

How has recovery helped you be playful?

I think that recovery has helped me tremendously in being playful. First, in getting to know myself enough to know what activities are play for me. When I started working the ABA program, I had to begin to learn again what I liked. I had cut myself off from attunement to myself for so long, I didn't know what actually brought me joy and what I liked to do.

Just as importantly, ABA has taught me how to be connected to myself so that I can identify how I feel when I am doing something playful. This is important not only for experiencing the joy of play but also for knowing when it's time to rest or change what I'm doing because it does not feel quite right.

-Zoey

What do you consider to be play?

I think about play as being things where my spirit feels light and excited and where I am exploring or being curious or trying something new.

For me, play is making art without an agenda or trying to achieve a certain outcome. It's also jumping into a cold river or snorkeling around in a river or lake or the ocean. Play is also kicking a soccer ball around, having fun with lifting weights and trying something new in the gym or running on a trail. Play is joining a kickball team with my coworkers or playing hide and seek with my cats.

Sometimes play is with other people and sometimes it's by myself. I think that play is extremely important. I had a sponsor who regularly reminded me that having fun and playing are just as important as stepwork, meetings, prayer, meditation and service. I need such reminders!

-Zoey

Committee Connections

a cozy seat a pillow, blanket and reading glasses sitting on a open book

Literature Corner: Play-full inspiration from our literature

“Somehow, knowing that a loving Higher Power is within us makes us want to care for ourselves physically, to eat enough and sleep enough and play enough, and it also leads to complete acceptance of our bodies exactly as they are. God dwelling within our bodies makes them perfect.”

-Anorexics and Bulimics p. 132

"We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us.”

-AA Big Book, Chapter “The Family Afterward" on p. 133

When we come to ABA, the concept of being one day “happy, joyous, and free” feels impossible to achieve.

As we crawl through the doors of ABA, we are often experiencing troubled relationships, persistent misery and depression, and a haunting sense of uselessness. We feel trapped in fear and unhappiness. We relate to the misery of being addicted to “controlling our body weight and shape” and see no chance of ever finding freedom and happiness.

As we get sober and start working the Twelve Steps, we often don’t realize that some changes are taking place deep within us. Sometimes other people point out how we are changing before we realise it ourselves. Slowly we start experiencing drops of the promises…

"We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness."
"Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us."
"Self-seeking will slip away."
"That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear."

We can learn to be light-hearted and laugh at our “work in progress” recovery…

Progress, not perfection! We can be “happy, joyous and free” and perfectly imperfect.

Keep coming back!

a jar with dollar and coins inside and a red heart cutout leaning against it

From the SSC

(Self-Support Committee)

Workshop RECAP

Participant Summary:

The workshop "Keeping it Real" was wonderful! It focused on both the painful and rewarding experiences of getting sober through surrender of control of food, body, exercise and the feelings this process brings physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There were two experienced speakers and creative projects focused on withdrawal and the ways we have learned in our program how to move through this phase in recovery. As normal, it was a helpful and connected experience.

This workshop was an amazing fundraiser! We had 23 members sign up, with 12 in attendance. Although this was a much smaller group, our members were incredibly generous, contributing a total of $1,915.00.

The recording will be available on the website in July.

Volunteers Needed

One hand reaching out to another person's hand to join

The Self-Support Committee is seeking members interested in creating new opportunities to increase membership participation and contributions through service and financial support.

We are looking for creatives and organizer types who want to collaborate in developing workshops or the monthly newsletter.

If you would like to help, are open to learning or have a little fun, this is a great way to be "a part of" as we explore new ways to strengthen our Fellowship and the Self-Support Committee itself.

Please contact Logan for any questions or more information.

WhatsApp +1 334 451-2488

Email lrt5405@gmail.com

Website Update & News

Well played ABA!

We have received positive feedback that our new website platform is more straightforward and engaging. It is working smoothly and since its launch three months ago, 11 new members have signed up for monthly contributions. Recent Board decisions have also lowered monthly expenses by eliminating webmaster and accountant fees.

Contributions are on the rise and our costs are being reduced!

Fair Play

We’re excited to announce that ABA will soon be on Instagram. Stay tuned for quotes, meditations, inspiration and resources to support your recovery. We can’t wait to share more details with you!