Why have a CEA-HOW Vegetable Workshop? By Roberta S., 714 299 9721 July 24, 2010 First and foremost, to cary the message of recovery to those who stil suffer. To show how the food is only one part of our overall program, which includes the Twelve Steps, Twelve ‘Traditions and Seven CEA-HOW tools (CEA-HOW Abstinent Food Plan, Literature and Writing, Anonymity, Telephone calls, Meetings, Service and Sponsorship). Its hopefully helpful to share how one CEA-HOW member handles preparing Abstinent vegetables on the CEA- HOW program on a day to day basis (this is not an easy task, and other CEA-HOW people legitimately want to know, practically, how to do ths!) ‘To encourage attendees to approach the Vegetable section in the supermarket in a new way, with a new perspective ‘To emphasize that how each CEA-HOW member handles managing their own food is between them, their ‘Sponsor end thelr own Higher Power. Because | believe our program literature does not prohibit mentioning any foods, and therefore, i's not inappropriate to have a Workshop on this topic, ifi's handled sensitively: Big Book page 45: Lack of power, thet was our dlemme. We had o find @ power by which we could lve, and it hed o be a Power areater ‘than ourselves. Obviously, but where and how were we fo find this Power? Wel, that's execty what this book's about. I's main object isto enable you to find « Power greeter than yourself which ‘wil solve your problem. Big Book pages 84-85: ‘And we have coasad fighting anything or anyone—sven alcohol. For by thls time sanity wil have rtumed. Wo wil ‘seldom be interested in iquor. If tempted, we recol from i as from @ hot flame. We reect sanly and normally, and wo ‘il fad that this has happened automatically. We will see thal our new etitude toward lquor has been given us wilhout ‘ny thought or effort on our part. Itjust comes! Tha isthe miracle off. We are not fighting neither are we evoicing x temptation. We fe! as though we hed been placed ina poston of neutraliy—sefe and protected. We have not even ‘svom of. Instoed, the problem hes bean removed. It does not exist fr us. We are nether cocky nor are we efaid, That s our experionce. That is how we react so long as we keop in it sprue! conchion tis easy to lt up on the spiritual program of ection and res on our lures. We are headed for trouble if we do, for ‘alcohol i @ subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is @ dally reprieve contingent onthe ‘maintenance of our spirtual contion Big Book pages 100-102: x ‘Assuming we are spiritually ft, we can do al sorts of things elcoholis ere not supposed to do. People have said we must ‘not go where iquor is sorved we must not have itn our homes; we must shun frends who drink; we must evoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our fiends must hide thir bottles if we go fo their houses; ‘we mustn't tink orbe reminded about alcohol at al. Our experionce shows that this is not necessary so. We mest thase conditions every dy. An alcoholic who cannot meet them, stil has en alcoholic mind: there is something the matter with his sprtual status, His only chance for sobriaty would be some place ike the Greenland ice Cap, and ‘even there an Eskimo might tum up with a botte of scotch and run everything! Ask eny women who hes sent her ‘husband to distant places on the theory he would escape the alcoho! prablem. ‘nour bolof any scheme of combating alcoholism which propased to shield the sick man from temptation is doomed 10 failure, Ifthe alcoholic Vos fo shld himself he may succeed fora time, but he usually winds up wih bigger explosion than ever. We have tod these methods. These attempts fo do the Impossible have ahveys failed. bars, nightclubs, dences, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary whoopee parties. To a person who has had x ‘$0 our rue isnot to avd @ place where there is inking, we have a eaiimete reeson for being there. That includes ‘experiance with en alcoho, this may seem lice tempting Providence, but it isnt. You wi note that we mede an important qualification. Therefore, esk yourself on each occasion, “Have ! any good soca, business or parsone! reason forgoing to this place? ‘Or am | expecting to steal Ite icerious pleasure from the ‘atmosphere of such places?” Ifyou answer these questions satisactoly, you need have no epprehension. Go or stey ‘away, whichaver soomes best. But be sure you are on solid spirtual ground before you start end that your motive in going {thoroughly good. Do not think of what you wil get out ofthe occasion. Think of what you can bring to Bf you are ‘shaky, you hed batter work with enotheralcoholc nstoad! ‘And special note re: God...per the Big Book page 46 ‘Much to our oli, wo ciscovered we dd not have fo consider anothor's concept of God. Our own conception, however Jnadequete, was sufficient to make the approach and to affect @ contact with him... us, he Realm ofthe Spr is brood, ‘roomy and al inclusive.When you want the food, ss MY WA’ ‘What do you want ood wo gve ‘The Basic Need ‘Whats going on in your ie that you need | Waydoyounceatnarr | 200? Tao Conon ater Conan awe Comin es ‘Socal Need esd on Beemer lew anny ‘Confort 2 Secu eed 2 apa tha Tee ot happen 2 Tan io"eheckow” Reh 2 Set Need” 2 Need conor Pon Good ution st cove heer ax etic posible): Ned tm afro Chap ¢of the Dest and hat woul happen that did no happen? Tesh pose 2-8, 2 andr would happen ht happened? dnd wha would hppen ‘ten? (ary thou far ao ean) + fad he rl tat ipo your fe? ‘and ey thet important? + What do you want to have happen? And hat cameo pss how ould your fe be eifrent? And wy that omportan? + Ok and what est goingom in adtion tothe? 2 “Anda ele? (cay each concern ota far as you can) AN ALTERNATIVE WAY...ASKING GOD TO MEET THE NEED: "Te Baie Need “The Slaton The Ret The Outcome Tell God what you need ‘ASK him to meet he need (ugeston: don't! him wha todo: let hi decide) Walt and se what he does Trelis We God I wan ot de fod Page 2When I drive my car, 1 cannot physically tell when my automobile needs fuel. The only guide I have is the fuel gauge, that tells me when I’m on Empty. In the same way, given my disease, often don’t know when I am emotionally, spiritually or physically running on Empty. Often, the only guide I have is a sudden craving for food, However, if 'm honest, open minded and willing to listen, can use that craving as a signal that I have some need that is not being met. And when I start to see that I have a need, Tam reminded (because I forget all the time!) that only God is able to meet my needs. And so I stop and ask God to meet my needs, and he always says to me with love, “Pve been here all along, just waiting for you to as! And then I can let go of the food, And grab hold of God. Page 3Roberta's Vegetable Preparation Notes July 24, 2010 Parboiled Vegetables Spinach (Other Mise, Greens Eggplant Lettuce 6-12 Brussels Sprouts 2 big bags of Spinach ‘Kale and/or 1-2 Medium Eggplant, diced | Leafy green lettuce 1-2 Rutabegs, diced Collards andlor 23 Brooeol Heads (uncut) Chard, ete 2.3 Yellow Squash, sliced into chunks ‘One large pot, with ‘4 inch of water: “The same large pot (2"¥use): | The same large pot (3 use): | One medium Teflon pot (no | - Wash the lettuce = add Brussels Sprous, and cook | - Putbothbags ofSpinach | - Rinsethe greens frst | lor water = Spinit dry ‘tithe Ed or overBigh beat for | into the lege pot with’ | ~ Purthen into the pot with | ~ Putthe Eggplant intothe | . Chop it into small 3 minutes ined of water Corea ot, put hed on, and pes = add the diced Rutabaga, putthe | - Putthelidon, and cook |. put te id on, and cook ‘ook over medium heat lid back on, and cook for another | over high head for 6 ‘over high eat for 10 for 20-25 minutes 3 minutes minutes minutes = Stir every 10 minutes or = add the Broccoli Heads, putthe | - Stir once (at around 4 2 cae 0 Tid back on and cook for another | minutes) + When done, remove from Smits — When cook suis outhe. | ~ eat and eal add Yeow Squash, pttte | 1 hen cool aus outhe |. Chopin sl pees bck on and cook for another |” atr ike «sponge 5 minutes oe = Chop ito small pieces © Remove stems fom Brussels Sprouts, and ceutinto quarters © CutBroccol into bit sized chunks Large Tupperware # Small Tupperware #2 Medium Tupperware #3 | Medium Tupperware #4 “Als add to this Large Tupperware bow! the following raw vegetables: 1 diced carrot 3 diced celery stalks 2 diced parsnips 1 chopped English Cucumber 14 diced red onion Page 4