The Four Legacies of Processed Food Anonymous

The P.F.A.’s four legacies – recovery, unity, service and love were conceptualised from the diamond shape of the P.F.A. logo and represent P.F.A.’s vision – a global presence in the four corners of the world: North, South, East and West. These four legacies are all encompassing of P.F.A.’s 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts and are founded from the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), an instrument that was spiritually formed on the kinship of common suffering and social action. Likewise, P.F.A.’s legacies are also founded on a social movement that continues to pioneer the recovery from processed food addiction, that hitherto continues to be one of the greatest public health debates of the 21st Century.

Our four legacies were formed from our past experience, strength and hope with the vision to continually pave the way for those that have not yet found a solution. ‘Together We Can’… the tagline of P.F.A.’s four legacies (proposed and adopted at P.F.A.G.S. mtg. #10, 4/5 Feb. 2022) it is imperative that one must have an understanding of what our four legacies mean. That is, to be part of the many opportunities to do service, unite with each other, recover together, and experience the love we have for each other which exudes from the Higher Presence that presides over us all. In our fifth year of carrying ‘the’ message, and our second P.F.A. World Service Conference, these four legacies are presented to the fellowship of P.F.A. ever reminding us of the responsibility for P.F.A.’s growth is based firmly upon spiritual principles – one day at a time.

  1. RECOVERY

RECOVERY is our first legacy of the four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of P.F.A. This legacy bears witness to our own personal journey – from the depths of despair to a life better than we could have imagined or hoped for.

What is recovery? Primarily it is weighted on acceptance to one’s inner most self of having suffered from the disease of processed food addiction. In other words, we all experience the mental twist and the physical allergy; typically, our lives become unmanageable. In the context of P.F.A., the journey of recovery begins by primarily swallowing and digesting the somewhat unpalatable truth of being a ‘real’ processed food addict. That is, having suffered from a mental obsession so subtly powerful that no amount of willpower, or human power, could change our predicament we finally found ourselves in. This is closely followed by an insatiable physical allergy of the body to go on ingesting to the point of destroying our own lives; ultimately, leading to self-destruction which goes contrary to our human nature for survival. Any illusion or subliminal preconceived notion that one day we will be like other people, has to be destroyed.

At last, enslaved by the tremendous pounding administered by processed food, we walk through a one-way door of desperation, conceiving the much-needed open mindedness for the grace of God to expel such a fatal obsession. Self-preservation provides the essential catalyst for us to cooperate unconditionally with our Makers desire to free us from our self-inflicted bondages. Leading to the ultimate recovery, we surrender our old way of life to a new life – a life of freedom –  we no longer need to or want to ingest processed food – at long last, we are restored to sanity.

Self-searching underpins our continued recovery paths as we find out how our instincts for survival were barely functioning under the influence of processed food, leading to our emotional deformities. The path to contented and sustained abstinence hinges on our willingness to seek the removal of these defects, akin to seeking restoration to sanity from our disease of processed food addiction. Recovery in its entirety would not suffice unless we come to terms with forgiveness of people, institutions or principles who block us off from the sunlight of our Inner Spirit. Thus, walking this far over the Bridge of Hope towards the desired shore of faith we begin to experience some of the promises of this journey becoming a reality in our lives – we start to comprehend the meaning of the words awe-inspiring, unbelievable, wonderful, marvellous, supernatural and  miraculous which blessedly compels us to keep on going.

We now find ourselves prospering and  flourishing as we endeavour to live our newfound spiritual way of life under all conditions. We start to really know the meaning of ‘But for the Grace of God go I’ in all areas of our lives. And, not to lose sight of this fact, ‘recovery continues to breed up among us a fellowship bound together by an invisible language of our hearts, a language of love like no other’ as only we know what it took to escape such a fatal malady and what it takes to keep what we have – fundamentally, we must give it away. To be gifted with such a precious gift ‘recovery from the fatal disease of processed food addiction’ it is just as imperative we continue to keep our own houses in order. This we do as we all join together to practice the 12 spiritual principles in every facet of our lives.

Our first legacy brings us grave responsibility; fortunately, in recovery we come to find we have great faith too. Recovery boiled down is when one processed food addict talks to another that the seed of hope is planted. Yes indeed, we need other processed food addicts, just as much as other processed food addicts need us. This mutual ‘give-and-take’ ‘take-and-give’ is at the very heart of all of P.F.A.’s carrying the message of ‘recovery’ to the next suffering processed food addict. For this ‘we are’ responsible…

“I am responsible when anyone, anywhere reaches out for help –

 I want the hand of P.F.A. always to be there. And for that I am responsible.”

  1. UNITY

UNITY is the second legacy of the four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of P.F.A. Simply, processed food threatens the individual, but we know that it cannot destroy our common welfare. If we cannot recover together in unity, our fellowship dies, and we may die along with it. Closely following off the back of P.F.A.’s first legacy ‘recovery’, a discovery is made – that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a P.F.A. group. A lone member maybe isolated at sea, in a solitary vocation or kept separated by a global pandemic but notably, this is only a physical separation. We of P.F.A. are privy to understanding our separation at that moment is purely physical, and that we know our ‘mates’ may be as close as our next layover. More importantly, we are certain that God’s grace is just as much with us wherever we are as with our fellows back at home.

The 21st Century Society we live in today appears to have so many problems which either stem from or are exacerbated by ‘lack of unity’ – but not so with our fellowship. Here, in P.F.A., we experience that special quality that makes our Fellowship so unique – it is the seal that holds our society together.  Hence making ‘Unity’ our second precious legacy, we are reminded of how important unity is to our fellowship. Fostering unity in these unprecedented times brings its own challenges. However, wisdom and experience demonstrates that as we work and live the 12 spiritual principles, as well as continue to gain a greater understanding of the spirit of P.F.A.’s 12 Traditions and as we all come together and practice the principles of our 12 spiritual Concepts both within and outside of our P.F.A. life, we all will be doing our part in fostering unity and so help ensure the future of P.F.A… Simple, but not easy…

From P.F.A.’s inception, wisdom tells us that P.F.A. is something exceptional when it comes to a solution to sustained recovery from processed food addiction however, it is also something that can be lost if we don’t remain unified in purpose. Tradition 1, “OUR common welfare should come first,” is a stark realisation for the self-centred processed food addict, and yet over time we come to understand the absolute gift we receive in being a small part of a greater whole; we are no longer square pegs in round holes as we begin to experience the feeling of belonging. It is a bond fashioned out of our shared experience and it is critical for us if we hope to experience continued abstinence and a contented useful life – a new life where the promises of our program come into fruition. Not one soul is ever in charge or no one person makes any decisions solely for P.F.A. as a whole. Unity is presented in every facet of the P.F.A. structure. We ALL come together whether it be at a group, G.S.R., or World Service level. Unified decisions are made as we allow God to speak through our group conscience.

The long form of P.F.A.’s Tradition 1 states:

“Each member of Processed Food Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. P.F.A, must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence, our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows closely afterwards.”

With that being said, we in Processed Food Anonymous are brought together by a common bond. We were suffering in pain and were desperate for a new way of life. In P.F.A. we unite as a whole, work the 12 Steps, then the 12 Traditions and finally the 12 Concepts; soon enough we discover this new way of life fosters a desire to learn how P.F.A. functions and continues to survive which is through nothing more than unity. At this point in time, our desire for service festers and we look for opportunities to give back. We volunteer to do our small but rather significant role in service – our third precious legacy.

  1. SERVICE

SERVICE is our third cherished legacy of the four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of P.F.A. It is the instrumental tool for spiritual maintenance. Just as the aim of each P.F.A. member is to experience continued abstinence brought about by treating one’s disease and practicing living a spiritual program of recovery on a daily basis, the aim of our third legacy ‘service’ is to bring contented abstinence whilst familiarising  P.F.A. members as a whole with P.F.A.’s 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts. Ultimately, service aims to bring within its reach all who want to be a part of our wonderful fellowship.

While P.F.A. has to function, it must at the same time avoid wealth, prestige, and power, the three great dangers which necessarily tempt nearly all human societies. P.F.A. is a society without organisation, animated only by the spirit of service – a true fellowship. If nobody did the groups’ chores, if the area’s phone rang or message banks were unanswered, if we did not reply to our emails, then P.F.A. as we know it would stop. Our communication lines with those who need our help would be broken. Therefore it is now clear that we ought never to name boards to govern us. It is equally clear however, that we shall always need to authorise workers to serve us. Here we discriminate between the spirit of vested authority and the spirit of service, concepts which are sometimes poles apart. It is in this spirit of service that we elect the P.F.A. groups informal rotating committees, the intergroup associations of the area, and the General Service Conference for P.F.A. as a whole. Our Trustees started out as independent bodies however today they are directly accountable to our fellowship. They are the caretakers and expediters of our world services.

How much territory does a service action take in?

The answer is simple: P.F.A. service is anything or whatever legitimately helps us to reach our fellow sufferers. As we have seen, the 12th step call – sharing one’s recovery message is one of the greatest of P.F.A. services. However, the publicity that caused the prospect to get in touch with us, the car we rode in, the petrol we paid for, and the bottles of water we bought her, all of these aids were necessary to make our call possible and effective. And this is only the start. Our services involve meeting places, hospital co-operation, ingroup offices, and literature distribution – pamphlets and books. Services can require committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. They include small voluntary money contributions so that the group , the area, and P.F.A. as a whole can function. They range all the way from the greeter at the P.F.A. meeting to P.F.A.’s general service headquarters for national and international action. The sum of all these services is our third legacy. Such services are utterly necessary to P.F.A.’s existence and growth. Yearning for simplicity, we often wonder if we could not do away with many of P.F.A.’s present services. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have no bother, no politics, no expense, and no responsibility? But this is only a dream about simplicity; it would not be simplicity – in fact, without its essential services, P.F.A. would soon become a formless, confused, and irresponsible anarchy.

Regarding any particular service, we need to ask only one question. Is this service really needed? If it is not, then let it be eliminated. But if it is needed – then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who want and seek P.F.A. In our infancy and over the last five years, we have been working towards trying to determine which services were needed. What is the test of  P.F.A. service? Whether it is a book, a newsletter i.e., P.F.A. VOICE, a translation, a service conference, or a 5th anniversary convention, the principle is the same; the test is identical: do we need this particular service or do we not? This is the only question. The answer is as simple as:

The  P.F.A. PRINCIPLES OF SERVICE: ( Expressed in the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions)

Each P.F.A  group has but one primary purpose–– to carry its message to the P.F.A. who still suffers.

Every P.F.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting.

Processed food anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional.

P.F.A. as such ought never be organised, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

We try to carry this message to processed food addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

  1. LOVE

LOVE is P.F.A.’s fourth invaluable legacy of the four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of P.F.A. One Universe, One Fellowship, One Voice – from our Heart of Hearts… Love. We started out from our predecessors expressing one of the four absolutes of recovery in the early years  being ‘love’.  We have each experienced in our own right P.F.A.’s great disciplinarians, that being great suffering and great love – we have no others…

The 12 Steps themselves are the essence of P.F.A. They are the tried-and-true directions providing members a path to lasting abstinence, ultimately coming to a place to understand they are being Intrinsically guided toward a new way of life. Love expresses itself in many forms in the fellowship of P.F.A. and without love – an inner empathy and compassion, there would be no place for the sick and suffering processed food addict; in essence there would be no P.F.A.

We primarily experience love as we share our stories of experience, strength and hope – carrying the message of recovery. This message we got to experience and pass onto others stems from the unconditional love we all received from our Higher Power, God. Without His love there would not be a message of recovery, there would be no sustained recovery,  there would be a loveless society. There is no message to carry if it is not nurtured by love – giving of our precious time to another; listening and identifying as we gain their confidence – a language of ‘love’ that only another processed food addict can understand. Our fellowship is in principle a life-giving, therapeutic circuit of love embedded in the unconditional love of God’s creation and His people by way of availing ourselves of His love for us.

A loving God ‘speaks’ to us in many languages, in many cultures, and via a myriad of spiritual channels. The expression, ‘God as I understand Him’ is perhaps the most important expression of love breathed into those of us who in the beginning were quite wary of how we could possibly love and be loved. Within the scope of these five spiritually significant words is the inclusion of a multitudinous degree of faith, together with the positive assurance that each of us may start off with our own conception of faith, no matter how limited it is. Some of us have crossed over to the shore of faith by the valuable supplemental expressions of God – a Higher Power, a Power greater than ourselves, the Great Reality, Creative Intelligence, Spirit of the Universe, Supreme Being and the like. And yet for those who deny or earnestly doubt a deity, these expressions are the well-trodden footpath alongside many roads that help the unbeliever take their first simple step into a reality. A reality previously unknown; the realm of faith which brings about another tightly concealed offspring of faith – the inner connection of love; first for each other, then for ourselves and finally we come to experience and know for a fact that central to our lives today is the total assurance we feel an inner light beginning to shine from within us, which is accompanied by serendipitous life changes. This is the miracle of it all –  something we hope others do not miss out on.

Lest we forget where we have come from physically, mentally, and spiritually; we suffered greatly from the horrific lashings that processed food bestowed on us, many times contrary to our will. Then the mental torture set in…leaving us to suffer from a supersensitiveness that never seemed to leave us; feelings of inferiority which were inflated by our childish demands whilst advancing in us the insatiable, abnormal craving of self-approval, self-control and success in the eyes of all we came into contact with. Seen in this light, powerless and finally desperate, it is no wonder we who had so many problems which were multiplying daily in those last weeks and months of a deep and seemingly bottomless chasm – whether ingesting or not, sought help from those who understood our plight. Once again, reiterating the glue that bound us together in our first days of hope and the unusual experience of being loved and accepted unconditionally, we come full circle, as now our lives illuminate a dimension of living, which will forever be underpinned by our fourth most treasured legacy, love.

Taken together, the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts of P.F.A. embody what we are now presenting here today. Processed food anonymous’ four legacies, recovery, unity, service and love. Today, the fellowship of P.F.A.’s greatest responsibility by far is to continue to pass on these four legacies in the name of one processed food addict helping another processed food addict to receive our most treasured gift – a fellowship anchored in a Higher Power – God – lovingly protecting us as He keeps the mental obsession and physical allergy at bay, one day at a time.

Together we can…