Honesty

"Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But, I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives...will degenerate into ugliness and chaos" (Gordon B. Hinckley, "We Believe in Being Honest," Ensign, Oct. 1990,2).

The Recovery Book asks, "Write about ways you have lied and attempted to hide your addiction from yourself and others. How has this behavior caused "ugliness and chaos"?

How Have I Lied and Attempted to Hide My Addictions?
1. Hidden food - i.e. frosting bowls beneath my bed, candy bars in quantity eaten and trashed wrappers before anyone could see, fast food stops eaten in the car and wrappers trashed.
2. Quanitity - i.e. letting the numbers of our household seem responsible for eating the pan of brownies, the ice cream, the loaf of bread, the last of the lasagna. Or sneaking the chocolate macadamia caramel clusters, or the ice cream cones.
3. No eating in public or smaller portions than I would normally consume

This behavior has led to my morbid obesity, my hypertension, my joints disintegrating, my lack of self esteem, my not liking to shop for clothes, not dressing well, for my feeling of worry that I'll have to explain my gluttony, money problems, continued feelings that I can delay the consequences of my behavior as long as I don't get caught.