I had never led a retreat by myself and worried I’d come off as unprepared and not able to give anything to the group. I worried that I’d get lost, miss the ferry, get carjacked, or hit a moose. I was crossing into Canada—aren’t moose everywhere? I was at a retreat two years before where a woman in the audience …

One of my favorite OA literature quotes is from the chapter on Step Three in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition: “Once we compulsive overeaters truly take the third step, we cannot fail to recover” (p. 23). I find it a promise on par with any other; however, I understand that promise in the context …

My personal first spiritual experience was my first weight loss in OA. I came in because of desperation and rage. My family was crazy (so was I), and I had nowhere else to go. I had just been on a fast of water and diet soda, but when I weighed myself, I had gained ten pounds. I felt empty and …

I have been maintaining an abstinent weight of 125 pounds (57 kg) since September 2015. My early life was what I’d call a perfect breeding ground for addiction: I grew up in an alcoholic home full of insanity, loud arguments that got my heart pounding, shame, abandonment, and no talk of a Higher Power at all. I remained hyper vigilant, turning …

I feel really connected to my God most of the time. And every so often, out of the blue, I get a message that moves my program and my recovery forward in leaps and bounds. It happened again yesterday while I was attending a marathon. At one point, we were invited to do an activity. On half a page, we …

Editors note: Below are two world service contributions from OA members in support of our Strategic Plan. When I first came to OA in 2005 at 275 pounds (125 kg), I thought I had the God thing down. Others might have trouble with the concept, but I had spent years studying theology, was working as a religious professional, and was …

My twenty-ninth birthday in OA is approaching, and it is cause for renewed reflection about my program. I spoke to my sponsor a week ago and mentioned to her that I was thinking of not taking a candle this year. Other OA members on their birthdays pitch about life changes: weddings, kids, jobs, financial gain, or acquisition of cars. I …

I have had a spiritual awakening as a result of working the Steps while being abstinent one day at a time. I know this because I am much different today than when I was either trying to control the food or else stuffing my face. The Big Book refers often to a spiritual experience or spiritual awakening; for me, that …

I am a completely different person today than when I came into food recovery in 2011. I think I am different on a cellular level. Why? Because I am no longer absorbed in food thoughts. My life for decades was directed by whether and what to eat. These thoughts occupied many hours each day! But until I came to OA …

Step Eleven—Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out. At a recent meeting, the topic for sharing was “What Step has been the most meaningful in your recovery?” As you can imagine, a dozen members presented a dozen …