Focus on Unity

I have been a member of Overeaters Anonymous since the early 1980s. I have attended OA meetings in the US states of Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Maryland and in the country of Israel. There are many differences among these places—in cultures, geographies, and customs. But at every meeting, parts or all of the Steps were read and parts or all of the Traditions were read. In the hundreds of times I’ve heard them, the Steps and Traditions have been worded the same way, based on the fought-for, hard-won experiences of Alcoholics Anonymous members and our early founders.

I was able to go into meetings with the healthy expectation that the Steps and Traditions would be mentioned, and they were. In every location, I found loving people who shared their experience, strength, and hope, maybe in different accents, but always with sincerity and honesty. I received hugs, support, and love—the universal language of recovery. These experiences are so important to me because there are many things that could divide us in OA—how to work the program, the best food plan, definitions of terms, and differing ideas of a Higher Power. I can easily argue about any of these, however, as an OA member I must focus on what unites me with other people in the Fellowship—our shared disease of compulsive overeating in its many forms and our shared recovery based on the Twelve Steps. As a group member, I must focus on the Twelve Traditions and not let my overreaching self-will try to take over.

After all, OA saved my life—without it, I would surely die. Our unity, however imperfect, will help to ensure that we can, together, continue to “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 164).

— Alecia R., Delmar, Maryland USA