Atheists & Agnostics Peaceful Progress Other people’s opinions are none of my business. Since learning to live in recovery, I have accepted the truth of this, but …
Diversity Knit Together I recently finished knitting a hat for my sponsor. It’s a “dancing ladies hat,” an old Norwegian pattern with ladies kicking…
Traditions Course to Consensus We may be a group of abstinent and recovering compulsive overeaters, but our individual defects seem to be quick to surface …
Fellowship Let's Meet at Convention Powerful Surprise About 1,200 OA members from around the world met in early September to celebrate recovery with four days of festivities in B…
Fellowship Unity Day Symbol of Support This is my third Unity Day, and I’ve been in OA three years. I attend at least two meetings a week, and Unity Day adds a goo…
Steps Powering Through Came to believe in a Power greater than myself—that’s where I got stuck. I couldn’t get past me. I was all wrapped up in my …
Steps First Love I’m in love! I’ve been in love for almost twenty years now. I’m in love with the First Step! While others may find comfort i…
Service Once I’ve Started I have been in program for twenty-seven years. When it comes to using a food plan, I used to have rules for what to eat, wha…
How OA Changed My Life Happy Camper I was two years into recovery when my partner and I packed up our car with abstinent food, my food scale, an air mattress, t…
Recovery Rescue Work In my professional life, I am a medical doctor with a PhD. Don’t ask me how I managed—I don’t know how, considering all the …
How OA Changed My Life Recovery True Freedom When a fellow OA member suggested I reflect on what true freedom looks like for me, I discovered I could probably write a book. Before OA, I truly felt I already had it in the form of a solid career, … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality Stepping-Stones, Nuggets, and Gems Spirituality is the solution to our problem of powerlessness, and we find this solution in the Twelve Step program of recovery. I’ve experienced three stepping-stones in this process: Amen, Amends, Am… Read More
The Road Narrows 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 … Read More
Share It: Powerful Shares, Joyful Reading, Pages and Prayers Powerful Shares I wanted to share how sad I am to hear about the discontinuation of Lifeline. It has literally been a lifeline to me. I am one of the ones who answered your 2018 subscription appeal, and I recently renewed my subscription and will cherish every last issue. Thank you for the articles about “The Joys of Retreats and … Read More
Recovery Beyond Measure In a few days, I will celebrate thirty-eight years of recovery in OA. Today my goal is health, sanity, and wellness, not a size 8. Physically, my body has been a normal size for many years. G-d has removed the compulsion for what I call “the hard stuff”—the stuff you see at the grocery checkout counter. I have reached a … Read More