Service Growing Gratitude “Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see fellows…
Higher Power Spirituality Willing Release In the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous it says, “No man, we saw, could believe in God and defy Hi…
Diversity Newcomers Give Love A Chance When I attended my first OA meeting, I was beyond nervous, and I was overwhelmed with debilitating shame. Overweight since a…
Traditions Tradition 6: Simplicity With money, property, or prestige comes responsibility. We already have enough responsibility. When anyone, anywhere, reache…
Steps Step 6: Wishy-Washy I recently had to change out my dishwasher. That doesn’t seem like a big thing, but I put it off as long as I could. I used …
Steps Step 5: Seeing My Part When I arrived in OA, I was full of anger, resentment, blame, guilt, and a lot of other negative emotions. When someone did …
Responsibility Pledge A Hand Up When I reflect on my life before I embraced recovery in Overeaters Anonymous, I can only describe it as a vast, dark, dry, s…
Service Travel Treat Traveling to the OA Region One Assembly was a perfect opportunity for me to practice navigating an airport without compulsiv…
Service Food Processor This morning I was struck by the thought that preparation is a key element in my plan of eating and has a significant place …
Service The Difference That Satisfies Sometimes it’s quite hard to see the difference between a plan of eating, which says what I’m going to eat and in what quant…
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