Diversity Newcomers One Meeting A light bulb went on in my head. I got it! After reading the Twelve Steps, I realized my stress and my worries were causing …
Steps Step 4: Searching Out Shame In OA, we rely strongly on AA literature, and we are truly blessed to have it. I am infinitely grateful to AA and its founde…
Newcomers Responsibility Pledge Newcomer Welcome Team Finally, my schedule allows me to go to the best meeting in town. I’m about to browse the literature table when I see a larg…
Relapse Relapse & Recovery The Choices We Make I have experienced the 100-pounder (45-kg) status twice: first as a newcomer, and three years later after a six-month relaps…
Recovery I’m Not Doing It At times I suffer fear: Will I be successful at weight loss? Perhaps I have a diet mentality. During these times, I must rem…
Relapse Relapse & Recovery Greater Than Myself I began the most recent chapter of my OA journey by facing the futility of a sixteen-year relapse. I admired nothing about m…
Higher Power Facing Temptation I am a compulsive overeater recovering a day at a time in OA, down 86 pounds (39 kg) and abstinent for almost ten years by t…
Recovery Body Talk After being abstinent for a few years and keeping off 75 pounds (34 kg), I have a special Eighth Step amends to make— an ame…
Recovery Get Out There Stand-up comedians tell jokes about the fat guy in a tiny swimsuit at the beach or park. But a powerful lesson exists there.…
Higher Power Mirror Image “The main problem . . . centers in his mind, rather than in his body” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 23). Ever since I c…
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