Sponsoring Tools & Concepts When a Sponsor Stumbles I found OA in 2000 after a car accident left me in severe pain and unable to work. My mother died in the same year. We had a…
Sponsoring Tools & Concepts Abstinent, Loving Witness Active addiction leads to denial, and asking more of a sponsee than I do myself is a red flag. Stinking thinking says my ext…
Service Tools & Concepts A New Focus Whenever I went to my Tuesday night meeting, I noticed my sponsor talking with newcomers. He greeted them when they came in …
Higher Power Spirituality Honest to God Surrender is such a simple yet profound concept. When thought about, it seems so impossible and distant, yet when practiced,…
Service Tools & Concepts Turning the Key I give service for many reasons. My sponsor tells me to do it so I can remain abstinent. I do it to show others it’s not tha…
Service Tools & Concepts Making Connections It’s as simple as this: I settled for food. To block the pain of my love starved existence, I used food and sugar until my c…
Service Tools & Concepts Wondrous Experiences I write this with mixed feelings because by the time this is published, I will have stepped down not only as chair but also …
Steps Traditions Transformational Awakening What is a spiritual awakening? How do we get it? If it is the result of working the Twelve Steps, that means we have to work…
Steps Reading the Steps Aloud Q. As a recovering anorexic/bulimic, I’ve been encouraged over the past thirty years by the addition of more inclusive wordi…
Steps Traditions Memorializing OA Members Our OA literature reminds us that nothing in life is permanent. Change is natural and can involve losses, including the ulti…
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