Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Now I’m Learning I came into OA four years ago already knowing that the Twelve Steps work. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict, and not dr…
Sponsoring Tools & Concepts Life Gets Easier I was talking to my sponsee the other day. Just writing that sentence is a revelation—me, a sponsor? That’s something I thou…
Recovery Working the Program I Stayed Abstinent A favorite OA phrase of mine is “willing to go to any length” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 58). Practicing this has he…
Recovery Relationships Apply Love “What we do have to offer is . . . a Fellowship in which we find and share the healing power of love” (The Twelve Steps and …
Recovery Working the Program Shipwreck Survivor When I was growing up, I had a lot of emotions to deal with. I never learned good coping skills, so I handled situations by …
Relapse Twelfth Step Within Twelfth Step Share It was 4 p.m., and I was experiencing food cravings. What to do? The Big Book instructed me to throw myself into helping oth…
Tools & Concepts Writing Work the Workbook Prior to May 1979, I was unhappy, overweight, and miserable. I ate to console myself, and things got worse with every binge.…
Relapse Slipping & Sliding A Slow Surrender I am powerless over compulsive overeating and abstinent since September 13, 2014, by the grace of God. I joined AA on March …
Atheists & Agnostics Feeling Supported Longtimers used to say, “Either you’ll get the God-thing, or you’ll put a gun in your mouth.” At a recent meeting, some men …
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Guilt Free Freedom from the guilt of overeating—what a concept! Before OA, guilt wrenched me. It was my fault I was fat and unable to d…
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