Anorexia & Bulimia Don’t Do It Alone I am a lifer. My disease is such that I can never leave OA. I spent a lifetime struggling to control my food and body, and t…
Abstinence Six Courses of Abstinence The first thing I did as a member of Overeaters Anonymous on a path to abstinent eating was to divide all foods into two gro…
Abstinence How I Work It—Today In 2003, I was in my 30s and I couldn’t stop bingeing. In spite of the fat, depression, headaches, stomachaches, diarrhea, a…
Meetings Still Possible When I started going to meetings years ago, I went to face-to-face meetings. I thought attending face-to-face meetings each …
Abstinence Percentage, Not Perfection When I joined OA, my first struggle was to understand what “abstinence” meant. Oh, sure, I read the definition and understoo…
Literature Lifeline Makes a Meeting Recently I went to visit a meeting to bring flyers, newsletters, and other materials from our intergroup. When I arrived, I …
Steps Mopping Up Mistakes Step Nine Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Almost no o…
Literature A Story and a Sign I was in a situation recently where I was required to wait patiently (not my strong suit); I got out an old Lifeline to help…
Steps Step Seven Save My favorites among the literature are The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous and the AA Twelve and T…
Service Carried to My Clinic This year, I decided to donate a subscription of Lifeline to my health clinic. Last year, most of our groups each donated a …
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