Newcomers Comfort and Support There I was, alone, scared, and miserable on a Wednesday morning, approaching the church where the OA meeting was held. I wa…
Newcomers First Glimpse As a newcomer to OA, I was helped most by seeing how genuinely happy and pleased the other group members were to have me joi…
Newcomers Tiger-Free For me, some of the sayings of OA turned out to be myths. Myth 1: “We have to walk the tiger three times a day and put it ba…
Working the Program Caring is the Key I have developed a repertoire of activities I can engage in instead of eating compulsively. My overeating often stemmed from…
Working the Program Working Lessons Thirty-one months after my first OA meeting I still feel very much an OA baby, if not a newcomer any longer. I remember vivi…
Relapse Slipping & Sliding Newly Willing I joined OA in January 2016. Though I consistently attended meetings, I could not get more than four months of continuous ab…
Service Service Center I have been abstinent now seven and a half years, and service has given me so many blessings. Here are just a few: Service g…
Working the Program Giving Service, Receiving Help I am a compulsive eater who arrived in OA six years ago and has been in continuous abstinence ever since. I maintain a weigh…
Steps Fear Removal I must confess: After nearly three years in this program, Step Three is the one I’ve struggled with most. Naturally, that’s …
How OA Changed My Life The Antidote “Well?! Are you?” asked a raspy, aggressive voice. Even though the woman stood about two feet shorter than me, I took a step…
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