Service Supersized Recovery By kmcguire@oa.org Posted on October 1, 2020 3 min read 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr I recently heard in a meeting, “I don’t want to be just a survivor, I want to be a thriver.” I thought that was a great way to look at recovery, so I, too, want to be a thriver. I am so, so grateful for how the program works in my life and the lives of people I love. I am grateful that one of the Tools of Recovery is service. Why? Because I love doing service in OA. I love the connections with other recovering people. I love that it’s an opportunity for me to give back a portion of what has been so freely given to me. I’m grateful that doing service at the region level gets me out of my comfort zone and into the world of OA recovery at large. I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know their stories, getting to hear other speakers and leaders in OA, and getting to help support the groups and intergroups that need it most. It is so important to reach out to them by bringing new ideas for meetings, marathons, workshops, and retreats. This service taps into the creative part of me that I don’t get to use often enough, and it generates new energy for me and my program so I can carry that energy back to my home intergroup and share it here. Recently, one region chair shared the theme “Supersize your recovery with mindful service.” I’m supersizing my recovery this year by giving service at the intergroup and region levels. I am committed to staying in the program and not just hanging out around it. I am being mindful when I keep my focus on the task of carrying the message to the person who still suffers both inside these rooms and outside. I am a grateful, thriving, recovering compulsive overeater. — Edited and reprinted from The Reach Out newsletter, San Diego County Intergroup, May 2010