Diversity Newcomers What OA Is Not I realize after six months in OA that when I ate in the past, I was searching for the good feelings I had as a child. I remember happy family gatherings centered on food: family reunion picnics, camping trip cookouts, holidays, and celebrations. The fun and happiness had disappeared from my life. Why? I ate the same foods as I had … Read More
Traditions Suggestions for Tradition Five Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose— to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers. Tradition Five is clearly stated. It’s the follow-up question that’s important: how are we supposed to do that? Here are some suggestions: Attend meetings regularly and participate by sharing and helping out when you can. Read OA literature and the … Read More
Recovery Relationships Family Dinner The clarity of abstinence illuminates my relationships with a more accurate light. My past behaviors require me now to demonstrate a willingness to be flexible and show my family, friends, and associates I’m different inside as well as outside. Here’s a specific example of how practicing the Steps in all my affairs has created a new normal in my life. … Read More
Steps Hard, Healing, Emotional Work Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. I recently finished Step Five with my sponsor. I’ve done a Step Five before, but it’s been over a year since my last one. This time it was hard. Really hard. Those of us who have done a Step Five recall the … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Reliance, Not Defiance When I came into Overeaters Anonymous almost twenty-one years ago, I came for a diet. I needed to lose a lot of weight and keep it off! Countless doctors had assured me of the dire necessity of this; plus, my weight was impeding my interactions with my husband, children, friends, and professional life. What I didn’t think I needed was … Read More
Tools & Concepts Sustaining Actions Working my program by attending special-topic meetings that use the OA-HOW meeting format has taught me how to create an action plan. I’ve also developed the muscle to sustain it and the self-discipline to follow it. Here are ten things that help me work my action plan: Remember abstinence. Abstinence is the most important thing in my life without exception. … Read More
Tools & Concepts Thought, Preparing for Action Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. When I first joined Overeaters Anonymous, the first three Steps annoyed and frustrated me. What were these Steps that could not be proven with any tangible evidence? I wanted to be writing my inventory in Step Four so … Read More
Recovery Relationships To Love and Be Loved Ten things that help me most in achieving serenity: Step One. I admit I’m powerless—over food and other people (their emotional well-being and their opinion of me). I’m powerless over war, famine, poverty, natural disasters—powerless over everything outside myself, and a lot of what’s inside too. Action plan. My action plan includes morning exercise and meditation. When I wake up, … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World As Written and with Urgency I am nine months into recovery in OA and more happy, joyous, and free than I could ever have imagined. And I do mean ever. My heart bursts with the love I have found for my HP through working the program as written. Yet, at the same time, I am almost crying with pain. It’s pain not unlike the pain … Read More
Traditions Business Plan It was the end of the month, so I attended business meetings for the two groups I regularly attend. Business meetings can be challenging because we all care about our meetings but often have different perspectives and opinions. When a sensitive issue affecting the group is on the agenda, the discussion can become intense. I have an action plan for … Read More
