Service Tools & Concepts Growth and Security In The Twelve Concepts of OA Service under Concept Twelve, it reads: “The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that . . . b) sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle” (p. 13). I see a connection between that and a result of my having worked Step Nine and making financial amends, which is that … Read More
Higher Power Instant Gratification It was Saturday night, and I was on my own. I was driving home to have my dinner, but I was accompanied by plenty of thoughts about food and finding a way to have just a little something sweet. After I got home and ate, I brushed my teeth and left my house to meet some friends at a social … Read More
Sponsoring Tools & Concepts Key to Accountability It took me thirty years to get a sponsor—really. That’s how hardheaded and faithless I am. But when I finally did surrender to having a sponsor, it made all the difference. I finally was accountable; but more than that, I had a guide, a friend, and a sounding board. My recovery grew exponentially, so much so that I even took … Read More
Steps Traditions Trigger Food Taboo Q. Why is mentioning a specific food or restaurant considered a trigger in an OA meeting? Is there an official OA stance on this subject? A. OA does not have an official stance, and mentioning or not mentioning trigger foods is not addressed in OA literature. Tradition Four gives groups the autonomy to make this decision for themselves, but the … Read More
Ask-It Basket What is the source of the OA Promise? I haven’t been able to find it in the OA Twelve and Twelve or Overeaters Anonymous, Third Edition. The OA Promise, which begins “I put my hand in yours,” first appeared in 1968 in the booklet titled I Put My Hand in Yours. Written during a time of intense growth in the Fellowship, the booklet was essentially the first OA … Read More