Service Doctor’s Reasons In Dr. Bob’s Nightmare (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., pp. 171– 181), Dr. Bob states four reasons for passing on what he has learned to others who badly want recovery. Among them is a sense of duty: “I am paying my debt to the man who took time to pass it on to me” (p.181). Because I had sponsors who gave … Read More
Traditions Get Together I had a wonderful experience with some fellow OA members recently. We showed up at our meeting place and could not get in. The door had a timer lock with no key, and it did not open. How is this wonderful? I’m getting to that. We waited ten minutes after the meeting start time, then decided to head to a … Read More
Service Face Time I went to a meeting the other day and was walking in with a friend (we squeaked in barely on time) when I noticed, down the hall, someone sitting alone. I asked, “Are you looking for OA?” The answer was yes. The newcomer had never been to that particular meeting before. I had just gotten the meeting started when two … Read More
Responsibility Pledge A Token of My Esteem To me, our Responsibility Pledge in OA means more than an arrangement to do something. In Spanish, the word ‘compromiso’ (commitment) can also mean ‘pledge’ or ‘token.’ A pledge is a thing that is given as security, a guarantee of completion; it is liable to forfeiture in any case of non-completion. From OA, I received an awareness of abstinence and … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Dishing Up for Others Holidays have always been a difficult time in my family. My earliest holiday memories revolve around eating very large quantities of food. I still remember the treats my mother bought and hid in the dishwasher so my father wouldn’t find them and confront her. Sometimes it is hard to unlearn habits that date back to childhood, but I have discovered it’s … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Holiday Tools I am a grateful compulsive overeater, abstinent since I walked through the doors of OA fourteen years ago. Thank you, God! I am maintaining a 33–35 pound (15–16 kg) weight loss, one day at a time. I have greater emotional and spiritual fitness than when I came. I live a life that is happy, joyous, and free; it’s a miracle … Read More
Relapse Family Practice In a dictionary, “family” can be defined in several ways: people occupying the same house, relatives, a tribe or clan, or a group sharing common features. Metaphorically speaking, we all belong to the “House of OA.” We all are related through the disease of compulsive eating. A thesaurus may compare “family” to a fellowship or group that is close, friendly, … Read More
Abstinence Good IDEA International Day Experiencing Abstinence takes place the third Saturday of every November, i.e., right before the amateur overeating season known as “the holidays.” Last year on IDEA Day, ten people braved their way through a snowstorm to hear about ideas valuable to abstinence. (Quoted material below is from Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed.) Compulsive eating is a disease, not a moral … Read More
Fellowship Working Through I’m one of those compulsive eaters with a wide experience of diets and other weight-control alternatives. For more than thirty years, I would do everything I could to lose weight and was successful in almost 90 percent of my attempts. It was wonderful—for a short time. I’d get new, smaller clothes, compliments, and the clear sensation of having settled all … Read More
Service Card-Carrying Member The number of members in Overeaters Anonymous is small compared with the number of members in Alcoholics Anonymous, but OA is as valuable a program for compulsive overeaters as AA is for alcoholics. I have been in Overeaters Anonymous since January 1987. I entered the program weighing 193 pounds (88 kg) and have maintained a weight loss of slightly more … Read More