Literature Tools & Concepts Writing Voices of Recovery By admin Posted on September 1, 2017 3 min read 1 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr OA literature plays a large part in my recovery from compulsive eating. We’ve made many changes, and helping with the development of Voices of Recovery connected me with OA members around the world. It was my chance to express myself through writing and to read other members’ ideas. Creation of this publication started in 1998, when members were asked to use their favorite quote from OA-approved literature and write about their experiences in two hundred words or less. (Quotes from literature not created by the Overeaters Anonymous Fellowship were not allowed for reasons of copyright protection.) The OA Conference Literature Committee sorted and voted on all submissions. It took many hours and plenty of direction from Higher Power to choose among them—Voices of Recovery contains 366 writings, one for each day of the year and one extra for leap year. Final choices were arranged in the book in no special order, but often it seems that the daily entry message is just right for the time. It is amazing how it speaks to me. Many times, in meetings, a member will say, “How did they know me so well?” That is the remarkable way our OA program works. We compulsive eaters have so much in common. Unity with diversity is evident in our literature. One part of the Voices of Recovery manuscript had been overlooked: an index. When the book was brought to the World Service Business Conference for approval, the acceptance vote stipulated that an index be included. The final product has a thorough index, which allows readers to focus on a specific topic. The Voices of Recovery index is a wonderful resource for leading an OA meeting! Voices of Recovery was created using Overeaters Anonymous Tools: writing, literature, anonymity, and service. Now, members use it in meetings, as part of sponsorship, on the telephone, with their plans of eating, and in their action plans. OA members wrote it for people to learn from the experiences of others who have been there. What better way is there to develop a book for our Fellowship? — Barbara
