I confess that service was never the first option for me. I went to meetings to vent my sorrows and problems, to be heard in silence, to receive hugs, and to put the minimum in the bag—to stay lean, leave OA, and never ask for help again. When the leader asked if somebody could do a certain service, I didn’t …

Q. I am an OA member who has embraced a specific way of eating. My current sponsor suggested I try to find a sponsor who may be more familiar with this particular way of eating because she is not familiar with it and wants me to get the most out of the program and a sponsor. Do you have any …

When I was an OA newcomer, I had no success trying to find a sponsor. I went to three or four meetings a week, and at every meeting, I wrote in the book I was looking for a sponsor. No one offered to sponsor me. Out of desperation I called the intergroup, which provided me with a temporary Step sponsor. …

I am grateful for my wonderful sponsor—that’s what this is about. But first, I have to point out that we are not all alike, and the longer we are in OA the less alike we become. What is so wonderful about my sponsor is that she is a good listener. It is very hard to be a sponsor who really …

One of the things available today is the vigorous online Fellowship. I was unable to attend face-to-face meetings for my first two years in OA, but I found an abstinent sponsor online who guided me through the Steps to abstinence and recovery. Because she lived in a different country, we only had one phone call for Step Five, but we …

Eight weeks ago, I attended my first OA meeting. I’d researched OA and vaguely knew about a concept of abstinence, but that was about it. After a bit more reading, another meeting, and devouring the Big Book and Twelve and Twelve, I realized I urgently needed a sponsor. After all, on reading the Twelve and Twelve, it seemed I was …

I found OA in 2000 after a car accident left me in severe pain and unable to work. My mother died in the same year. We had a troubled, difficult relationship, and I feel sad she died before I came into recovery and realized I loved her. At that time I was 238 pounds (108 kg) and a size 22. …

Active addiction leads to denial, and asking more of a sponsee than I do myself is a red flag. Stinking thinking says my extra weight doesn’t count because I carry it so well. Without abstinence, serenity eludes me, and I’m in bondage to self, reactive and thin skinned about feedback or comments. Boundaries get lost in a food fog, and …

Whenever I went to my Tuesday night meeting, I noticed my sponsor talking with newcomers. He greeted them when they came in the door and sought their reactions after the meeting. I was amazed anyone could be so invested in helping others. I wanted the kind of recovery my sponsor had, so I also began to focus on newcomers. I …

I give service for many reasons. My sponsor tells me to do it so I can remain abstinent. I do it to show others it’s not that difficult or scary. The position I was most afraid of was group treasurer. I never liked dealing with money, so I knew it was important for my recovery and my growth to take …