Sponsoring Tools & Concepts I’ve Decided to Sponsor I have been attending OA for about nine or ten months. Coming into my first meeting, I did have some idea of what to expect;…
Anorexia & Bulimia Diversity Sticking with It When I joined OA twenty years ago, I wasn’t interested in physical recovery. I needed help with my out-of-control emotions a…
Meetings Tools & Concepts Attractive Basics The first OA meeting I attended had all the elements of a strong meeting, and it still does seventeen years later. I continu…
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Three Words I am alive. When I reflect on the mistakes I’ve made, I realize how lucky I am to be alive: I seem to find balance when I le…
Ask-It Basket Alternative to “Abstinence” I object to the word “abstinence” in the OA pamphlet A Commitment to Abstinence. Alcoholics abstain from booze or they don’t…
Meetings Tools & Concepts The Regulars We call ourselves “The Regulars,” although there’s nothing regular about any of us, except this: we keep coming back to our …
Steps Traditions When Desire Works Tradition Three works. I believe the best way to show it is to share what I was shown when I first arrived in OA. All I want…
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Life Transformed OA not only changed my life but this recovery program also gave me a life worth living. Before I became abstinent from sugar…
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Work-World Recovery Two years ago, I was hired to work as a workshop leader at a treatment and rehabilitation facility in California, so I trave…
Meetings Tools & Concepts Scripting Strength About ten years ago, my home meeting was dealing with talkative, unruly, and sensitive newcomers. The meeting was beginning …
How OA Changed My Life Recovery True Freedom When a fellow OA member suggested I reflect on what true freedom looks like for me, I discovered I could probably write a book. Before OA, I truly felt I already had it in the form of a solid career, … Read More
Higher Power Spirituality Stepping-Stones, Nuggets, and Gems Spirituality is the solution to our problem of powerlessness, and we find this solution in the Twelve Step program of recovery. I’ve experienced three stepping-stones in this process: Amen, Amends, Am… Read More
The Road Narrows My twenty-ninth birthday in OA is approaching, and it is cause for renewed reflection about my program. I spoke to my sponsor a week ago and mentioned to her that I was thinking of not taking a candle this year. Other OA members on their birthdays pitch about life changes: weddings, kids, jobs, financial gain, or acquisition of cars. I … Read More
Share It: Powerful Shares, Joyful Reading, Pages and Prayers Powerful Shares I wanted to share how sad I am to hear about the discontinuation of Lifeline. It has literally been a lifeline to me. I am one of the ones who answered your 2018 subscription appeal, and I recently renewed my subscription and will cherish every last issue. Thank you for the articles about “The Joys of Retreats and … Read More
Recovery Beyond Measure In a few days, I will celebrate thirty-eight years of recovery in OA. Today my goal is health, sanity, and wellness, not a size 8. Physically, my body has been a normal size for many years. G-d has removed the compulsion for what I call “the hard stuff”—the stuff you see at the grocery checkout counter. I have reached a … Read More