Tools & Concepts Building Blocks My “home” has been under renovation for the past sixty-five years. When I first walked into OA rooms in 1977, my home was ma…
How OA Changed My Life I’ve Learned In OA, I’ve learned I don’t have all the answers. I can depend on God. I’ve learned food will never meet any need other than…
How OA Changed My Life Simple, Powerful Acts Since arriving in the OA rooms, I have a new understanding of forgiving myself and others. OA does not say I must be good or…
Working the Program Keep Pedaling When I was young, learning to ride a bicycle seemed like a monumental task—exciting, but difficult to learn. I wanted to do …
Working the Program My Way Didn’t Work “Just put down the food and you’ll recover”—that simply didn’t make sense to me. If I could just do that, I wouldn’t be in O…
Higher Power Act As If What kind of a fool do you think I am? What’s the point of praying to God? But you say I need do no more than “act as if,” a…
Higher Power New Resonance When I first came to OA, I was aware the Twelve Steps required belief in a Higher Power, but I felt spiritually broken after…
Traditions What Price Freedom? I remember my last binge very clearly. I called my local OA office that night, and I will never forget the woman I spoke to …
Steps How I Ask The Seventh Step is one of the most important in my recovery. Every Step is crucial, of course, but Step Seven holds a speci…
How OA Changed My Life Better Now I have changed my focus: I used to say to myself, when I was about to overeat, “This will add half a pound (.2 kg) to my wei…
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