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
The Sunlight of the Spirit When I began to explore ideas of a Power greater than myself, I readily conceded that nature is majestic—I often found peace among the redwood trees or in the Pacific surf—but praying to nature didn’t work for me. Then, in the quiet of meditation, I recalled a childhood memory: calling ‘God’ the beauty of the sun’s rays peeking through rainclouds. There … Read More
