How OA Changed My Life Recovery What Matters I am a compulsive overeater, and I have a disease. Over the years, I have often heard that it is cunning, baffling, and powerful. I just started my 43rd year in Overeaters Anonymous, and I would not trade my life today for any other. When I came into program, I immediately got a sponsor and did what she said to … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Giving and Living When I arrived at my first OA meeting in August 1999, a member greeted me at the door. When I walked into the meeting room, I saw OA literature laid out on the table. One woman sat and talked to me until the meeting started. The meeting started promptly and everyone paid attention to the meeting leader, who shared her … Read More
Steps Traditions Stepping Up to Recovery I cannot believe I have been abstinent long enough to have made it to Step Twelve. When I first came to this program, I would not have thought my life would be as it is now. It is very different. I am more open to life and active in it. The spiritual awakening I have experienced involves knowing I am … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Keeping Focused I am grateful for sixteen years and six months of abstinence, by the grace of God and this Fellowship. It is a gift to serve as a sponsor and see sponsees go through the Twelve Steps to find abstinent, sane lives. Sponsoring helps me take the focus off my problems (a divorce, move, and new job), which could lead to … Read More
Sponsoring Tools & Concepts Little Voice Said 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 … Read More
Sponsoring Tools & Concepts When a Sponsor Stumbles 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. … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Turning the Key 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 … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Making Connections It’s as simple as this: I settled for food. To block the pain of my love starved existence, I used food and sugar until my carefully constructed façade of beautiful well-being began to bloat from the excesses I needed to eat to feel safe. But I had to do something to keep from losing my looks, the one thing that … Read More
Higher Power Actions That Help I came into program pretty mad at an HP who seemed not to care about me and let all the bad things happen both to me and in the world. When I started working Step Two, my Step work started demonstrating to me how limited my belief was. I began to explore and experience something greater than my limited imagination. … Read More
Relapse Relapse & Recovery One Thing I Did Right I’m sorry to say I’ve had many relapses during my twenty-two years in program. But the last five years have been much better: back-to-back abstinence based on putting together a program that uses all the OA elements. My program reminds me of my first relapse, how I got into it and how I got out. I had come into OA … Read More
