Service Tools & Concepts Inexpensive Message I’ve found it useful to think about the groups of people I associate with and consider what I’ve done lately to be of service to them. Family, religious groups, Twelve Step groups, neighbors, friends, and volunteer site workers are some of the categories of people in this inventory. A recent look at my activities showed that I wasn’t doing much … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Lessons from the Fellowship My recent service as Virtual Services Trustee has taught me about: balance between service to others and self-care, the importance of what is good for OA as a whole instead of what I prefer personally, accepting help and direction and not taking it as criticism, how much there is to know and how little I do know, grounding my ideas … Read More
Fellowship Recovery On Voting and the Traditions Is it a Tradition break that only trusted servants can vote? Our Second Tradition says, “All those who considers themselves a group member are welcome to speak or vote. To exclude some from speaking or voting on decisions for the group denies them effective membership in the group.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. … Read More
Steps Try Attraction “No-Apologies ‘Carefrontration’” (May/ June 2019, pp. 8–9) gave me pause, such that I reread it several times. I found the approach a bit troubling. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to make another person become abstinent. I don’t believe that is what the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts of OA Service tell me to do. Step One … Read More
Steps Traditions Self-Supporting through Service I sometimes use an image to explain the concept of OA groups being self-supporting. I draw a giant circle and label it “Everyone in OA.” Then I draw eleven large circles within the giant circle and label these “Regions” (there are ten land-based and one virtual). I zoom in on my own Region Four circle and draw sixteen little circles … Read More
Service Chatting with Churches Regarding our primary purpose, my OA group reached out to all Milwaukee-area churches where OA meetings are held. First, I called every location and told the secretaries I was sending a thank-you letter to the church leader and an announcement for their bulletin. They sounded very pleased; many gave me their email addresses. If our announcement was approved, it could … Read More
Steps Tools & Concepts Traditions Acceptance Without Issue During any political election, I am especially thankful for OA’s Tradition Ten: “Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues.” I know I can go to a meeting and no one will talk about the candidates or the issues. I am very aware that some members are strongly supporting a policy that is different than mine. At other occasions outside … Read More
Steps Traditions Saying the Words Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Most days, I take personal inventory at the end of the day. It helps me sleep. I inventory fears, resentments, and stressful thoughts and beliefs. Wrongs seem to stem from those. I also list gratitudes, but not the things I think I should be grateful for. … Read More
Steps Traditions Imagine If Tradtion Nine: OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. Tradition Nine is kind of buried, and it seems like one of those boring maxims about how we set up shop. Yeah, yeah, so we can have an intergroup and world service, isn’t that special . . … Read More
Uncategorized Reframing the Puzzle Some of my worst character defects come out when I’m at work. As a perfectionist, I worry that I’ll make a mistake, but I also worry that I work too slowly. So I end up anxiously trying to find that perfect balance between checking everything again and again and finishing quickly. When asked to review the work of others, my … Read More