Traditions What We Have in Common Tradition Three: The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. When I first came into OA, almost thirty years and 200 pounds (91 kg) ago, I heard Tradition Three and had mixed feelings. First of all, I felt so low I wasn’t sure I wanted to be part of a club that would have me … Read More
Recovery Together We Get Better When I walked through the doors of my first OA meeting I was skeptical, anxious, and ashamed. I circled the room awkwardly, found a seat, and plastered a fake smile on my face. I felt resigned that I’d finally hit such a low bottom and this was the last hope for me. But I thought that if I just tried … Read More
Newcomers To Newcomers, with Love OA has many sayings One says, “Welcome Home” Before you leave, we want you to know You don’t have to go it alone We’ve sat where you are We’ve been where you’ve been We know the same pain We, too, longed to be thin We learned to trust others To share hope and strength When we finally decided To go … Read More
Recovery Relationships Team Effort I just returned from the last professional car race of the season. Gosh, no more racing for a while! I look forward to the weekends and car racing, but I will have to be content with American football until racing resumes. You’re probably thinking, “What’s the big deal about racing? A bunch of cars go fast around a track.” But … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Focus on Unity I have been a member of Overeaters Anonymous since the early 1980s. I have attended OA meetings in the US states of Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Maryland and in the country of Israel. There are many differences among these places—in cultures, geographies, and customs. But at every meeting, parts or all of the Steps were read and parts or … Read More
Recovery Relationships Finally Understood In May 2015, I was up 30 pounds (14 kg) from a yearlong sugar binge. Though I had been on a constant roller-coaster of losing and gaining, this was the highest weight gain I had experienced in seven years. It was at this low point that I first began to realize my powerlessness over food. I had not yet found … Read More
Recovery Around the World Beauty and Worth I came into the rooms of OA in September of 2009. My husband and I were going to New Zealand in 2010 and my pride and ego could not face returning there while I weighed more than 280 pounds (127 kg). Nothing I had ever tried before worked for very long, but then I overheard a woman sharing her message … Read More
Meetings Still Possible When I started going to meetings years ago, I went to face-to-face meetings. I thought attending face-to-face meetings each week was the only way I could work program. However, in the past two years I have struggled with health issues, making weekly attendance at face-to-face meetings impossible. During this time, I discovered new ways to work my OA program. Now, … Read More
Literature Lifeline Makes a Meeting Recently I went to visit a meeting to bring flyers, newsletters, and other materials from our intergroup. When I arrived, I couldn’t find the meeting or the members. They had been denied access to their regular meeting space because the facility was hosting another event. I found them huddled around a table in the rear of the dining room. Although … Read More
Tools & Concepts Strength of Ten By the grace of God, working the Steps and using the Tools, I have been free from the compulsion to overeat for four years, one day at a time. And I would like to keep it that way. Recently, I was traveling: I went through seven time zones, which challenged my routine. I know this is a program of action … Read More
