Service Between Steps One and Twelve When it comes to service and footwork for OA, I rarely say no when I’m asked to do a job, unless I have a good reason. I have started meetings, held meetings in my home, provided childcare, and been the literature person, secretary, treasurer, intergroup rep, WSBC delegate, and contact person. I’ve gone to the intergroup office for needed materials, … Read More
Traditions Responsible Acceptance At first, the Traditions had little meaning to me. At the place and time I attended meetings, the Traditions were not emphasized, so I pretty much ignored them. Oh, sure, I finally saw that the Traditions kept groups functioning, but they still didn’t mean much to me personally. My responsibility seemed to be the Steps. When I started to wake up … Read More
Traditions Service and Belonging Our First Tradition states, “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity.” To be part of this whole, to belong, my piece of the puzzle is service. The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous states: “We need daily opportunities to be of service to other compulsive overeaters, opportunities which the OA group provides” (p. … Read More
Fellowship Tools & Concepts Be a Coach! The word “sponsorship” has connotations in the outside world that do not fit my understanding of being an OA sponsor. For example, in immigration, a sponsor is legally responsible for a person entering a new country; there could exist a patriarchal implication that the sponsor is somehow superior to the sponsee. The word “sponsor” seems to confuse OA members more than … Read More
