Here I sit, self-quarantined in the middle of a viral pandemic after returning home from the teeming petri dishes of an airport and airplane. I’ve been advised to stay put for two weeks, which is just as well since some of my meetings are closed indefinitely. So, what’s a compulsive overeater to do? Isolate? I think not. Last time I …

I see that I have been going through the motions, paying lip service to the program and making contact with HP in a superficial way. When I ask, “What is distracting me?” I am thankful for the awareness God gives me. The answer? “Nothing!” In this moment, I realize that what I have been labeling “worldly distractions” is actually me …

There are so many ways to give service in OA and pay forward all we have so freely received. Not all forms of service require years of commitment or abstinence. Will service make you abstinent? No, unfortunately, it is not a magic cure. But it is one of the Tools you can use to work the Steps. Members can give …

Here is what has helped me get abstinent: Planning out my food for the next twenty-four hours and making my lunch and snack night before. Making a commitment to my OA sponsor (by phone or email) of what I will eat for the next twenty-four hours. If I need to change it, I call her ahead of time. Being rigorously …

I am a compulsive overeater. I have been abstinent in Overeaters Anonymous for over twenty-five years by the grace of God, the patience of sponsors, the kindness of friends, and the consistency of meetings. I use the Tools, work the Steps and try to the best of my ability to practice the Principles of this program in all my affairs. As …

My action plan is a prescription for recovery from my food addiction: Eat three moderate, weighed-and measured meals Pray morning, day, night, and as needed Connect daily with my sponsor and OA friends Attend two to three face-to-face OA meetings a week Read OA-approved literature and other recovery and spiritual books two to three times a day, or more as …

I’ve had personality conflicts in the past. Once, I was chairing my home group’s business meeting, and it was not clear how the meeting should be conducted. A couple of people criticized me because I was not using Robert’s Rules of Order. I was not familiar with them. I asked if anyone would like to take over, but no one …

I had wanted to give service in any way I could. When there were no abstinent people available for a position on the intergroup board for our region, I offered to take up a position that I had thought I could do. I did not think my attention deficit disorder would be a problem, because I knew how to write …

Recently, my schedule changed, so I had to change my weekly attendance to a different OA meeting. Sadly, the new meeting has been disappointing. The turnout is rarely more than five or six people. Sometimes, only two are there to get the meeting started, and several members show up late. This type of behavior in recovery is disturbing to me …

Attending meetings, listening, and sharing struggles is a program requirement that works for my recovery. Undeniably, however, I am an introverted person. I have always been uncomfortable in groups in which I do not play a clear role as a provider of service. I had a vital role to play at work each day for forty-two years. Service is in …