lifeline Literature Thick and Thin Dear Lifeline, Thank you for being my steadfast companion over the decades and for being there for me through thick and thin. I’ve spent many happy times with you, and I will miss you! — Elaine (more…) Read More
lifeline Literature Some Sadness I am sitting at home on a beautiful, sunny day, yet I’m feeling a little sadness in my heart as I write my farewell message to Lifeline magazine. I’ve been a subscriber for most of my thirty-six years in program. I still have some of the older copies, but I will admit the look and graphics used in recent years … Read More
lifeline Literature My Life Jacket I would like to explain how Lifeline has supported my recovery. For me, Lifeline has been an important part of the Tool of literature. Its small size has made it very convenient to carry in my purse or suitcase, and it has been very convenient to use. I almost always have one in the car to read while I am waiting. … Read More
Fellowship Literature Literature Prices and Postage I’m a member of a virtual group, and neither my current hometown nor the place I’m planning to move to has an OA presence. My virtual meeting doesn’t have literature for sale. For every bit of literature I own, I have paid exorbitant prices and postage. I understand that service offices need to cover the cost of printing, but an OA pamphlet that has … Read More
Relationships Steps Start with Forgiveness When we approach Step Nine, how often have we heard the suggestion to put ourselves at the top of the list? When we first hear this, it is usually very difficult. We have forever been putting ourselves at the bottom of the list and now folks are saying to put ourselves at the top? Scary! But so important! How can … Read More
Fellowship Awesome Silver Linings I am grateful for the coronavirus. No, thank God, I have not had it, and I know it has caused a lot of suffering, but I’m still grateful. Why? There are silver linings for every cloud. One of them was a recovery event put on in April by the Los Angeles Intergroup of Overeaters Anonymous that they called “Quarantine and … Read More
Gratitude lifeline Share It Grateful Today I wanted to write this weeks ago, and now with all that’s changed and slowed down in the world, I can do service and write. May all of you be well and cared for. In “Send Us Your Stories” in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue, one of the topics listed was “Breaking and Mending Relationships.” I must say, when I first … Read More
Relationships Steps The Underwear Amends Many times in the OA rooms, I’d heard people talk about putting themselves at the top of the list when beginning their Ninth Step amends. People said they’d punished, neglected, or mistreated themselves at least as much as they did anyone else, so self-amends were in order. I listened, but I just didn’t get it. Oh, I could run a … Read More
Atheists & Agnostics Traditions Realigned by a Few Tenths There are problems faced by OA members who do not practice a dogma-based spirituality. These problems could be eliminated by restating certain Steps and Traditions to align with Tradition Ten. In OA, I was constantly being told: living within ethical and moral principles can only occur within dogma-based spiritual practices. spirituality is only expressed by belief in a singular and … Read More
Relationships Sponsoring Steps A Possible and Promising Step I dreaded the Ninth Step more than any of the others, even the Fourth and Fifth Steps. I’ve always envied those who seem to lead fairly normal lives, doing no more than a minimal amount of damage as they went along. I’m not one of those. My selfishness and self-centeredness knew no limits. Everywhere I went, everything I participated in, … Read More