Literature Tools & Concepts Recharging with a Good Read I carry Lifeline with me to medical appointments. I get so much out of the stories; I feel relaxed and don’t notice the time. I get into the stories and keep my mind off the other people in the room. I used to think about what the doctor’s staff should or shouldn’t do. Reading about recovery keeps me out of … Read More
Tools & Concepts Writing Sharing on Paper When I came into OA in the mid-1970s, sponsors gave their sponsees assignments or topics to write about. They encouraged sponsees to read at meetings to help the newcomer open up and share in front of the group. Today if we write something—trace it, face it, and erase it—and our sponsors ask us to share it, why not submit it … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Three Words I am alive. When I reflect on the mistakes I’ve made, I realize how lucky I am to be alive: I seem to find balance when I least anticipate it, through luck and working the Twelve Steps. Perhaps that’s because coincidence is simply Higher Power being anonymous. One way to accept that I’m fully alive is by understanding that I … 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
Steps Traditions Skye’s No-Limit Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. As a compulsive eater, I need to ask my Higher Power to guide every aspect of my life. The littlest thing can easily tip me off-balance. Lately, my home renovations resulted in impulsive online purchases. I’ve been asking God for … Read More
Steps Priceless Peace Before I was halfway through my Ninth Step, I experienced, as the Big Book promises, a new freedom I’d never dreamed was possible: “Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th. ed., p. 84). I was free from the fear of financial insecurity. The feeling was new and odd. Much of my life had been … Read More
Steps Mopping Up Mistakes Step Nine Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Almost no one looks forward to doing Step Nine, yet it plays such an important part in any recovery that goes beyond weight loss. Two experiences showed me the advantage of working this Step with a sponsor. Whenever I reviewed … Read More
Traditions All In Charge Tradition Nine OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. It took me a while to become comfortable with Tradition Nine. To my ordered, rule-oriented mind, Tradition Nine felt a little loosey-goosey. Who’s in charge? How do we get anything done? Who makes the decisions? These were … Read More
Traditions Tradition 9: Alive and Well Our group has no government, no permanent officeholders, no small committee that runs everything, and no authorities. Instead, we encourage rotation of service for all offices. Our longest-term members are not even informal leaders. Instead, they are only members among members. (Sometimes longtimers’ perspectives make them more sensitive to Tradition breaks than newer members, but we are all encouraged to … Read More
Steps Step 9: Honest Effort In one of my meetings this week, we were asked to respond to a question from the Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous regarding Step Nine. I chose “What is the purpose of Step Nine?” (p. 65). I completed my first Step Nine amends the first year I joined OA, but I never fully answered all the questions in the … Read More