Service Tools & Concepts Vast Benefits When I walked into my first intergroup meeting in 2003, my presence increased the size of the entire intergroup by 33 percent. Only three members in the entire area fellowship were attempting to serve all of the meetings and a few hundred OA members! Only three! They traveled up to 40 miles (64 km) one way to attend intergroup meetings. … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts A Better, Fuller Life Over the years, I’ve held a lot of service positions and learned so much in each one. For me, the rewards of service are many, including self-confidence, people skills, and friendships, not to mention the fact that honoring a service commitment has sometimes been the only thing that has kept me coming back. Recently, I’ve experienced unexpected perks from my … Read More
Diversity Newcomers Search Support It was May of 2015, and I was up 30 pounds (14 kg) after a yearlong sugar binge. Although I’d been on a constant roller coaster of losing and gaining, this was the biggest weight gain I’d experienced in seven years. It was also the low point when I began to realize my powerlessness over food. I had not yet … Read More
How OA Changed My Life Recovery Balance in the Middle I showed up at my first OA meeting because I was exhausted from trying unsuccessfully to break the cycle of bingeing on sweets, feeling awful about my behavior and myself, restricting and exercising to compensate for bingeing, weighing myself often, and eventually bingeing on sweets again regardless of the number on the scale. I ate to comfort myself when I … Read More
Diversity Newcomers My Providential Blurt As I sat across from my doctor and focused on entering my next appointment into my phone, another part of my mind took over my tongue. “I’ve been gaining weight since I moved here last year. Can you give me some advice?” For several months I’d been dithering about asking her for help. Now I felt shock—and immediate relief. She … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts Don’t Disappear Last year, I reflected on whether I should run for another term as intergroup chair. Because of work and family commitments, I felt I was not as effective in the last term as I could have been. It was the second time I had served as an intergroup chair in my twenty-five years in OA. I wondered if I should … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World Prayer Positions I came to OA seventeen years ago this week. I’m deeply grateful to my Higher Power, who gave me the gift of the program and the willingness to keep coming back. I live in a small community in the hills, and my choice of meetings is very restricted, so I find myself listening to podcasts—often! Many thanks to all those members … Read More
Service Tools & Concepts For Others and For Me Service is a big part of my recovery. My disease is one of isolation, and selfishness is a character defect of mine. By giving service, I am forced to interact with others and become selfless. I do things for others without expecting anything in return. It’s a whole new concept for me, doing favors with no strings attached! I started … Read More
Diversity Recovery Around the World A (Virtual) Place to Serve I love service! I do! One of the things I love most is helping people make new connections. In 2016, the World Service Business Conference made changes to OA’s Statement on Public Media, allowing us to carry the message in new places and spaces around the world, and I jumped in with both feet by creating not one, but two … Read More
Meetings Tools & Concepts One More Tool I have been abstinent from bulimia for eleven years and abstinent from anorexia for ten years. I access the oa.org website to learn about all types of meetings so I can participate. Relying on the fact that I have choices about face-to-face, phone, and online meetings helps my recovery because I know I can use that meeting Tool and be of … Read More