Unity, Community, and Recovery

The OA-HOW structured meeting format says to avoid sharing with others the names of anyone who sponsors me or whom I sponsor. I avoid discussing with third parties particular identifying details of what other OA members share with me unless the member has given me permission to do so. If another member begins to mention in casual conversation an OA member who is not present, I ask them to stop so that we avoid gossip or the potential for gossip.

In my experience, members sharing about other members seems to happen frequently, albeit with innocence and lack of malice. In these instances, I still ask members to stop sharing about others so that we avoid the appearance of gossip, unintentional harm to members who thought what they shared was being held in confidence, or opening the door to gossip and distraction from OA recovery practices in the future.

Sharing personal information related to OA service is different than naming members in personal conversations. Sharing general contact information for Twelfth Step outreach is needed so that we can maintain contact with each other and reach out to other members.

Practicing anonymity has trained me to be disciplined about information sharing. For me, this has made observing patient privacy while working in healthcare easier to understand and follow than it would have been without my OA training.

Practicing anonymity in OA lets me be one among many without fear of being judged socially or slipping into belittling or alienating others, including other OA members whom I need to be with in order to recover to the maximum extent possible. Practicing anonymity helps me support unity, community, and recovery for all compulsive eaters. These values are imperative both for the OA Fellowship and my social and emotional growth at work, home, and in the community.

— Anonymous