Tradition 8: Labor of Love

I remember when I was new to OA. I sat with my first sponsor, going over my journaling on Step One. It took quite a bit of time, and I couldn’t believe how patiently my sponsor sat there, listening. She wasn’t giving advice. Periodically she shared her experience, strength, and hope, but mostly, she just offered the gift of understanding. I was amazed that I wasn’t paying her! She accepted me even though we had only known each other for a short while. She even said I was helping her.

The gift of sponsorship is so powerful because it is given freely—no strings attached. Now I get to pass it on and do the same for others. I always enjoy seeing my sponsees’ faces when I tell them they are actually helping me more than I am helping them.

The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous tells me “In OA, we learn to give our loving support to others freely, without trying to advise people or change them; nor do we look to others to work our program for us” (p. 175). Service is its own reward. Even if we are experts (counselors, ministers, dietitians, authors) outside the rooms of OA, we only share our experience, strength, and hope. Even someone who has long-term abstinence is not an OA expert; experience has shown that everyone suffers in the long run when recovery “gurus” exist.

OA may (and does) employ special workers. These employees help manage the business aspect of OA when the job is too big for volunteers. These employees may or may not be members. Effective workers are appreciated because they help OA grow stronger, but their duties are entirely business-related.

No member is ever paid for Twelve Step service. Just as the OA Twelve and Twelve says, “When we keep OA’s eighth tradition, we discover a beautiful spirit of caring service . . . we can each turn to the one next to us and say truthfully from the heart, ‘I put my hand in yours because I care’” (p. 176).

— Edited and reprinted from OA Today newsletter, St. Louis Bi-State Area Intergroup, August 2014