“For me, Convention was a badly needed ‘shot in the arm,’“ says one OA member from Alaska who traveed to Boston for the 2016 World Servcie Convention. “It’s the most amazing feeling to say ‘I put my hand in yours . . .’ and be standing in a circle of over a thousand people.”
“My heart was so full,” says Anonymous after attending a World Service Convention, ”that I wanted to share that weekend’s experience, strength, and hope with anyone who would listen. . . . It actually helped change my life.”
“I felt so terrible about myself, but I kept coming back to OA,” says Jo H. from California USA. “There was someting inside me that told me “No matter what, go to meetings, be of service, and ask God for guidance, whether abstinent or not.”
“My world was very small,” says Bonita, “but as I got involved with service in the program, I heard that OA was worldwide. The World Service Convention has been a great part of my world expanding.”
“There’s just something special about being at Convention,” says Hanna. “It’s seeing the people that gets me most excited . . . There’s never an awkward moment, and it never feels stressful the way it can be when seeing family members or non-program friends after a few years.”
E.C.’s has persisted in OA for more than 20 years, and the inevitable result is abstinence from compulsive overeating and a strong program of recovery.
A collection of inspiring speeches given by OA’s founder Rozanne S. at World Service Business Conferences in 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001.
Cyndy, compulsive eater, and Meg, food and sugar addict, host this workshop on Step Twelve: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” This workshop includes great shares about the value of giving service.
OA’s Ninth Tradition shone brightly during the pandemic when local service bodies suddenly found themselves serving OA members from around the world.
Before OA, food ruled Dodie’s every waking moment, even from a very early age. In college, Dodie weighed 215 pounds (97.5 kg) and felt trapped in ugliness. When she realized she had a problem with food, she found OA, and now maintains a 85-pound (38.5-kg) weight loss.