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.
Kathleen’s binge eating and low self-esteem made her ill and unable to hold a job. She was in the midst of bingeing and counting calories when she heard on the radio a public service announcement about Overeaters Anonymous. When she attended her first meeting, someone told her “You’re not alone anymore,” and that was enough to give her hope and start her on her recovery journey.
“We are all dependent on each other for our shared welfare,” says one OA member. “You came with a commitment to love me until I learned to love myself. Because I owe you for that love and acceptance, I get the work done that needs to be done.”
“I cannot believe I have been abstinent long enough to have made it to Step Twelve,” says Michele. “When I first came to this program, I would not have thought my life would be as it is now.” What changed for Michele? Read the story to find out!
This OA member explains how service can be “an incredible learning experience” and ”a great gift,” even when giving service means working with others who have differing opinions about what is best for OA as a whole.
Cynthia explains how the different perspectives in Lifeline can broaden one’s recovery and offer opportunities to give service.
Join Tina from Massachusetts USA in reflecting on this question: What if everyone in OA took on one more sponsee and did a little more service? Let’s commit to developing a Fellowship beyond our wildest dreams!
When we pass the basket, we call it “the Seventh Tradition” because it represents how we feel about being self-supportinga. It’s more than a donation. It’s a barometer of our gratitude and our personal investment in our recovery.
We can better appreciate Tradition Nine by imagining if OA was organized by VIPs and from the top down.
A sponsee overflows with gratitude to her sponsor. Read this wonderful poem by Catherine W. from Minnesota USA. “Finally,” she says, ”I am not alone with my fear and grief.”