Honest Effort
Sander did not work Step Nine fully the first time around. But the second time, he learned how Step Nine can remove the guilt and other feelings that had been triggering him to eat.
Readings
Tradition Nine: Alive and Well
How do you know if Tradition Nine is being practiced in your group? One OA member offers a number of ways to tell.
Tradition Seven: Strive to Give
“I took on service tasks to learn them,” Cindy says, ”not because I was already an expert, and taking on those risks taught me faith, trust, and new skills.”
Try Writing
Once Donna understood that writing to Lifeline helps others, she was able to overcome fear of not being good enough, a fear that was keeping her in her disease of compulsive eating.
Something Like Physics
In “Something Like Physics,” Mercy F. shares her journey in Overeaters Anonymous as an atheist who finds strength in spiritual practices without a traditional Higher Power, embracing instead the principles of Good Orderly Direction and “doing the next right thing.”
Many Forms
“As an atheist with a spiritual life, I’ve learned to embrace acceptance and the diverse spiritual paths within Overeaters Anonymous, choosing practices from various traditions that help me live in harmony without imposing one ‘right’ way to believe.”
I’m Not God
“The speaker’s words, ‘I lost a whole person,’ struck me deeply, pushing me to finally confront my own struggles with food and find a path to lasting recovery through OA.”
An Atheist in OA
In “An Atheist in OA,” the author shares their experience of finding spiritual recovery within Overeaters Anonymous without belief in a supernatural God, advocating for inclusivity and understanding toward those with differing spiritual views.
Making OA More Accessible
“In 2019, an atheist/agnostic Overeaters Anonymous meeting was founded in Bethesda, Maryland, with the aim of making OA more accessible to those with unconventional beliefs, offering a space where all members—believers and non-believers alike—can find support in their recovery journey.”