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January 2012 Lifeline L ifeline A Meeting on the Go A ction Plan P rogram Saved My Life

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Page 1: Lifeline Jan12

J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2

LifelineLifelineA Meeting on the Go

A ct ion Plan

P rogram Saved My Li fe

Page 2: Lifeline Jan12

STAFFTerry Stuart Publications ManagerKathleen Bougère Periodicals Editor/ Designer/PhotographerChristine Fredriksen Associate Editor/IllustratorMary Young Publications Assistant

Please direct submissions toLifeline, PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174-4020 USA, or email [email protected]

Overeaters Anonymous Preamble

Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recov-ering from compulsive overeating. We welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively. There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. OA is not affiliated with any public or private or-ganization, political movement, ideology or religious doc-trine; we take no position on outside issues. Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer.

OA Lifeline The international magazine of Overeaters Anonymous®, Inc.

Lifeline presents experiences and opinions of OA members and members of the WSO staff as directed by the Board of Trustees. Opinions expressed herein are not to be attributed to Overeaters Anony-mous as a whole, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement, either by Overeaters Anonymous or Lifeline. Manuscripts are invited, although no payment can be made nor can contrib-uted matter be returned. Please include your full name and address with your letter or manuscript. For writers desir-ing anonymity in publication, indicate specifically whether this applies to name, city, state and/or country. Manuscripts and letters sent to Lifeline are assumed intended for publication and subject to editing. All manuscripts and letters sub-mitted become the property of Overeat-ers Anonymous, Inc., and are, therefore, unconditionally assigned to Overeaters Anonymous, Inc., for publication and copyright purposes. Back issues are $3.

Lifeline, ISSN No. 1051-9467, is published monthly except April and October by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc., 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144-6424 USA. Subscription rates US, US Possessions: one year $23. Canada priority air service: $29 per year. Outside US/Canada priority air service: $38 per year. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Lifeline, PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020 USA.

© 2012 OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS®, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Registered OA service bodies may re-print individual articles from Lifeline for limited personal and group use, crediting Lifeline and Overeaters Anon-ymous. Material from Lifeline may not be revised, recombined into other publications or resold. All other uses require written permission from OA, Inc. Misuse of this material constitutes copyright infringement. Contact the WSO editorial office: 1-505-891-2664.

®®

FEATURES Side Dishe s 18Living Traditions 19Stepping Out 20Ser vice With a Smile 21 The Spiritual Path 22Newcomers Corner 23Larry & Leona 27

DEPARTMENTSFor Discussion and Journaling 17 Ask-It Basket 24 Share It 25 Article Alert 25Web Links 26

Moving? Let us know! Contact OA: telephone 505-891-2664, fax 505-891-4320, email [email protected]

Overeaters Anonymous, PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020 USA

The Ninth Tool: Action Plan 2It’s not what you might think.

Finding Sanity in the Storm 3The tools could be your action plan.

My Action Plan Is . . . 4Gain inspiration from these members’ plans.

A Simple Plan 4Action-Packed Days 5

Evolving Action Plans 6Action plans must change to meet the needs.

Fit Food Around Life 6Healthy Prescription 7Higher Author 8High Allegiance 8

Where Would I Be Without OA? 9These members look back with relief.

Overflowing With Miracles 9OA Life Raft 9God’s Clinic 9

OA Saved My Life! 10Were it not for OA, these members might not be sharing today.

Saved and More! 10Whole New World 10Never Gave Up 11Hope, Support and Self-Esteem 1250 Is Not Enough 13

OA Saved Me From Anorexia 14Snatched from an untimely end, these members are grateful to OA.

It’s All the Same Disease 14Unconditional Love 14OA Life Support 15

Deadly Truth 16Perhaps it’s time to face the real consequences.

Call for Submissions: Share Your Recovery Story 20

pg. 2

pg. 6

January 2012 Vol. 40, No.1

pg. 9

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2 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 3

While active in my addiction, life was always about the easier, softer way. My way was quick and dirty; I hurried to finish the job, even if it was shabbily done. I never thought about what or why I was doing it (except to have it my way).

I never planned meals, and I decided what to eat just before it was time to cook. If I didn’t have anything, we went out.

My finances and work history were the same way. When I wanted something, I bought it. I had no long-term goals. My future was all about now. I stayed at a job until bored. I had no idea what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go or what was my ideal job. I cared about making more money so I could buy what I wanted or pay for things already purchased.

In my struggle to survive, I pushed the world away so I could cope with life and things I avoided. As the Big Book says, “We alcoholics are undisciplined” (Alco-holics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 88).

To change my life, I had to change what I was doing and how I was doing it. OA has given me that opportunity.

Working with my sponsor and spon-sees incorporated several tools into our lives that I call “daily disciplines”: telephone, food plan, writing, meetings, service, literature, anonymity and action plan. Using these daily, we change our-selves, and the disciplines become habits; the habits become instinctual. When we meet a bump in the road, we fall back on these habits. They are our action plan—a way for us to find sanity in the storm.

Recovery is about change; changing ourselves is hard work. Often I felt scared and wanted to leave saying, “I quit.” It meant doing something even though I wanted to run away; listening to some-thing I didn’t want to hear; keeping my

When I first learned a motion was before the 2010 WSBC for adding a ninth tool that had to do with moving, I thought, “Oh no! I have to do the dreaded ‘E’: exercise.” The motion was passed with revisions. Okay, it didn’t sound too bad. In the meantime I had started walking.

Finding Sanity in the StormThe Ninth Tool: Action Plan

A

C

T

At the 2011 WSBC, delegates voted on the definition of action plan. It included much more than movement. I now realize I have been following an action plan since I started program! My first actions were getting a sponsor and food plan, and then becoming willing to take direction and work the Steps.

My action plan has evolved over the years. I have worked on balancing work and family; dealt with financial insecurity; organized my home; and taken care of medical, dental and vision issues. I have incorporated meditation into my daily routine, and prayer is essential for remembering who is in charge—God, not me.

I am maintaining a 210-pound (95-kg) weight loss, but as I age (I am 65 and a half), my weight has fluctuated. I have two choices: to refine my food plan and/or to exercise. That dreaded “E” word has found me again. My choice today is to exercise. I walk every day for 25 minutes at a safe, but challenging, pace. I stretch and lift weights three times a week. I am also starting yoga.

My action plan may change as life changes. As long as my focus is on physical, spiri-tual and emotional recovery, my actions will align with my Higher Power. God gave me this life as a gift; I want to return it with appreciation.

— Karen C., Largo, Florida USA

mouth shut or looking at my part when I would rather blame another person.

To attain abstinence (sobriety) in OA and work the Steps, I must do it of my own volition. When I made an honest commit-ment to work this program, my life expe-rienced dramatic change. Where depres-sion once held me hostage, stuck on the couch, today depression doesn’t exist. The numbers on the scale used to control how I felt about my body and what I did with my food. Today I accept my body. When I look in the mirror, I can say, “I love you.” I no longer need to restrict.

My insane thinking is gone. If for some reason something changes, I talk to God (HP) and my sponsor. Then I take what-ever action they (not the addictive part of my brain) tell me is necessary. I used to feel lonely in a room full of people; it didn’t matter who was there or how many people I knew. In my loneliness I became more demanding, pushing people away. Today I call my friends “heart” friends. We know each other intimately, like each other and want to be friends. They are there for me when I reach out for help.

My life is so different today because of the changes in my attitudes and me. It’s because I walked into my first OA meet-ing 25 years ago. Thank you, OA. As the Big Book says, “If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps” (Alcoholics Anony-mous, 4th ed., p. 58).

— Norinne M., Fort Myers, Florida USA

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4 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 5

Action-Packed DaysI liked the idea of an action plan the

moment OA suggested it. My action plan has meant developing a daily plan I can live by to help me with my emotional, spiritual and physical recovery from compulsive overeating. I created my plan at my OA sponsor’s suggestion.

Some tangible things on my plan help me with my emotional well-being. These include trying to do hobbies and interests daily; administering plenty of self-care, like meal planning and taking care of my responsibilities; and being around healthy, nontoxic persons.

My plan also has spiritual aspects. I do morning readings from OA literature and write in my journal about those readings. I also write notes to my Higher Power. It helps when I turn over any upsetting or bothersome things to my Higher Power. I bought a digital timer that I set for a short time of meditation, which helps too. I attend OA meetings because I feel Higher Power works through others. Sponsoring others in OA is also a spiritual part of my plan because I learn and grow by listening and sharing with my sponsees. Connect-ing with my sponsor daily also helps me with my spirituality.

My plan also includes actions that help my physical recovery. I commit to daily exercise. My current favorite is a daily morning walk. On my walk I meditate, let-ting go of any troublesome thoughts and just enjoying the sun, birds and nature. I also weigh myself, not as a punishment, just to keep an idea of my weight so things don’t get out of hand. I stick to a food plan daily, but often the number on the scale shows me if I need to make adjustments. I make my food plan each morning, asking my Higher Power for help. I report to my

However, HP took over and the definition of action plan finally sunk in. It became apparent that my action plan needed to include simple, attainable daily goals. My ac-tion plan often strikes me as obvious actions. But if I just work toward my action-plan goals when a rough day comes along, then I know it will be a good day.

My action plan revolves around self-care goals, such asshowering daily (because life is so much easier to face on the couch in my paja-•mas!),moving (not always hitting the gym, but maybe just simple stretches to get the •blood flowing),taking prescribed medications/vitamins (I need these things to keep me healthy, •just as the tools and Steps are my emotional, spiritual and physical medications),drinking water (curbs hunger, hydrates and helps keep me healthy),•getting enough sleep (don’t let me fool you as a morning person!) and•laughing (truly the best medicine).•

Just as our action plans keep our recovery in check, my action plan ensures I am treating myself well so I can continue to succeed on the road to recovery, one day at a time.

— Stephanie L., Alamogordo, New Mexico USA

sponsor each night on how things went by emailing her my food. Writing my daily plan on a magnetic notepad I keep on the fridge makes it easy to follow.

My action plan includes many things I like to do. I enjoy making artwork, draw-ing, writing, spending time in nature and doing photography. So I make sure I do something toward them too. I am retired, so I have plenty of free time. I try to fill it with interesting things, such as commu-nity events and time spent with friends and family.

OA has helped me so much, and I am grateful for my recovery. I have been going to OA since 2000. I had a good recovery and maintained my goal weight for many years. I relapsed when I thought I could do it on my own without OA. After about a year away, I regained the weight I had released. I’m happy I made it back!

I am grateful for my two years and three months of recommitted recovery in OA. My relapse pushed me back into my recovery and a desire to stay connected with OA. Staying connected with OA has brought back my abstinence and more. I have a stronger connection to OA, my Higher Power and the Twelve Steps of recovery for which I am grateful. Weight release seems more challenging this time around, so I am not suggesting relapse as a way to reconnect with OA recovery. But doing recovery-related things daily can allow a reconnection with OA recovery. An action plan is a step in implement-ing good things into your life; it’s a great tool among the other OA tools. I trust, in time, I will be back at goal weight. In the meantime I am grateful to be abstinent and have this OA way of life.

— C., Fort Bragg, California USA

A Simple PlanI am a person of ex-

tremes. So when I first saw our new OA tool, action plan, I thought, “See! OA is telling me to make my (impossible to achieve) to-do lists!” The definition of action plan confirmed at the 2011 World Service Business Confer-ence squashed my grandiose dream of doing more than humanly possible because it was a tool of recovery.

My Action Plan Is . . .

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6 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 7

and my foot improved as I attended the classes.

As a result of a fire, I had to move to an apartment in a neighboring suburb. The recreation center where I’d been taking yoga classes was too far to attend. It was a stressful time. I practiced yoga at home on occasion, but I quit having any exercise program.

I was in denial that my weight was creeping up a few pounds even though my eating hadn’t changed. I finally ac-cepted what was happening during a weigh-in at my doctor’s office. I talked it over with my doctor and didn’t like it one bit when she told me I needed to continue my current food plan in order to get the necessary nutrition. However, I trusted her judgment because her guid-ance had helped me let go of my excess 40 pounds (18 kg) at a healthy rate when I became abstinent. Her “prescription” was the plan I’d made (but hadn’t stuck with). It combines practicing yoga at home, and using an exercise bicycle and a stair-step machine at my apartment’s fitness center. I’m enjoying the rotation through the three types of exercise, repeating them for six days a week.

My need to maintain my level of nutrition was my Higher Power’s way of guiding me back to a healthier lifestyle. I have bipolar disorder, and exercise helps my emotional well-being. At age 57 I realize health and fitness benefits will help me as I age. The improvement to my appearance motivates me the most. I’m grateful for the support of my doctor, therapist and sponsor. OA’s adoption of action plan as a tool reinforces the part that an exercise program is playing in my recovery.

— Gwen C., Richardson, Texas USA

about my behavior and myself so I no lon-ger have to turn to the food for comfort or use it as a means to avoid my life’s issues.

I woke up today still feeling off after a challenging day. I asked my Higher Power to help me use my program to be my higher self. Higher Power led me to read my Lifeline, the only literature I had handy. I saw the request for an article on action plan, so I started writing before eating an abstinent breakfast. This plan for the day lifted me out of my character defects and allowed me to live my day well.

— Anonymous

Healthy PrescriptionI was grateful when I read the de-

scription of our new OA tool, action plan, in the June 2011 issue of Lifeline. Several months ago I added exercise as a personal tool for working the OA program.

I was having trouble maintaining my weight. I wasn’t able to continue the activity that helped me when I became abstinent. While I was letting go of my ex-cess weight, walking was a six-day-a-week part of my routine. I had a good walking route—on the sidewalk outside my apart-ment complex and through a small park-like area nearby. Walking became the first activity of my morning and something I enjoyed throughout the seasons.

Then I developed a problem with one of my feet. It seemed to get better for a while, but the ache never stayed away long. A podiatrist told me I had plantar fasciitis. Walking worsened this condi-tion. For a while I didn’t know what to do, but later I learned my city’s recreation center offered beginners yoga classes. The podiatrist had recommended that type of exercise. I began going twice a week,

Fit Food Around LifeJust like my abstinence

and recovery, my action plan has evolved over the years. It began with a dedicated, daily quiet time in the morning. I would read from program daily readers and then talk to my Higher Power about what I needed for my re-covery that day. It grew to include many elements, such as a daily reaffirma-tion of my plan of eating and abstinence; a review of my Tenth Step; a request to remove key character defects; and a request for my HP to show me my day’s priorities, coupled with asking for the positive qualities that would help me carry out those actions with sanity and abstinence.

An important part of my action plan is a reminder that I need to fit my food around my life instead of limiting my life because of the food. In my disease I avoided many positive activities because I would rather eat. I needed to be in a “safe” environment so I could “overcontrol” my undereating and weight because my body-image issues made me feel inadequate or I was afraid I would fail if I tried to live a real life. A big part of my recovery involves finding a way to lead a full life without compromising my abstinence.

Every morning I take time to think about today’s activities and how I can fit appropri-ate meals around them. If I have a busy day, it’s important to plan healthy, abstinent meals that are easy to prepare so I don’t become over-hungry and irritable.

My action plan also includes a balance of other tools. Most important, it includes a sincere attempt to live in the principles of the Steps. This allows me to feel good enough

Evolving Action Plans

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8 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 9

Overflowing With MiraclesWhere would I be without OA? It’s simple. I would not be able to walk and would

be on disability. I have a lifetime disability. It has given me a unique gait and problems. Overuse injuries go up and down my strong side—arthritis, tendonitis, carpel tunnel and other disabilities.

In 1997 I walked into the OA rooms and received the gift of early physical recovery, losing about 40 pounds (18 kg). Within six months I achieved a healthy body weight and have remained mostly abstinent since then. I have aged in program (migrating through my forties to fifty this year). Visits to my rehabilitation-medicine doctor have become more frequent because we’ve been coping with my disability’s effects.

Here is the miracle: I still have complete mobility. I hold down a job in my field, which includes an extended commute. I am a beloved wife and with my husband parent our teenage daughter. I travel on business and have had a chance to speak at professional events. I have discovered a real love for teaching, which takes everything I’ve got.

When the going gets tough with my disability, I work the Steps. On a “bad day,” I write and call OA friends who understand. As long as I maintain my willingness to follow some basic directions, my life overflows with miracles.

My doctor has made it clear that if I pick up the food and put on excess weight, the chaos that we have been holding off will overwhelm me. That is why I know in the depths of my heart that these simple actions are life or death for me. Today I choose life.

— Robin B., New Jersey USA

OA Life RaftI don’t want to imagine life without OA. I’ve been in OA

about a year, but I can’t picture my life without our Fellow-ship! For 30 years I’ve seen more diets, doctors and destruc-tion of self than many people twice my age. HP plopped OA in my path as I was ready to embark on another quest of insanity. My OA home group threw me the life raft and has kept me aboard. I’m not the captain of the ship. I’m simply one of the crew, working with my fellows day by day to live a life of peace, serenity and recovery from compulsive eating.

— Anonymous, Alamogordo, New Mexico USA

God’s ClinicWithout OA, I would be one lost soul. I feel as though I am healing in God’s clinic,

OA! I would have been unhappy, overweight and immersed in my pity pot, the same miserable life I had had for the last 30 years. Stopping and starting a new diet plan was the roller coaster I had ridden over and over again. I would not have the clarity of mind, body and soul or the ability to think as I do now. I would not have the inner resources to maintain the emotional independence I credit with gratitude to my sponsor and God!

— J.B., Chula Vista, California USA

pounds (142 kg).Higher Power (God) gives us the

authority to have the “spirit of might” in order to remain in a state of grace and “the way” to a better life in our abstinence/plan of eating. A power exists in our obe-dience to Higher Power. When we wake up to the fact that we can receive blessings from Higher Power, then we have it made in the shade! If I continue to obey Higher Power, I will continue to reap the rewards. My ultimate equipment is my abstinence/plan of eating or action plan.

When we expand our knowledge of what is fattening and what is not, then we awaken our soul to live a spiritual life. Even in a restaurant, we can have the “sweet aroma” of the knowledge of Higher Power and his presence, giving us the gift to choose! Our abstinence/plan of eating empowers us. We know that choice is freedom.

We partner with Higher Power for our abstinence/plan of eating. We can assign ourselves that commitment. God needs a partner, so I am his partner in my abstinence. Abstinence/plan of eating is the reasonable service I can give to Higher Power. We are to wear our blessings well!

To reconcile myself, I must have the desire to humble and forgive myself. The more I look backward, the less I am able to see forward. I must choose to be forward-focused, not past-possessed. I profit from the past and invest in the future. The past has no life, and balance is tiny adjustments.

After my Higher Power, abstinence should be my “high allegiance.” Through God’s grace, I am 142 pounds (64 kg).

I love you.— Mamie K., Monessen, Pennsylvania

USA

Higher AuthorEven before OA introduced action

plan as an official tool, I used one almost daily because of the Big Book. The Big Book says, “On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day” (Alcohol-ics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 86). Early in recovery I felt encouraged to make a list of 10 things I hoped to accomplish that day. That list should include one thing I planned to do to nurture myself and two things I committed to do in OA service.

The list changes daily, sometimes including things like doing laundry several days a week. It includes specific things I will do to honor my body with exercise. It organizes my day. It’s important for me to trust that, at the end of the day, the items I did were God’s will.

Being compulsive about doing it means self-will has taken over. I try to let God author my action plan.

— Jill, Pflugerville, Texas USA

High AllegianceToday marks 34 years of my absti-

nence/plan of eating by God’s grace. I will celebrate by staying on my abstinence/plan of eating—just for today!

I must pledge or surrender to an ac-ceptance of my abstinence/plan of eating. I must make a decree of my abstinence, and it will stay with me. It is an anointing with which I choose to bless myself! It is a supernatural “action plan” to choose the healing process for my physical being. I must remember that the spiritual con-trols the physical. My top weight was 313

Where Would I Be Without OA?

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10 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 11

because no one else was available. Once I had a significant period of abstinence and had worked the Steps, I started going to intergroup meetings, which led me to do more service.

I have maintained my goal weight within five pounds (2 kg) since June 2007. I have been able to get off cholesterol medication. The last time I saw my doctor he said I could start cutting back on my blood-pressure medication.

As part of my OA service I have been traveling, something I thought I would never do. My husband and I also went halfway around the world to visit our sons. Once if they had offered to give us such a trip, I would have said no. A whole new world has opened up, and I am enjoying it.

A few years ago, I thought I might die. I wanted to. But now with the help of God, the OA Fellowship and the Steps, I have a life to look forward to no matter what it brings!

— A.R., Schriever, Louisiana USA

Never Gave UpWhen I weighed myself one morn-

ing, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I did it! I had reached my goal of losing 200 pounds (90 kg). I don’t know if I ever believed I could do it until that moment. I am overcome by a sense of gratitude for the return to health, the increased energy and the sense of well-being encom-passed in reaching my goal. Without a doubt, had I not made the decision to do

pounds (23 kg) since my weigh-in with my general practitioner.

After the surgery the pain was gone and, so I thought, was my problem with food. I lost another 40 pounds (18 kg) while at home recuperating. Everything seemed perfect. However, after going back to work and facing its stress, my old habits and weight gain came back.

Someone suggested I try OA. I doubted anything could help, but I went anyway. I thought I could do as they said and attend at least six meetings before deciding to stay. For about a year and a half, I kept going back. Thank you for the Third Tradi-tion that states, “The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.” At times my family asked why I kept going since I wasn’t losing weight. All I could say was, “I don’t know. I just know I have to go.”

I decided to attend an OA retreat in August of 2007. I knew I had to be sober to get anything out of it. So the Sunday before the retreat, I decided to eat three meals a day with nothing in between and no sugar. I didn’t know about the 3-0-1 plan; it was just something I thought I could work with knowing my past eating behavior. My plan of eating has changed, but it still includes only three meals a day. By the end of the retreat, I had a sponsor and was on my way to working the Steps.

Someone had asked me to be my home group’s treasurer during my brief period of abstinence earlier that year. I kept doing it

Saved and More!OA saved my life for sure! Before OA I was de-

pressed, lonely, isolated and self-obsessed. I thought if I could lose weight, my life would be perfect. Little did I know that losing weight was just the beginning.

I have found a whole new world thanks to OA. I have learned that when the food is calling me, it’s a symptom of a larger problem. Like my sponsor says, “What’s really going on?” OA not only saved my life, it gave me one. I had no idea I could be so free and content in my own skin. I had no idea excess food and weight were blocking me from others. OA gave me a life where I look forward to being of service to others instead of making it all about me.

Yes, Overeaters Anonymous saved my life and gave me more than I ever knew was possible.

— S.C., Chula Vista, California USA

Whole New WorldYes, OA saved my life. I don’t know

where I would be if it hadn’t been for OA, but it wouldn’t be where I am now. I came into OA around March of 2005, scared of ending up back where I had started two years before, or even worse.

In 2003 I had severe back pain that extended into my legs to the point of be-ing unable to walk. When eating was no longer an effective means of pain manage-ment, I decided I had to go to the doctor. I didn’t want him to think I was fat, so I went on a friend’s diet. I don’t know my top weight because I had thrown out the scales.

When I went to my appointment, I

weighed 270 pounds (127 kg). My doctor recommended I see a neurosurgeon. I made an appointment and continued my diet. If I needed surgery, I knew it would be better to lose as much weight as pos-sible. I lost a few more pounds by my first neurosurgery appointment.

At my second appointment, the neu-rosurgeon said I needed surgery. He gave me a list of the risks. I told him I needed time to think about it. He said to take two months and to walk one mile (1.6 km) every day, no matter how bad the pain. I had no idea of how I was going to do it, but I did. When the two months were up, I could hardly move, but I had lost 50

Saved My Life!OA

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something about my weight four years ago, I would likely not be here today. My weight was taking a serious toll on not just my physical, but also my emotional and spiritual health.

I knew where I needed to go for help because I had been there before. Work-ing the Twelve Steps had brought me relief from my obsession with food, and I knew it could again. I came back to OA in October of 2003 and began to work the program like I had never done before. I had many ups and downs, and my iron-clad self-will caused a huge roadblock in my emotional and spiritual healing, but I didn’t give up. When I found a direction wasn’t working for me, I went in another. The main point is I never gave up. I knew if I went back to the food, I would die.

Today my program is stronger than ever. I am full of gratitude for OA and the people along the way who have been examples of how the program works, and have given encouragement and support during the up and down times. I could not have done it alone. That’s a fact!

I am also grateful for the emotional and spiritual growth that has finally come with the physical recovery. The growth came about from willingness followed by action, which brought about surrender, which required humility, which is now maintained by daily practice seeking God’s will, not mine—not just with food but in all of my affairs. This is a new way of living. Thank God, because the old way sure was not working. Thank you, Over-eaters Anonymous, for a second chance at life!

— Edited and reprinted from Bitterroot News newsletter, Western Montana Service Board of the Bitterroot Intergroup, March 2008

Hope, Support and Self-EsteemOA saved my life. It sounds dra-

matic, but it’s true. The first time I went to OA, I thought it was silly. Alcoholics were addicts, but I didn’t think of food as addictive. Yet at a height of 5 feet one inch (155 cm), I weighed 220 pounds (100 kg) and was eating myself to death. Can we say denial? I attended a meeting off and on, half-heartedly, for about six months. After that I didn’t go for about a year. Dur-ing that year my life fell apart; I couldn’t afford to be skeptical or arrogant.

It was January 2010, and I had just had knee surgery. I weighed 250 pounds (113 kg), and my healing was gradual. I had been a borderline diabetic for several years. I had a sneaking suspi-cion I was now a full-blown diabetic because I hadn’t been managing what I ate or checking my blood sugar. I was depressed, lonely and scared.

I called an OA phone meeting. I had been to a few phone meetings before, just listening and rarely speaking. This time desperation made me speak up. I begged for a sponsor. “Is there anybody out there?” I cried, “I need a sponsor. Email, phone or mail sponsor—whatever you can do, I’ll take it.”

Thank God a woman spoke up! She gave me her email address, and I wrote her the next day. She agreed to be my sponsor, and we started working the Steps. She urged me to get my blood sugar tested. Unfortunately I was right; I was a full-blown diabetic. However, with the love and support I got from my spon-sor and the people at my OA meeting, I made it through the dark times. Thanks to my Higher Power, my sponsor and much support from people at the meeting, I began to eat healthy and exercise. Within

a year I lost over 60 pounds (27 kg). I still have weight to lose, but I’m

managing to keep off the weight I did lose. Speaking as the original yo-yo dieter, this is a miracle. I’m no longer in the diabetic range, and I didn’t need any diabetes medication, much to my doctors’ amazement.

My life isn’t perfect. I still have many health problems because of my past compulsive overeating, and a fair amount of weight to lose. But I also have many things I didn’t have before OA. I have hope, support and self-esteem. Most important, I have a personal relationship with my Higher Power, whom I call God. Before OA I was scared of God. Now God is my best friend. I am grateful to every-one in OA: everyone who has the courage to share; everyone who does service; and every scared, new person in the corner not saying a word. Everyone! I want to thank you all so much.

— Angela, Colorado USA

50 Is Not EnoughWhen I was 23 years old, my doctor

told me I would never reach 50 if I didn’t change the way I lived. I did some quick math: my kids would have finished school and started families of their own; my par-enting job would be done. So, as crazy as it sounds, I made a decision that 50 was enough and kept living my destruc-tive lifestyle.

For many years I lived with that deci-sion, never giving it a thought. But at age 45, I realized I was eating myself to death and had no idea how to stop. I came to OA at 400 pounds (181 kg), desperate for a new way to live.

I lost 50 pounds (23 kg) in my first year, stagnating shortly after that. I meandered

through the program but could lose no more weight. At age 47 I found myself in a hospital, attached to a monitor, with heart problems. Fifty seemed so far away.

I was somehow able to recommit my program and food plan. I began to lose weight and get healthier. I have main-tained a weight loss of over 100 pounds (45 kg).

As I approached 50, I planned my birthday celebration. I would have my wife, kids and three grandkids meet for pictures. Those pictures would always remind me of what 50 looked like.

It went better than I could have imag-ined. We took pictures and went to lunch. At lunch my older granddaughter told me she was going to be a big sister. My daughter told me the baby was due in September. My daughter-in-law then in-formed me her new baby was due in Oc-tober! On my 50th birthday, I got the news I was soon going to have five grandkids!

It was an amazing day, a day I will nev-er forget, a day I never would have seen if not for OA and the people in the rooms. I remember it every day when I look at the pictures on my wall. They remind me how great 50 was. They remind me why: why I go to meetings, why I call my sponsor and why I work my program. Because 50 was not enough, and soon I will need more pictures!

— Frank G., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

50

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14 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 15

It’s All the Same DiseaseOvereaters Anonymous

has saved my life, but I didn’t come here from a desire to lose weight. I hadn’t tried any diets. In fact, when I came to OA, I needed to follow a weight-gain food plan. I was too thin. Lucky me, right? Wrong!

I have the same disease all OA mem-bers have. Food ruled my life. I came to OA to learn how to live without the obses-sion of food. My food addiction impris-oned me. I spent many waking hours with food in my head.

My obsessions with what I ate or didn’t eat, how many calories I ate or saved, when and how long I should exercise and whether or not I would eat for the rest of the day or week controlled me. I was only half present for my life. My bible was a book of caloric values—until OA.

I attend OA for many reasons:to learn how to live with food in its •proper perspectiveto learn healthy ways of responding •to my emotionsto accept and love my body just as •it isto be reminded I am not alone•to be reminded it’s okay to be aver-•ageto feel unconditional love and ac-•ceptance to be reminded I have a Higher •Power who loves and cares for me

— Edited and reprinted from the Heart of Texas Intergroup newsletter, August 2002

OA Saved Me From Anorexia

Unconditional LoveThere came a time when the binge-

ing was no longer numbing me enough; I wanted more, so I turned to another dis-ease called anorexia. I was 12 years old.

Anorexia was different from bingeing in two distinct ways. One, I thought about food almost 100 percent of the time rather than around 75 percent; and two, a eu-phoric high replaced the numbing, calm feeling compulsive overeating gave me. The selfishness that accompanied binge-ing turned into deep-centered narcissism while practicing anorexia. I was addicted and felt I had no way out of the deep rab-bit hole into which I had fallen.

Since I practiced this disease by eating around 80 calories a day for weeks while compulsively exercising, it did not take long to obtain that “skeleton” look, with my hair falling out in chunks. I knew what I was when I looked in the mirror, but I could not will myself to walk into the kitchen and get something to eat. So I

learned the truth: the disease was lying to me. I was not powerful; I was powerless. I was not confident; my self-esteem was shot. I was not healthy and trim; I was dying. It did not matter how fervent my prayers or how much people begged, I would not eat.

One day I was sitting down talking to a friend on the phone and fainted. I often fainted from lack of sustenance and energy, but this was the first time I no longer had enough energy to sit. It was my rock bottom. My friend came over to gently let me know I was killing myself. This I already knew, but what brought me out of practicing the disease was uncon-ditional love.

I wish I had already known about OA because I could have tapped into that in-finite, unconditional, love source sooner! Today I have OA and am so grateful because I often have anorexic thoughts. OA has taught me to seek a power outside of myself, look anorexia in the face and scream at the top of my lungs, “I choose to live!”

If I start practicing this disease and again fall into the rabbit hole, it would only take about a year or so before I’d be dead. Left to my own volition, my choices are to be a walking skeleton or obese. I had given myself a life sentence with my food struggles because I knew I had tried everything. I knew this was the best I could ever be on my own. When my Higher Power led me to OA, I was so elated and relieved that hope existed for someone like me.

With my Higher Power’s help, I no longer need to starve or binge, one day at a time. Today I have hope. Today I will not slip down the rabbit hole.

— J., Sacramento, California USA

OA Life SupportI am so grateful

to no longer be bulimic or anorexic. I some-times eat too much, but I pull myself up the next day and start over with my support systems and Higher Power’s help.

My eating disorder almost killed me. In my late twenties, I collapsed and ended up in the hospital. I had suffered a stroke and was in a coma. The doctors had me on dialysis and life support. I had a blood transfusion, a colostomy bag and cath-eter. I was on a feeding tube and oxygen. I only weighed 119 pounds (54 kg), with a 5-feet-10-inch medium build. My weight was too thin for a grown man in his late twenties.

For a while I couldn’t move the left side of my body. I couldn’t sit up in a chair or walk. I had a tracheal tube in my throat, which meant I could not drink or eat. My long-term and short-term memories were affected. The doctors had to remove three quarters of my colon because of my laxative abuse and vomiting.

I had to go to physical and occupation-al therapy. I started out in a wheelchair, then a walker, and finally a cane before returning to normal walking.

Today I no longer have the colostomy bag, my trachea is back to normal, and I can eat and drink. I walk and run just like anyone. My memory has returned, thank God. The catheter is gone, and I have completed my mental-health therapy and counseling. I read all of my OA books whenever I need them. Thank you, Over-eaters Anonymous, for your literature. I truly appreciate it.

— John S., West Mifflin, Pennsylvania USA

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16 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 17

Half the guys were diabetic. Half were taking cholesterol medication. At least a third had had gastric bands or gastric bypass surgery, another third angioplasty, and another third at least one coronary bypass. Then there was me, who’d had none of the above. A ballpark estimate of the health-care expenditures in this small group of men was about a million dollars. Sadly, we lost one member to this disease, and he wasn’t even 50 years old.

A program-wide case of denial seems to exist when it comes to talking about the damage of this disease of compulsive eating. We never discuss obesity-related mortality statistics in the United States. Lifeline doesn’t have an obituary section. In the meetings I’ve been to, we don’t say a prayer or have a moment of silence for those who’ve died from our disease. Maybe, just maybe, if we did some of those things, more of our members would be serious about working the OA program.

We have many slogans in OA. My favorite is “Face your stuff, not stuff your face.” OA must do a better job of facing this issue. Maybe we should

include obesity-mortality statistics •at the start of our meetings; include obesity-mortality statistics •in Lifeline, the Courier and A Step Ahead; say a prayer or have a moment of •silence at each meeting for those who’ve passed away from an

Lifeline Reps Make All the Difference

In 1979, Lifeline’s circulation was 12,000. Today it is 5,866 print and 1,159 electronic subscribers. OA has 6,740 groups and only 299 Lifeline reps. Encourage your group to have a Lifeline rep. For more information and rep materials, contact [email protected] and put “Lifeline Rep” in the subject line.

Subscriptions are declining!Lifeline appreciates your love for the magazine, but we also need

your financial support. Thank you!

Groups Reps7000600050004000300020001000

7000600050004000300020001000

Stay Up-to-the-Minute With Service-Body Email Bulletins

Did you know? Your service body can sign up to receive periodic news bulletins from the OA World Service Office (WSO). Subscribers to this ser-vice have been the first to learn about key World Service Business Confer-ence decisions, announcements of new OA literature, information about renewing nonprofit status, announce-ment of a job opening at WSO and launching of the OA Spanish Web site Keep your service body in the know by filling out the form at

www.oa.org/services-for-members/service-body.php.

I used to belong to an unlisted OA men’s group with maybe 14 guys on the phone list and six to 10 at a meeting. The meeting had a 1-2-3-group format, and with love we would tell each other we were full of it.

Deadly Truth What do you think of the Deadly Truth shared by one member? Discuss with your

group the ideas he raises and determine if any might be suitable to use in your meeting.

For Discussion . . . AND JOURNALING-

obesity-related illness;have 90 seconds of silent meditation •before sharing begins. (I do this at the meeting I run and have received positive feedback. It wouldn’t be difficult to mention our fallen comrades-in-arms); have an obituary section in • Lifeline (a paid or free listing); have a free obituary section in the •local intergroup newsletter;have an OA Memorial Day to •acknowledge, pray for and mourn deceased Fellowship members; have members list their current •obesity-related medications, condi-tions and past surgeries when they introduce themselves during share time; for example, “Hi, my name is Bill. I take a pill for my diabetes. I’ve had one angioplasty and two coronary-bypass procedures. I’ve been in program three years and am maintaining a 40-pound (18-kg) weight loss.”

OA meetings shouldn’t be morbid. I run meetings with a humorous format. I’ve seen so many tears at so many meet-ings that I needed a meeting with some laughter. But having a positive, uplifting meeting doesn’t mean we should deny our disease’s deadly consequences.

— Reese T., Glenview, Illinois USA

Happy Birthday, OA!We are 52!

January 21 is the official recognition day.(the third Saturday in January)

Celebrate with your fellow OAers!

Page 11: Lifeline Jan12

18 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go January 2012 www.oa.org 19

Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity.

LIVING TRADITIONS

Tra d i t i o n

1

Needing the Group The simplest way for me to

think about OA’s First Tradition is that we each need the group in order to

recover. We used to isolate to practice our addiction, and because we lacked self-esteem. When we attended our first meeting, we found people like us. Before long, we felt at ease. The group serves as a source of mutual support, and it opens service opportunities to us.

While we each rely on the group for our recovery, we are diverse and need not agree on everything. That would be an unrealistic expectation. We must be respectful and open to differing opinions and approaches. We trust our Higher Power to guide us through disagreements using our group conscience. We can resolve our differences without destroying group unity; thus the group continues to nurture us.

— Edited and reprinted from Today newsletter, Saint Louis Bi-State Intergroup, January 2011

Our local OA meetings had their first mini-retreat. We had three workshops with “BYOB” (Bring Your Own Bagged lunch). The goal of the retreat was fellow-ship, and the purpose was to “Welcome Home” the people who were around, but not in, program.

We rented a room for free at our local library. When I arrived on the morning of the retreat, I told the librarian I was with OA. She put me in Meeting Room 2. I believed we had booked Meeting Room 1, but the librarian said the schedule indicated OA was in Meeting Room 2. I figured I had made a mistake. Meeting Room 1 was nicer, but we made do.

At the beginning of the retreat, strangers sometimes came in asking if this was the Obama meeting. When we would tell them this was OA, they looked puzzled and walked away. During lunch I learned why. A makeshift sign on the Meeting Room 1 door read, “Obama America.” Two OA meetings were across the hall from each other! Well, they got the nicer meeting room, but it gave us a wonderful laugh!

— OA in Fredericksburg, Virginia USA

— Howard S., Brooklyn, New York USA

Today we ask all groups around the world to unite behind Lifeline, OA’s meeting-on-the-go. Lifeline’s survival depends on you.

During the current economic crisis, Lifeline’s circulation has plum-meted. Lifeline is loved . . . and shared. Lifeline cannot become self-supporting when so many members share the magazine.

A way exists to continue sharing and still make Lifeline self-sup-porting. Every group worldwide purchases one Lifeline group subscription and renews it annually for the life of the group. Splitting the subscription expense eases the financial burden, and each group can carry the recovery message and make Lifeline self-supporting. There may be no Lifeline if it isn’t self-supporting.

Lifeline does not have outside advertising to bolster its income. A group subscrip-tion makes it feasible for members to provide the financial support Lifeline needs. How would your share of that cost compare to what you might have spent on food had you not found OA? Please subscribe with the form on page 28 or online at www.oa.org.

LIfeLIne 1 X 1 CaMpaign: MakE LIfeLIne SElf-SUpportingLifeline magazine cannot survive on praise alone.

Side Dishes

Page 12: Lifeline Jan12

20 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go

Not Normal, But FreeFor years I thought of myself as abnor-

mal. My compulsive overeating had brought me down to the dust. I felt ashamed, iso-lated and unlovable.

Only when I finally admitted my powerlessness over food and came to believe deep in my heart that I was not sane around food did I find relief. Only when I sur-rendered my self-will did God free me of my compul-sion to binge and purge.

Incredibly, when I recognized my abnormal reaction to food, my life improved. Not only did God free me of the compulsion to binge and purge, but I also became more open to the people and activities around me. I was turning outward toward others instead of inward away from them.

With food in its proper place, I can enjoy life and be a part of it. I will never be a “nor-mal” eater, but with God’s help and OA’s support I can be an abstinent one. Thank you, God. Thank you, OA.

— B.L., Saint Joseph, Missouri USA

We admitted we were powerless over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.Stepping Out

S t e p

1

January 2012 www.oa.org 21

My biggest challenge was the position of intergroup treasurer. I am not a good money manager. I am disorganized and have no aptitude for detailed work. So why did I take the job? Guilt, I guess. I was feeling guilty about my level of intergroup involvement. I had committed to working on public relations, but I had no clue how. The job description was vague, and I was floundering. So when the treasurer position became available, I volunteered and asked if someone else would do the public-relations job. I thought I needed something with a clear job description. As soon as I took the job, I thought, “Holy moly, what have I done?” I was terrified and struggled with my inadequacies.

I am the perfect example that one doesn’t have to bring skills to the job; the job will teach the skills needed! In the two years I have been in this position, I have

Overcoming the FearSince the beginning of my recovery,

I have done service. Today I wish to write not about the ways one can serve in the Fellowship, but about overcoming the fear of service. I never felt I had much choice about service. Compulsive eat-ing made me so sick I was willing to do

anything my sponsor suggested to get well. She suggested service. In spite of my willingness, I was afraid I would not measure up.

Service With a Smile

Now Available! Index for The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous

From “abstinence” through “wrongs,” this comprehensive index will guide you quick-ly to the important concepts and key words found in the OA “Twelve and Twelve.” Download it free from the OA Web site at www.oa.org/pdfs/1212Index.pdf. The WSO will add the index to printed copies of the book as new stock is ordered.

learned how to make and own up to mis-takes. Making mistakes is not the end of the world. I have learned how to balance a checkbook, write reports, keep orga-nized records, pay bills and conduct an audit. I have gone from a once-in-a-while participant at phone-bridge meetings to being a regular.

The boost to my self-esteem has been tremendous. The commitment to show up with a treasurer’s report every month kept me active in OA during a hard time for me. Today my recovery is strong. Today, despite my personal deficiencies in the beginning, I have become a good treasurer. Who knew such a thing was possible!

— Edited and reprinted from Bitterroot News newsletter, Western Montana Service Board of the Bitterroot Intergroup, July/August 2008

The WSBC Conference Literature Committee is soliciting stories of recovery from OA members for the proposed revision of Overeaters Anony-mous, Second Edition. The committee is looking for stories that emphasize members’ experience, strength and hope achieved through working and using the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, Twelve Concepts of Service and nine tools of the Overeaters Anonymous program. The committee is interested in stories that focus on how members have achieved and maintained long-term physical, emotional and spiritual recovery.

We are seeking stories written from the perspectives reflected in our member-ship today. For example, we welcome

recovery stories that reflect the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as age and gender differences in our Fel-lowship. We are also looking for stories that show various ways the disease of compulsive eating manifests itself (for example, obesity, bulimia, anorexia, etc.) Your story can include physical, medical and mental-health challenges that are part of your recovery. Stories can also incorporate experiences of recovery in non-English-speaking countries.

For questions, contact Barb G., Conference Literature Committee chair: [email protected].

Word length: 750–1200. Please email submissions to [email protected] on or before January 31, 2012. Submitted

materials will not be returned.

Call for Submissions: Share Your Recovery Story

Page 13: Lifeline Jan12

22 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go

I am a definitions person, so I consulted some online dictionaries for the meaning of “spirituality.” I left out obvious definitions about religion and the soul because I don’t believe in the soul as a definitive, everlasting creation. I’ve listed interesting, and not inferior, definitions:

“standing in a relationship based on communication between the souls or minds •of the persons involved”“having a mind or emotions of a high and delicately refined quality”•“of, relating to, or characteristic of sacred things”•“incorporeal”•“closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.”•

I can relate to these definitions too. My mind may be made of neurons, which trans-mit electrical energy and chemicals, but it also creates something incorporeal, ethereal and transcendent that we cannot easily explain. This is what people mean when they refer to the soul. I don’t believe it existed before I was born or will last after I die, but it is a remarkable thing.

One of the definitions refers to the communication of the mind (or soul) with another being, which could be a god, nature or person. This highlights my personal definition of spirituality. How delicate, marvelous and wonderful for two or more souls or minds to connect with one another—a rare and beauteous thing, the stuff of magic and miracles.

I’m not talking about mere communication—mindless, tedious, crude yapping. I’m talking about a real connection between disparate individuals. It is the wondrous mo-ment when two beings transcend the mechanics of speech and listening and become one mind sharing a thought. It seems simple and common, but it’s rare if one ponders it. How many times in your 24-hour day do you stop communicating and simply exist within one mind with another being! It can be done with or without words. It can be a mere look, with humans or animals.

I often share these transcendent moments with OA program people in meetings and fellowships. In the “real” world, these moments are as rare as finding a perfectly formed conch shell while walking along the beach. But in OA meetings and fellowship, you can string these pearls into a necklace and have the bracelet and earrings to match.

Spirituality DefinedA recent communication from an OA

member had me thinking about the spiritual aspect of OA’s program. This person didn’t work the spiritual side of recovery. Well, I am an atheist, and I have a strong spiritual side. I began to ponder how I could explain this.

Spiritual PathTaking the

January 2012 www.oa.org 23

Where I Needed to BeBefore joining OA I lost

50 kilograms (110 lbs) us-ing only my willpower. But gaining (close to) a healthy weight did not free me from my “thing with food.”

I didn’t have the words to describe it. I didn’t fit the criteria for an eating disorder because I was able to maintain my weight for two years without purging or starving myself.

Meanwhile I knew something was wrong. I was obsessed with food, always thinking about what I was going to eat, how it would taste and whether I would get enough. Visiting the supermarket felt like entering a warzone—all that food, all those choices. My obsession overwhelmed me. The cost didn’t mat-ter anymore as long as I got the items I wanted. Each evening was a struggle. It felt like the food in my kitchen cabinet was calling, “Eat me!” even though I was full of an appropriate supper.

Then a friend told me a Twelve-Step program had “food meetings.” I did an immediate Internet search and found the OA Web site. It struck me how much I could relate to what was written there. “Are you a compulsive overeater?” Of the 15 boxes, I could tick off 15! I called the contact person and attended my first OA meeting the next day.

At the meeting, a member read Step One aloud. In tears, I also read a

Newcomers: Send your experiences and concerns

to Newcomers Corner. See the table-of-contents page for

contact information

Newcomers Corner Speaking From the Trenche s

paragraph aloud: “Even getting to our desired weight did not cure our unhap-piness” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 4). I had found where I needed to be.

That was nine weeks ago. Since then I have made a food plan, found a spon-sor, attended meetings regularly, used the tools and committed to doing the Step work. It is a struggle: regulating my portions, skipping the evening binges, figuring out how to balance my meals while still in the trenches of Step One, and admitting my powerlessness and my life’s unmanageability.

Yesterday I worked on Step One with my sponsor, and this morning I woke up feeling like I was filthy. I am ashamed of how food has taken over my life and prevented me from having a career and starting a family. My self-hatred has per-meated every aspect of my life and made me a self-centered, manipulative per-son. It has poisoned my relationships. I feel the need for immediate cleansing, but instead I have to feel.

I phoned an OA fellow who under-stood. “On days like this,” she said,

Continued on page 26Continued on page 26

Page 14: Lifeline Jan12

Many ways exist for OA members to verify whether a piece of literature is approved. The following is not an all-inclusive list:

•TheOAGuidelinesOA-Approved Literature List, avail-able online at www.oa.org/services-for-members/oa-guide-lines.php, lists OA-approved literature.

•AllOA-approvedliteraturecarriestheOAConference,or AA Conference Seal of Approval, or the statement “OA

Board-Approved literature.” •OvereatersAnonymoussellsonlyOA-approvedorAA-approvedliteratureaslistedin

the OA literature catalog, available online at www.oa.org/docs.php. The first two paragraphs in the OA Guidelines OA-Approved Literature List state the OA

policy on using nonapproved literature: “Policy Statement on OA-/AA-approved literature adopted by Conference 2010‘In accordance with our Traditions, we suggest OA groups maintain unity and honor

our Traditions by selling and displaying only approved books and pamphlets at meetings. This includes OA Conference and board-approved literature; AA Conference-approved literature; and locally produced OA literature. Locally produced literature must be devel-oped according to the OA Guidelines for Locally Produced Literature, and should be used with the greatest discretion. Local literature should be considered temporary and discon-tinued when OA literature approved for general use is available to cover the topic.’ ”

“Policy statement on literature that is not OA-approved adopted by Conference 1993‘It is the group conscience of the 1993 World Service Business Conference that the sale

or display of literature other than OA-approved literature as described in WSBC Policy 1982b [replaced by WSBC Policy 2010a above] is an implied endorsement of outside enterprises, and therefore is in violation with Tradition Six.’ ”

Displaying non-OA materials in an OA meeting dilutes OA’s message and is not in keeping with Traditions Six and Ten. We carry our OA message of recovery through OA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and tools. Anything else we bring into the OA meet-ing distorts the message. As our “Twelve and Twelve” states in Step Twelve, “Also, we’ve found it less confusing to others if we make it a habit when sharing about the program to concentrate on our OA experience, rather than on aspects of our experience not related to OA” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 102).

Displaying non-OA-approved literature at OA meetings gives the newcomer a confus-ing picture. As a Twelve-Step recovery organization, we need to offer the newcomer (and the rest of us) material pertaining to Overeaters Anonymous.

Tradition Ten tells us we have no opinion on outside issues; non-OA-approved literature is an outside issue no matter how “good.” Each of us is free to read whatever he

We received no Share Its for this issue. Please share your thoughts about Lifeline.

January 2012 www.oa.org 25

SHARE ITThe deadline for letters is five months after publication of the original story. Letters must have a complete name and address. Please specify if your name, city, state, province and/or country should remain “anonymous” if published.

24 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go

Is the presence of the OA symbol on liter-ature the only way to know that literature is OA-approved? What if a group decides in a group conscience to use a piece of literature that is not OA-approved?

Ask-It Basket Article AlertHas your new healthy body overwhelmed or frightened you and why? •For example: how has choosing new clothes to purchase become more or less daunting; how did you adapt your wardrobe to fit your new body; how has the as-sociation between body size and fashion affected you?Or, how has your new body image affected you emotionally and spiritually? Has •your new body image changed your personality or outlook on life?Or, if your body size hasn’t changed yet, has your body image changed because of •OA? If your image (inside or outside) has changed, do you feel more or less “in the spotlight” in crowded places? Why?Or, what fears have you shed with your new body image, such as fear of flying, •stares, unkind comments, wearing a bathing suit, etc. Describe your worst experi-ence before OA and your best after OA recovery.Or, when you look in the mirror, do you feel shame or has another emotion •emerged? Deadline: 1/15/12How OA Changed My Life • Deadline: 2/15/12Generally Speaking: Write about anything relating to your experience, strength •and hope in OA. Deadline: 3/15/12Which Twelve-Step principle has most influenced your recovery? The principles •are honesty, hope, faith, courage, integrity, willingness, humility, self-discipline, love, perseverance, spiritual awareness and service.Or, what principle was the hardest to practice?•Or, what principle made the most difference in helping you overcome character •defects?Or, what principle helped most in your physical recovery, spiritual recovery or •emotional recovery?Or, how do one or more of the principles govern your life, and have your thoughts •about the principles changed over time? Deadline: 4/15/12

Continued on page 26

Page 15: Lifeline Jan12

At an OA region convention . . .

eona andARRY

OAers

© 2

012

Ove

reat

ers

Ano

nym

ous,

Inc.

Region convention gave me some great meeting-topic ideas!

Let’s hear them!

How about “Amending an Amends You Didn’t

Fully Amend?”

Um . . . well . . .

Or “Stepping Through the Steps While Side-Stepping

Step-Quashing Trigger Foods?”

Uh . . .

Or “Traditional Traditions Translation

Targeting Teens in Transition—

No one is too dumb to get this program.

But Larry, sometimes you’re a little too smart!

January 2012 www.oa.org 2726 Lifeline A Meeting on the Go

Web Links

Discover interesting and helpful OA Web-site links.

Board of Trustees—What does the OA Board of Trustees do and how are trustees elected? Learn about the structure and activities of this service body.www.oa.org/services-for-members/service-body/board.php

A Step Ahead Newsletter—The first-quarter issue of A Step Ahead is chock-full of OA news and updates. www.oa.org/services-for-members/newsletters.php

I find my spirituality in connection. This connection requires fellowship with other beings (or nature) and cannot be done alone. Twelve-Step meetings and works prepare me for this fellowship and provide the opportunity.

Spending time in OA is more than a requirement, healthy mindset or mere opportunity for relaxation. It is my spirituality. I feel nurtured and fed when I am in true fellowship. I don’t hunger af-terwards. I am wonderfully full. My needs diminish, and my satisfaction with life grows. Fellowship is sacred time for me, and the meetings are sacred ground.

This, in a nutshell, is my spirituality.— Amy, Fredericksburg, Virginia USA

“It helps me to be kind to myself. You can call me if you need to.” Then I used another OA tool by writing this article. Afterward I visited a day spa, giving my cramped muscles the opportunity to relax. Later I will phone my sponsor.

Even though I am in pain right now, I don’t feel so alone anymore. I can stick to my food plan. That is what OA has given me so far. My fellows and sponsor are only a phone call away. For the first time, I don’t feel awkward or out of place in a group when I am attending a meeting. I can share whatever I have on my mind and receive acceptance and love. In OA I feel at home. Thank you!

— Sandra B.

or she wishes and to make private recommendations to friends and sponsees. However, as members of an OA group, we ought to decide what message we want our

group to carry and how best to do so. If we stick to our primary purpose, carrying the OA message, we avoid controversy and make our meeting a place where the OA message, clear and simple, is carried to those who still suffer.

OA encourages groups within its Fellowship to abide by its Traditions, bylaws and poli-cies. While displaying outside literature at OA meetings is at odds with the principles the Twelve Traditions embody, each group through the group conscience is free to decide for itself whether to display non-OA-approved literature.

— Members of the Board of Trustees provide answers to these questions

Ask-It Basket Continued from page 24

Spiritual PathContinued from page 22

Newcomers CornerContinued from page 23

Now Available for E-Readers! Five of OA’s best-selling books are now available in popular e-reader and mobile-device formats. To find these books, go to your e-reader store and search by title.

The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters AnonymousProvides a detailed, moving exploration of how OA’s Steps and Traditions help members recover and how the Fellowship functions as a whole. e-reader price: $6.50

For TodayOffers inspiring and thought-provoking affirmations and readings for each day of the year, written especially for OA members. e-reader price: $6.50

Voices of RecoveryThis daily reader contains inspirational quotations from OA literature along with experience, strength and hope written by OA members for OA members. e-reader price: $6.50

Overeaters Anonymous, Second EditionIncludes personal stories of OA members, the complete text of “Our Invitation to You,” the founder’s story, and views of the program by non-OA professionals. e-reader price: $6.50

AbstinenceMember-written essays from Lifeline magazine offer help, encouragement and direction as you strive for and maintain abstinence. e-reader price: $5.75

Page 16: Lifeline Jan12

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Cu

t

The Twelve Traditions 1. Our common welfare should come first; per-

sonal recovery depends upon OA unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

3. The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.

4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.

6. An OA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the OA name to any related facil-ity or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Every OA group ought to be fully self-sup-porting, declining outside contributions.

8. Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the OA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on at-traction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The Twelve Steps 1. We admitted we were powerless

over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power great-er than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God re-move all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inven-tory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and medi-tation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to com-pulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Permission to use the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous for adaptation granted by AA World Services, Inc.

Page 17: Lifeline Jan12

Printed in the United States

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.